What is a VST?
VST is an abbreviation of Virtual Studio Technology which is an audio plug-in software interface that plugs-in software synthesizers and effects units into digital audio workstations. VST and similar technologies use digital signal processing (DSP) to emulate a traditional hardware recording studio using computer software technology.
Thousands of plugins exist, both paid and free, and many audio applications support VST under license from it’s original creator, Steinberg.
Overview
VST plugins generally run within a digital audio workstation (DAW), to provide additional functionality and instruments, although there are few standalone plugin hosts exist that support VST plugins.
Most VST plugins are either instruments (VSTi) or effects (VSTfx), although other categories do exist: for example spectrum analyzers, and various meters.
VST plugins nearly always provide a custom graphical user interface (GUI) that displays controls similar to physical switches and knobs on audio hardware. Some (often older) plugins rely on the host application for their user interface.
VST Instruments.
VST instruments include software simulation emulations of well-known hardware synthesizers (Moog, ARP, Roland to name a few) and samplers. These often closely emulate the look of the original equipment as well as its sonic characteristics, and behaviour. This lets musicians and recording engineers use virtual versions of devices that otherwise might be almost unobtainable, very expensive and hugely expensive to keep in working condition.
A VST Instrument running in the Reason DAW.
VST plugins and MIDI
VST instruments receive notes as digital information via MIDI, generate, process and output the results as digital audio.
VST Effects plugins.
Effects plugins are able to receive digital audio and process it, passing it on to their outputs. Some of the effect plugins also accept a MIDI input – for example, MIDI sync to modulate the effect in sync with the tempo.
MIDI messages can control both instrument and effect plugin parameters. Most host applications can route the audio output from one VST to the audio input of another VST (chaining). For example, the output of a VST synthesizer can be sent through a VST reverb effect.
A VST plugin running in Reason DAW.
History of VSTs.
Steinberg released the VST interface specification and Software Development Kit (SDK) in 1996. They released it at the same time as the Steinberg Cubase 3.02 DAW, which included their first VST plugins: Espacial (a reverb effect), Choirus (a chorus effect), a Stereo Echo, and an Auto-Panner.
VST 2.
Steinberg updated the VST interface specification to version 2.0 in 1999. One notable addition was the ability for plugins to receive MIDI data. This supported the introduction of VSTi plugins. VST Instruments could now act as standalone software synthesizers, samplers, or drum machines.
Neon was the first available VST Instrument (which was included with Cubase VST 3.7). It was a 16-voice, 2-oscillator virtual analog synthesizer (Pretty basic compared to some of the VSTi’s being created now).
VST 2.4.
In 2006, the VST interface was updated to version 2.4.
Changes included the ability to process audio with 64-bit precision. A free-software replacement was developed for Linux MultiMedia Studio (LMMS) that would be used later by other free-software projects.
VST 3.0 was introduced in 2008. Changes included:
Audio Inputs for VST Instruments
Multiple MIDI inputs/outputs
Optional Steinberg Kernel Interface (SKI) integration
VST 3.5 was introduced in February 2011.
Changes included:
Note expression, which provides extensive articulation information in individual note events in a polyphonic arrangement. According to Steinberg, this improves support for performance flexibility, and allows a more natural playing feel.
In October 2011, Celemony Software and PreSonus released Audio Random Access (ARA), which is an extension for audio plug-in interfaces, such as VST, allowing for greater integration between the audio plug-ins and DAW software.
VST2 Support officially discontinued.
In September, 2013, Steinberg discontinued maintenance of the VST 2 SDK. In December, Steinberg stopped distributing the V2 SDK. The higher versions of SDK have continued support.
VST 3.6.7 came out in March, 2017.
VST 3.6.7 includes a preview version of VST3 for the Linux software platform, and the VST3 part of the SDK was given a new dual license: “Proprietary Steinberg VST3” or the “Open-source GPLv3”.
Hosting VST’s
VST plugins can be hosted in incompatible environments by using using software a translation layer, or shim. For example, FL Studio only supports its own proprietary plugin architecture, but a native “wrapper” loads VST plugins, among others. FXpansion likewise has a VST to Real Time Audio Suite (RTAS) wrapper that lets VST plugins run in Pro Tools, and a VST-to-Audio Units (AU) wrapper lets VST plugins run in Logic Pro.
Hardware Hosting.
Hardware VST hosts can load specially created versions of VST plugins. These units are portable and usable without a computer, although some of them do require a computer for editing.
Other hardware options include PCI/PCIe cards designed specially for audio processing, which take over audio processing from the computer’s CPU and free up RAM and valuable processor power.
Some hardware hosts accept VSTs and VSTis, and either run Windows-compatible music applications such as Cubase, Live, Pro Tools, Logic etc., or are able to run their own DAW. Other hardware hosts are only VST Hosts, and thus will require a separate DAW to function.
Origin from Arturia is a hardware DSP system that houses several VST software synthesizers in one machine, such as the Jupiter 50/80 from Roland. Using the required software, audio data can also be sent over a network, so the main host runs on one computer, and the VST plugins can run on peripheral machines.
The VST Standard.
The VST plugin standard is the audio plugin standard created by Steinberg to allow any third-party developers to create VST plugins for use within VST host applications. VST requires separate installations for Windows, macOs, and Linux. The short history of software developments for Linux means few developers have as yet targeted the Linux platform.
Presets
VST plugins usually have many controls, and therefore need a method of managing presets (sets of control settings).
Steinberg Cubase VST introduced two file formats for storing presets: an FXP file stores a single preset, while an FXB file stores a whole bank of presets. These formats have since been adopted by many other VST hosts, although Cubase itself switched to a new system of preset management with Cubase 4.0.
Many VST plugins have their own proprietary methods of loading and saving presets, which do not necessarily use the Steinberg FXP/FXB formats.
Typical VSTi Preset menu.
