You users that don’t care about VST3 should be glad that WE users that actually care and understand about it, automatically looking out of your interest. Even though you don’t understand the big problems or the fuss about it today you will very soon next year 2013 notice what we all facing if SONAR don’t adapt very soon to this “Standard”. 

Time will tell!

Scott Lee

 

VST3 is a mandatory component for Melodyne's integration api. Having melodyne integration within Sonar Xx does seem like a sought after feature many would like to see. VST3 does give the end user more options plugin / hardware wise. The question is how much? NAMM will be interesting this year I believe to sort out some of the misconceptions of industry standards. For me personally, I get more functionality out of my Access Virus TI via VST3. Not a game changer in any regards, but options nonetheless. 

Ok all you Melodyne people...did you read this?  Read it TWICE!!!

Auto-tune live from Antares is out now and is 64 bit and ONLY available as VST 3. Waves surround sound plugins are unusable without the VST3 versions. Waves Morphoder also needs VST3. Vienna Ensemble 5/MIR Pro needs VST 3 to utilize more than 16 channels per instance without inserting event inputs. Just because you all aren't using these high end plugins doesn't mean that it's not important to us PROFESSIONALS!!! We've been discussing VST3 importance for quite sometime now. Utterly disappointing that Cakewalk didn't look at the competition and 3rd party plug in companies and listen to the cries of the LONG LONG LONG LONG time customers. Epic Fail on Cake's part. Of course fixing Fastbouncing of timecode plugins in X1 d wasn't a high priority either. Apparantly, not enough people cared that they couldn't fastbounce alot of their plugins either (when polled that is).

firefly9000


NEW VST 3 Features - from steinberg site.

Improved performance

Managing large plug-in sets and multiple virtual instruments on typical studio computer systems can often be difficult because of CPU performance limits. VST3 helps to improve overall performance by applying processing to plug-ins only when audio signals are present on their respective inputs. Instead of always processing input signals, VST3 plug-ins can apply their processing economically and only when it is needed. Multiple dynamic I/Os

VST3 plug-ins are no longer limited to a fixed number of inputs and outputs. Their I/O configuration can dynamically adapt to the channel configuration they’re inserted in, meaning that any VST3 plug-in can be surround-capable with true multi-channel processing. For example, all the new VST3 plug-ins in Nuendo 4 can work in stereo-mode when inserted into a stereo channel, but switch to 6 channels when inserted into a 5.1 channel. Each audio channel is processed independently. Interaction between channels depends on the type and design of the plug-in. In addition to their flexible audio bussing capabilities, VST3 plug-ins may also offer a dedicated event bus. Typically, this is a MIDI input for control/modulation but these busses are no longer restricted to MIDI standard only. Future plug-ins may replace the common MIDI interface with alternative methods of control. Activating/deactivating busses

A typical issue with current virtual instruments is their audio output bussing system and how they’re connected to the mixer after loading. Especially virtual samplers with multiple outputs often occupy more mixer channels than need. The VST3 interface offers the possibility to deactivate unused busses after loading and even reactivate those when needed. This cleans up the mixer and further helps to reduce CPU load. Resizable edit windows

VST3 introduces a new approach to plug-in GUIs though window resizing, allowing for extremely flexible use of valuable screen space. Sample-accurate automation

VST3 also features vastly improved parameter automation with sample accuracy and support for ‘ramped’ automation data, allowing completely accurate and rapid parameter automation changes. Logical parameter organization

The plug-in parameters are displayed in a tree structure. Parameters are grouped into sections which represent the structure of the plug-in. Parameters like “Cutoff” and “Resonance” could be grouped into a section called “Filter”. This makes searching for a certain parameters easier, such as on an automation track. This also allows assigning a group of parameters to a specific MIDI Channel input and audio output bus. Optional VST3/SKI combination

As a direct result of the modular interface design of VST3, the Steinberg Kernel Interface (SKI) can be combined with VST3 plug-ins. SKI is an additional SDK that allows extremely close integration of a plug-in with a Steinberg host application, and allows functions to be carried out almost from within the application. This extends to the ability to create tracks, copy, cut, paste or process events in the Steinberg host application. SKI is provided to selected industry partners upon request. VSTXML for remote controllers

Remote controllers for audio and MIDI software applications have become increasingly popular. With VSTXML, VST3 offers far more flexible control of VST plug-ins by remote controllers. Using the knobs and faders on the control surface, parameters can be recorded, renamed and edited in many ways. Parameters that cannot be edited can be routed for display purposes to the control surface, for example to show Gain Reduction on compressor. UTF16 for localized parameter naming

