Olivier Lapicque has added VST plugins support to the MODPlug Tracker. This means that almost any effect plugin that a VST host (such as Cubase) uses, the MODPlug Tracker can use! There are tons of VST plugins available, including plugins for Delay, Distortion, Reverb, EQ, the list goes on and on. -- This page will explain the VST Plugin functionality of the MODPlug Tracker (MPT), and where to get some VST Plugins for it. In order to use a VST Plugin in MPT, you will need to load it into the program. This is done from the General Screen. The screenshot below is of the bottom of the General Screen of MPT: - Note the drop-down list that is titled "Effect". It includes entries FX1 through FX8. Here is where you can define up to 8 plugins for use in your song. To load a plugin into your song, click on the button that says "Select Plugin". - Clicking on 'Select Plugin' will open a window that looks like this. You will need to first click on the "Add Plugin" button to browse to where your plugin *.DLL files are located. You can then load them into this window for selection from the main screen. In this example, plugins called 'BJ Flanger', 'BlueDelay', 'Blue Reverb', etc. have been loaded into the window. You can now select one of these plugins to be assigned to FX1 by highlighting it, and clicking on the OK button. The name of the plugin should then be carried to the main screen, in the selection for FX1. You can then assign it to whatever channel you want, or to the whole song! Here's how: Returning to the main screen after clicking OK, you should now see the name of the plugin that you selected in effect channel "FX1". For example, if you chose the 'BJ Flanger' plugin, the screen should now say, under 'Effects:', "FX1: BJ Flanger". You can now go to the drop-down menus for each channel that you wish to use this plugin on. Each channel has a control like this - Clicking on the drop-down box in the channel will allow you to assign the plugin to the channel. If you click on this drop-down menu, the options should be 'No effect' or 'FX1: BJ Flanger' You would select 'FX1: BJ Flanger' for each channel that you want the Flanger to be applied to. Now, if the plugin has a graphical interface, you can use it to get your song to sound perfect by using the "Edit" button, which is next to the "Select Plugin" button. If no graphical interface comes with the plugin, this button will be grayed out. You will then have to use the built-in controls for the plugins that are below. The drop-down menu labeled "Parameter" lets you choose which part of the plugin you wish to change, such as 'depth', 'gain', etc. The slider next to this drop-down menu will then effect that parameter. The changed parameter will be displayed next to the word "Value:" above the slider. For example, some plugins will have multiple options like "Yes" or "No", and the Value will display what was selected. - If the plugin does have a graphical interface, it will pop up when you click on the 'Edit' button. To the left is an example of a plugin called "KwikKomp". You can control the parameters of the plugin by using the knobs on the interface itself with your mouse. If you click on the Gain knob in this interface, moving your mouse in a circular motion will turn the knob to increase or decrease the gain of the plugin. If you have a plugin, such as the KwikKomp Compressor pictured above, that you want to apply to the entire song, you would click the checkbox labeled 'Apply to final mix'. MPT also allows you to 'chain' the effects together using the drop-down menu labeled "Output To". If the output is set to 'default', then the plugin will act normally. When a plugin is loaded that you can chain to, it will appear in the drop-down menu. For example, if you load a compressor plugin, and then a delay plugin, you can have the compressor output to the delay. Then, any channel that you select the compressor plugin for will also use the delay plugin as well. You are in effect connecting the compressor to the delay, using an input from the channel selected. You can also use this when applying to the final mix. Some VST Plugins are visual only, or do not have any output. In order to use these plugins, you will need to select the 'Dry Mix' checkbox, which in effect routes half of the signal through your sound card, and half of the signal through the plugin. If this is not done, the plugin will operate, but you will not hear anything. The other checkbox, 'Bypass', allows you to quickly disable the plugin, to hear the difference from the original sound. On the next page are some websites where you can find free VST plugins to use with your songs. Note that although plugin settings are stored with your IT or XM file, that no one else will be able to hear the song as you do unless they have the same plugins installed. VST Plugins therefore should only be used for final mixing, and then saving to WAV for CD burning, or to MP3. You can find web sites with free VST plugins for download here : http://www.modplug.com/modplug/tracker_plugins2.php3?session= -- http://www.silverspike.com/Download/RoomMachine844.zip SilverSpike distributes the RoomMachine, an incredible VST plugin that lets you position the sound anywhere within any size room. Controls for room size, distance, panning, wet/dry, decay, color and damping http://www.silverspike.com/Download/RubyTube.zip - http://209.211.248.205/software/vstplugs/burel.zip Vincent Burel offers the following plugins: Surrounder, which applies a spacial sound as a sound sound effect. PPDisto, a ping Png Distortion with lots of parameters for all three effects. Megatrancer, a quick filter with FX control, designed for voices and drums. Stereoizer, transforms mono signals into stereo ones. DLimiter - Prevents distortion. Karakao - Eliminates the center (usually the vocals) of a sound. - http://209.211.248.205/software/vstplugs/vellocet.zip Vellocet has the following plugins: VFilterNode, a resonant filter with filters all the way up to 48dB/Octave. VFlanger, with sweep rate, highest and lowest frequencies and phase controls. VNoiseGate, with threshold, hold time, attack, decay and release, plus the ability to use only one channel to control the gate. VNophones, which counteracts the absolute stereo effect that you get with headphones. VPingPong, a sophisticated stereo delay with lots of parameters and a ping pong option, and VReorder, which chops up an audio signal and puts them back in another order. - http://209.211.248.205/software/vstplugs/jspack.zip Jerome has a pack of 16 plugins, including a Limiter, Compresser, "Magneto" (tape simulator, not to be confused with Steinberg's), 3-band Graphic EQ, 6-band Graphic EQ, Band Filter, Noise Reduction, Noise Filter, Pan-Delay, Resonant Filter, Mini-Sampler, Disto, Vibrato, Oscille Resonne v2, Oscille Resonne v3 and "Humanizer" (formant filter talk box - AWESOME!!!!) - http://209.211.248.205/software/vstplugs/aldo.zip AoAudio has some free plugins for download, and also sell plugins for VST hosts. Their free plugins include Double Delay, and an instrument that is not yet implemented. You can click here to download a pack of their plugins, including Chorus, Phaser and Reverb. --------------- http://www13.freeweb.ne.jp/art/daichi38/vstplugins.html -------