Download of the Month: VST to AudioUnit Adapter

Dec 1, 2003 12:00 PM, By Len Sasso

           
 

FXPANSION VST TO AUDIOUNIT ADAPTER (MAC)

If you're making the switch to OS X and sorely missing your favorite VST plug-ins in applications that support only Audio Units (AU), FXpansion's VST to AudioUnit Adapter ($75) will make your day. VST-AU Adapter provides an elegant solution to the problem by actually creating an AU version of each VST plug-in you feed it. Unlike other plug-in wrappers, it then steps out of the picture, leaving you a fully functional AU plug-in and a minimal (typically less than 0.1 percent) additional CPU hit.

Operating VST-AU Adapter is simple. The program needs to be run only when you have new VST plug-ins to convert. Options allow you to designate a destination for the new AU plug-ins, print extra diagnostic information just in case you encounter crashes when using the converter, reduce the host load time for converted plug-ins, and skip the conversion process on VST plug-ins that have already been converted. Reducing the host load time is optional because, though desirable, it could potentially cause problems with some hosts.

VST-AU Adapter converts both the older Carbon-CFM and newer Mach-O VST formats for OS X. It does not convert OS 9 or PC format plug-ins (according to the manufacturer, it “probably never will”). The program has been tested extensively on plug-ins from a range of manufacturers, including DSound, INA-GRM, LinPlug, MDA, Prosoniq, PSP, reFX, Steinberg, TC-Works, Waldorf, and Waves. I was able to convert a variety of plug-ins from reFX, Steinberg, LinPlug, and PSP Audio with no problems.

If you find you're tired of waiting for your favorite OS X VST plug-in to be converted to Audio Units, I can highly recommend VST-AU Adapter as a solution. Minimum system requirements are a Power Mac G3/266 MHz, Mac OS X 10.2, and 128 MB of RAM. FXpansion Audio UK; e-mail info@fxpansion.com; Web www.fxpansion.com.