In VST3, all strings that can be displayed to the user are in Unicode (UTF16) format. Usage of this universal character base allows the host application to display characters in localized languages. No MIDI restriction for parameter value transfers

VST3 has a dedicated interface for event handling that carries a much wider range of functionality than standard MIDI events would be able to provide. This opens up a big range of opportunities for musical use cases with very high potential for innovative product design. For example with VST3 some controller events (for example, pitch) can be referred to a note event (using a note unique ID). This offers the possibility to e.g. modulate only a single note which itself is part of a chord. Audio inputs for VST instruments

The VST3 interface expands VST instruments by adding the ability to create audio input busses. As a result, audio data can be routed to an VST3 instrument. A synthesizer which has a built-in e.g. vocoder effect is able to process audio data coming in from other sources as well. Multiple MIDI inputs/outputs

Unlike with VST 2.x,, a VST3 plug-in can have more than only one MIDI input or one MIDI output at the same time. 64-bit processing

VST3 plug-ins are generally able to process audio data in 64-bit.

Seem to me that are many more benefits with VST 3.0 then VST 2.4.  I perfectly understand why 3part manufactures sees support VST 2.4. Why should they, everyone has VST 3.0 support in their DAW.... already……………………………………………………………..........................except for SONAR.

Noel Borthwick [Cakewalk
]

If vst3 does not consume CPU when no signal present that's really smart. I know another DAW that lets you automate bypass of effects to eliminate unnecessary CPU consumption. That always made sense to me. If in fact that's how Vst3 functions automatically that would seem like number 1 priority in any DAW.

All cakewalk products have had this functionality since the 90's. Our DX sdk had an IDeferZeroFill interface that Ron thought of way back then. If anything I think this capability in VST3 came from there :) Additionally SONAR has always optimized to not stream through plugins that do not have an active audio stream. Only channels that have audio or are input monitored or have a synth feed actually pass through audio to plugins. That has been done from day one so its most certainly not something new you will get.

Really? Because if I drop a plugin in the effects bin that uses 50% of CPU the CPU indicator immediately shows an increase of 50% whether there is any audio on the track or not. Been like this on all version of Cakewalk products I've used.


Perhaps I misunderstood this...

New VST3 features Improved performance Managing large plug-in sets and multiple virtual instruments on typical studio computer systems can often be difficult because of CPU performance limits. VST3 helps to improve overall performance by applying processing to plug-ins only when audio signals are present on their respective inputs. Instead of always processing input signals, VST3 plug-ins can apply their processing economically and only when it is needed. 

Regardless, this would be a really smart feature. SAW Studio allows for automating this. Whether it introduces problems I don't know.

Blogman


Auto-tune live from Antares is out now and is 64 bit and ONLY available as VST 3. Waves surround sound plugins are unusable without the VST3 versions. Waves Morphoder also needs VST3. Vienna Ensemble 5/MIR Pro needs VST 3 to utilize more than 16 channels per instance without inserting event inputs. Just because you all aren't using these high end plugins doesn't mean that it's not important to us PROFESSIONALS!!! We've been discussing VST3 importance for quite sometime now. Utterly disappointing that Cakewalk didn't look at the competition and 3rd party plug in companies and listen to the cries of the LONG LONG LONG LONG time customers. Epic Fail on Cake's part. Of course fixing Fastbouncing of timecode plugins in X1 d wasn't a high priority either. Apparantly, not enough people cared that they couldn't fastbounce alot of their plugins either (when polled that is).

Hear hear!

Can we all just lighten up a bit pls, you don't need VST 3 to live?

Have some fun pls

We don't need music to live either, but imagine a world without it. Besides, it's not about living, it's about making a living. If my studio is asked to mix a surround sound mix I can't use my Waves surround plugins without VST3, so I'm not able to make as good a living. I'm not about being mediocre. Want to stay competitive.

alexoosthoek - I think the reason this unsettles people so much is because the same company that looked to the future and brought 64 bit processing way before the rest of the crowd, now seems to have lost that ability of foreshadowing things. A lot of people found that attractive about Cake (me included). There are plenty of behemoths (like ProT) that trudge along and sort of stumble into the future instead of being one up on it.

I do want to give props to Cake though for always working on optimizing the workflow. I saw the new X2 vid and there is a lot of cool stuff... But the VsT3 position that they take baffles me.

Did they invent surround after VST3? No "Pro" compressors sidechain in Sonar? More expensive to adopt VST3 down the road? 

Hells Bells, what are you guys drinking and where can I get a case of it?