How to Route Windows Audio thru a Plugin?

[Andres Medina]

Hi,

I use a very useful plugin inside Sonar for Room Equalization (IK Multimedia ARC System 3)

It improves the sound a lot.

I wonder if there is a way to use this same plugin outside Sonar to use with Windows audio, such as Itunes.

My mixes sound much better inside Sonar because of the plugin.

Thanks!

[Xoo]

Maybe some ideas here:

https://gearspace.com/board/music-computers/1261800-audio-players-can-run-vst.html

[Andres Medina]

7 minutes ago, Xoo said:

Maybe some ideas here:

https://gearspace.com/board/music-computers/1261800-audio-players-can-run-vst.html

Thanks! I'll check it out -

 

[Chaps]

What kind of Audio Interface are you using? My Steinberg UR24C can send Windows audio to a Cakewalk input, which would allow me to use plugins on Windows audio.

[Andres Medina]

1 minute ago, Chaps said:

What kind of Audio Interface are you using? My Steinberg UR24C can send Windows audio to a Cakewalk input, which would allow me to use plugins on Windows audio.

Mmmm, interesting.

I use Behringer UMC404-HD

I'll check the user manual -

Thanks!

[Andres Medina]

13 minutes ago, Andres Medina said:

Mmmm, interesting.

I use Behringer UMC404-HD

I'll check the user manual -

Thanks!

I didn't find a way to route Windows Audio to Cakewalk...

Is that really possible? because there would be a loop... Windows audio going to Cakewalk and back to windows?

[Bristol_Jonesey]

The primary use for ARC is to apply correction to your monitoring in order to compensate for room deficiencies, enabling you to produce mixes which stand a better chance of translating well to other systems and to be generally more balanced without excessive high or low frequencies.

It should always be switched OFF before doing an export.

[Xoo]

1 hour ago, Andres Medina said:

I didn't find a way to route Windows Audio to Cakewalk...

Is that really possible? because there would be a loop... Windows audio going to Cakewalk and back to windows?

You don't - you route Windows Audio to loopback to Sonar input to Sonar output to hardware.  Windows audio doesn't come into effect after the first step.

If you do want to do this, I'd look at a lightweight VST host like Blue Cat Patchwork.

Or I'd just load the audio into a dummy project in Sonar and listen to it there.  It seems like a lot of effort if you need to run Sonar/Patchwork alongside media player (assuming you can't find a media player that hosts VSTs, and I'm sure one exists).

[Andres Medina]

1 hour ago, Bristol_Jonesey said:

The primary use for ARC is to apply correction to your monitoring in order to compensate for room deficiencies, enabling you to produce mixes which stand a better chance of translating well to other systems and to be generally more balanced without excessive high or low frequencies.

It should always be switched OFF before doing an export.

Thanks! Yes, I'm aware of that. 

When I listen to Sonar, it goes thru ARC. 

When exporting, it doesn't.

I want to hear a compensated audio from other sources, like ITunes or Youtube...

[Andres Medina]

1 hour ago, Xoo said:

You don't - you route Windows Audio to loopback to Sonar input to Sonar output to hardware.  Windows audio doesn't come into effect after the first step.

If you do want to do this, I'd look at a lightweight VST host like Blue Cat Patchwork.

Or I'd just load the audio into a dummy project in Sonar and listen to it there.  It seems like a lot of effort if you need to run Sonar/Patchwork alongside media player (assuming you can't find a media player that hosts VSTs, and I'm sure one exists).

Thanks.

I can't do that, at least on my configuration. 

The audio card is the sole audio card in my system. I don't use the Realtek Windows driver, so, the audio goes from - say Youtube - to my audio card.

I guess what I need is sort of a intermediate software between Windows and my Audiocard that enables to insert the ARC plugin, which could be the EqualizerAPO that your link provided.

[mettelus]

You would want to use an app geared for streaming/pod cast services, like OBS Studio or similar. Those apps expose all of the audio/video streams available on the machine, but you would also need one that will host 3rd party VSTs (I think OBS only supports VST2 right now). OBS revolves around "scenes" (basically a workspace setup), so knowing that helps to set it up. Those apps also include mixers and output streams (even monitor mixes for live streaming), so would be getting one that can host VSTs (you want to use) as well.

[Chaps]

4 hours ago, Andres Medina said:

I didn't find a way to route Windows Audio to Cakewalk...

Is that really possible? because there would be a loop... Windows audio going to Cakewalk and back to windows?

My interface shows up as two sets of input drivers in Cakewalk Audio Devices. Driver 1+2 (Input 1) is what I choose when recording things I plug into my interface's inputs. Driver 3+4 is named 'Streaming' and if I use those inputs I can record anything I hear from my speakers. This is what I use if I want to record audio from YouTube, for example. I have never used it to listen to audio live and tried it just now. You are right, it does cause audio playback problems. I should have checked that first before I before I posted anything. My bad.

[Amberwolf]

Equalizer APO should be able to do what you want--I keep intending to try it out, to sit between the system default audio output for windows and the actual audio hardware (effectively). 

https://sourceforge.net/projects/equalizerapo/

 

 

In the meantime what I use is VSTHost 

https://www.hermannseib.com/english/vsthost.htm

to setup my fx chain (presently just mda multiband, used to highly compress, eq, and limit all audio output from everything *other* than audio editing programs so I can't be surprised / annoyed by all the volume variations from video playback/streaming, etc). But it is complex to setup, and totally unintuitive for how to save your settings and setup.

To get audio into and out of it, I use VB-Audio's virtual cable

https://vb-audio.com/Cable/

as the system default audio device, as the input to VSTHost, and VSTHost's output is the secondary speakers on the laptop audio device (because that way I have a physical separate volume control knob for those vs my audio-editing speakers, so I never touch the AE levels so I always have the same reference level for AE). 

 

 

 

 

[Sock Monkey]

This is why most new audio interfaces now have a Loopback feature. Streamers, Podcasts and for me it is critical for a few workflows. 
 
I wouldn’t not have it now. 
 

Basically it’s what we’re used to call “What you Hear”. 

All Daw’s will have the Loopback inputs available. 
Isn’t arc available as a stand alone app? 

[Andres Medina]

2 hours ago, Sock Monkey said:

This is why most new audio interfaces now have a Loopback feature. Streamers, Podcasts and for me it is critical for a few workflows. 
 
I wouldn’t not have it now. 
 

Basically it’s what we’re used to call “What you Hear”. 

All Daw’s will have the Loopback inputs available. 
Isn’t arc available as a stand alone app? 

Thanks!

My audio card doesn't support loopback ... I'll upgrade mine someday..!

ARC 3 is not available as a Stand Alone... just VST plugin.

[Clint Martin]

VirtualAudioStream - DDMF Supreme Audio Software

@Andres Medina I've heard people say that this works good but I do not have it myself.

Edited Friday at 07:56 PM by Clint Martin

[Sock Monkey]

Back a few years ago before I found out about Loopback I tried every trick in the book. But all involved not running Cakewalk in ASIO mode. You had to use WASAPI shared or Voicemeter etc.

In the end I was forced to use a small mixer as a go between. I also had to use outputs 3/4 into the mixer to avoid feeding back.  Anyhow yes Loopback is now pretty common on interfaces.
 

I have 3 now. Motu M4, SSL 2 and best rig of all is the Zoom L8. My older Focusrite didn’t have it but the new ones do.