Mostly I just see VST effects applied to the output audio, or as batch effects applied to pre-recorded audio. Is it possible to apply them in real-time (latency aside) during recording? I appreciate this is generally not what you'd want to do, but I'm interested partly on theoretical grounds and partly because I have a good spectrum analyzer VST that I'd like to be able to use to evaluate different guitar sounds, without having to keep stopping to record and playback section of audio.

Yeah, any good host (I was using KRISTAL I think) will be able to do this. Note that if you want to get the latency under 10-20ms or so, you might need an ASIO driver.

Yeah, shame I don't have a good host then! :) I don't think Cakewalk 9, Audacity, or FLStudio 4 seem to cut it. And my system's too backwards for Kristal. Hm, more thought required at this end I think. :)

Usually the function is called "echo" or "input echo", that will route all of the audio from a specific input to go through your plug-in/FX/VST bin and onto your armed track before hitting the master bus outputs.

Don't remember how it's done in CW9. I had it for a LOOOONNNNGGG while, but I only used it for MIDI even though it had the Pro Audio moniker...I was just so trained to do MIDI in one program, live tracking in another, and mixing in another.

Now Sonar does EVERYTHING for me...we're very spoiled these days, aren't we?

Tony

Modular hosts designed for live use like Bidule (www.plogue.com) and AudioMulch (www.audiomulch.com) can route audio inputs to arbitrary plugins.

FLStudio4 can almost DEFINITELY apply VST effects to the line-in. If not, then later versions of FLStudio definitely can, and since you purchased it, you have free upgrades for life, so just download the latest version.

Interesting, I hadn't upgraded because I was under the impression that later versions only worked on XP, and I have Windows 98. Perhaps I was confusing it with the newer versions of Cakewalk. But I just checked the site and they say it works on 98 too. Thanks for the reminder!

Yup. :) Just for a quick primer on HOW to do the line-in trick:

On the FX mixer, on the top of the effect controller panel, there's a drop-down list labled "IN". Select the input there that you want to route to that FX channel and all the VST effects in there will be applied to the sound.

Quote: Original post by Kylotan
Perhaps I was confusing it with the newer versions of Cakewalk.

Actually, Sonar5 will work on Win2K as well. It's not officially supported, but it does run and work perfectly.
(Edit: Whoops, just noticed you're still on 98 - not sure it will work there!)

Hmm, lack of ASIO drivers is looking like being a barrier to doing this in FLStudio 6. :(