What is a VST Host?

Special Interest Groups Audio Processing
1

(split from: https://forum.audacityteam.org/t/audacity-as-passthrough/14229/1 )

okay
midi and music books talk about host and player and a bunch of terms they dont explain

what is a host
and how does that differ from all the other labels put on this sort of software ?

is virtual audio cable at all similar to rewire ?

2

VST Host: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Virtual_Studio_Technology#VST_hosts
Virtual Audio Cable: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Virtual_Audio_Cable
Rewire: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ReWire

3

thanks

the real question was are there other hosts than vst hosts?
and why dont the books explain what they are talking about?

i am not smart enough to figure out the rewire vs. VAC difference.
they look the same to me. but different companies.

4

“Host” can refer to any of a number of things, for example:

  • A person who provides hospitality
  • Host or sacramental bread
  • Host (biology) — organism harboring another organism on or in itself
  • Host (psychology) — “personality” emphasized in treating dissociative identity disorder
  • Host (radio), the presenter or announcer on a radio show
  • Host, (sometimes hostess, in feminine form) — the presenter for an event
  • Host, headwaiter (Maître d’ or Maître d’hôtel) of a restaurant or hotel
  • Host (network), a computer connected to the Internet or another IP based network
  • Terminal host — a multi-user computer or software providing services to computer terminals, or a computer that provides services to smaller or less capable devices.
  • Virtual machine host — a computer within which another computer is emulated and hosted by virtualization
  • Cossack host — was the administrative subdivision of Cossacks in Imperial Russia based on their location.
  • Furious Host or the Wild Hunt — a European folk myth
  • Heavenly host, an “army” of good angels in Heaven
    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Host

In music/audio software, a “Host Program” or “Host Application” will usually refer to a “VST Host” application, though really the term “VST host” should be used to avoid confusion.

As an Audacity user you will be aware that there are other types of audio plug-ins as well as VST plug-ins. The most common types of audio plug-ins are (in no particular order); VST, LADSPA, Nyquist, DirectX, AudioUnits and RTAS plug-ins. Of these, VST is by far the most widely known, to the extent that many audio software users will equate “plug-in” with “VST” (very successful marketing by Steinberg).

“the books” ??? Any particular books?

Audio recording, acoustics, sound design, music, digital audio… are all huge subject areas that can be studied far beyond bachelor’s degree level. Some books will be aimed at a high level and will be mostly incomprehensible to anyone that has not already done a great deal of study. There will be others that are aimed at an introductory level. It’s the same with other subjects.

“Mortimer Rhind-Tutt: Music Technology From Scratch” is often recommended (though I’ve not read it myself) as a good introduction to “music technology” and may be available through your local library.

Rewire and VAC perform a similar task of joining audio applications together with “virtual audio cables”, but approach the task in different ways. Possibly one of the most important differences is that VAC creates routes using the standard inputs and outputs of Windows audio applications, whereas Rewire makes connections between a “Rewire Host” application (there’s that word again) and one or more “Rewire Client” applications. To use Rewire, the applications must specifically have Rewire support built in.

The other major difference is that VAC is an “application” (program), whereas Rewire is a “protocol” (a standardised method of transfering data/information). Applications that support Rewire can communicate with each other without the need of a third party application (such as VAC). Rewire is built into many of the more advanced commercial audio programs and is aimed at the professional/semi-professional market. VAC is aimed more at the audio enthusiast and can be used with (Windows) applications that do not support Rewire.

Rewire provides a similar functionality to “Jack” on Linux computers. http://jackaudio.org/documentation

5

thank you very much

the books are those at the library and borders
plus a few from amazon

maybe i overlooked some advanced texts for this
but all i was (and still am) is trying to understand home pc
music audio – both midi and live recording.

have also read several issues of about 8 different music mags
that were mostly way too product specific , too advanced and specialised (how to eq drums recorded with an underwater mike :laughing: ),
or so simplistic as to be useless

here and there you get a nugget of truth
but most of it is mostly filler and some of it is plain wrong

i have read advanced texts on DSP and microphones
the problem is the midi bullstuff terms with insufficient info
and regular audio using slang that varies from user to user as to what it really means for them

way too many people say just buy a bunch of stuff and play with it
dont have time nor money to take that approach
shouldnt have too
cant somebody write a useful book on this stuff?
bruce bartlett could but he didnt
couple of people came close but stopped short
most of the books are total crapola and waste of money

6

I thought Bruce Bartlett was an economist :open_mouth:
Do his talents never end :smiley:

7

the one in Britain may be
the one in the usa has a recording studio

and my arthritis and bad eyes means sometimes i fumble figner a typo

8

Bruce Bartlett - eminent American economist: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bruce_Bartlett

(I’m just kidding with you :wink:
If you’ve not already got this book, have a look here http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=E0uy8adetQoC&printsec=frontcover&dq=Bruce+Bartlett+studio&source=bl&ots=9LYhuc_MXc&sig=GsQTcWRQp_dDgZWkKFejWSsFRnM&hl=en&ei=6sbxS_WHPIH40wSjoOzsBw&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=1&ved=0CBQQ6AEwAA#v=onepage&q=Bruce%20Bartlett%20studio&f=false )

9

got those from the library
good as far as he went
but thin
one heading didnt even have a sentence under it
sort of like an outline
he never finished filling in
before the publishers deadline

read his articles on several web sites
get his newsletter

he know his stuff
i wish he would tell us more of it

5e got 4.5 stars in usa
4e got 3
UK 5e got 4 stars

are we more generous in the colonies
or more in need of help that we think it is worth more