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Topic: Wish: VSTi support (Read 4548 times) previous topic - next topic

Wish: VSTi support

Just in case it's of any help for the development of NWC2, I'd like to say that the only feature that I miss in NWC is VSTi support.

In short: If NWC had VSTi support, it would be my perfect, complete, music solution.

Yes, I currently export MIDI files from NWC and import them into an VSTi host, but that's annoying, uncomfortable, and prone to incompatibilites in some situations.

And most important of all: Previewing the music from NWC, using MIDI sound, is very unaccurate for me, and usually is of little help to know if the music will sound well when rendered with the VSTi host, because the sheet music I do is choral music, and I use choir sample libraries (created by sampling all semitones from a real choir). Choir samples are usually very affected by note length, expression, etc, so I'd really need a preview from NWC, in order to see if I have to tune the expression or change some lengths, etc...

Yes, I know, I can do tricks like MIDI loopback, but it's very challenging when you need to install these virtual MIDI tools: Getting all to work fine is a hard task, at least for me.

I'd like to add that NWC is my favourite music notation app: I prefer it a lot rather than Sibelius or Finale, because it's more intuitive, and it always works as expected.

ces

Re: Wish: VSTi support

Reply #1 –
I use the following combination of software to use NWC1.75b with VSTi:
* LoopBe1 (to loopback Noteworthy's MIDI output signal to MiniHost)
* MiniHost (takes a MIDI input and plays using a VSTi plugin through ASIO)
* ASIO4All (an ASIO to WDM audio driver adapter)

Worked very well, without audible latency (I tried using the Edirol Orchestral VSTi plugin).

I support your feature request!

Re: Wish: VSTi support

Reply #2 –
The problem with MiniHost is that you have to manually press the "rec" button in order to record a WAV. This is a total disaster if you need to generate a different WAV for each staff (I need to dump different audio files, for soprano, alto, tenor, and bass), because recording starts when you press the button, so the audio files you get are out of sync and cannot be mixed with audio processing apps.

Re: Wish: VSTi support

Reply #3 –
If all you want to do is to record separate tracks, have you considered adding one or two bars of ticks to the beginning of your NWC composition, then record the staffs one at a time without restarting the recording program? 

Play back the NWC one staff at a time.  You'll end up with a long single track wav file which you can then cut and paste to the next track and so on, as I did in the third image attached here.

Re: Wish: VSTi support

Reply #4 –
You can also use any number of keyboard macro utilities (including VBScript or Win 3.1 Recorder) to start playing in NWC2, then start recording in MiniHost. Provided that Windows doesn't go into an inopportune huddle, the wavs should align well enough.
Registered user since 1996

Re: Wish: VSTi support

Reply #5 –
Thanks a lot for the tips provided!!! (both the keyboard macros and the ticks bars are good suggestions -and wow, thanks a lot for your time drawing those example pics- )

Anyway, I still insist in my wish: Please add VST host support to NWC (and preferably not just VSTi host, but also VST MIDI effects plugins host -because Symphonic Choirs' WordBuilder isn't a VSTI, but a VST MIDI Effect).

Re: Wish: VSTi support

Reply #6 –
Quote
thanks a lot for your time drawing those example pics

You're welcome.  It only took a couple of minutes.