VST VST VST VST
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VST Q&A
With growing interest among e-drummers in VSTs, there are many little details that can make the difference between fighting with technology and mastering the tools. E-drum guru John Emrich has kindly agreed to answer some of the common questions.
Question: I notice that my VST has all these mic setting and mixing options. I’m a drummer not a sound engineer, so can I just ignore all of that and choose some drums and play? Answer: Yes! All of the popular VST drum programmes include presets. You can have great results right away. All of the hard work involving selecting mics, placement, and proper recorded gain structure has been taken care of. Don’t be scared of building your own presets; it’s easy. This is a great way to experiment and learn a little about processing. All that really matters is that it sounds good to you.
Question: I’m using ASIO drivers, but I can’t seem to play audio from my computer like music tracks to accompany my VST drums. Am I doing something wrong, or do I need some more gear to enable me to hear both the VST sounds and audio from my sound card?
Answer: ASIO drivers are an important subject to understand. ASIO stands for Audio Stream Input/Output. It is a driver protocol for Windows-based machines that allows the end-user to connect their programmes to sound card hardware. It is important to make sure that you have an ASIO driver that allows for flexibility and reduces latency. I recommend getting a free copy of ASIO4ALL.
Playing audio, like that from a CD, at the same time that you wish to play a VST drum
digitalDRUMMER, AUGUST 2011
programme means you have two applications sending info to your audio interface. Some programmes will allow you to have both going at the same time, but it depends on the programmes. A better option would be to get your hands on a software Digital Audio Workstation programme. Many of the well-known software DAWs like Cubase AI5 have free, feature-reduced versions. There are also programmes like Reaper that cost very little. Using a DAW programme like Cubase or Reaper has a couple of benefits. Both of these can work with ASIO4ALL and the computer’s onboard sound card. You can load in audio files that you want to play with and learn a little about working with a DAW. It really is simple. This will also allow you to record yourself for fun. The key is that now both the music and the VST drums are running inside one programme and your audio interface is only dealing with one programme. Another solution worth looking at is a simple, inexpensive Audio/MIDI interface. I recommend this route because it will be better suited for your needs than using a computer’s onboard sound card. This will also generally give you better results dealing with latency. The cool thing is that most simple interfaces will include a free version of a DAW. This kills two birds with one stone. ○ Send your VST questions to editor@digitaldrummermag.com
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