VST Plugin Support on the Surround Master - A Poll

musicvid10 wrote on 4/5/2011, 9:37 PM
Sony has recently disclosed that VST plugin support does not exist on the 5.1 Surround Master (output) bus in Vegas Pro, any version. There is apparently no existing documentation to soften the impact of this revelation.
This is nontrivial, since DirectX audio plugin development on any commercial front has all but come to a halt from attrition.

Is this capability (VST support) important enough to include in the next major Vegas release?
How many would use it?
More importantly, how would you use it?

So I'll get the ball rolling:
I would use VST support on the Surround Master in Vegas to enable true peak and integrated loudness metering solutions from third party developers to be used in broadcast audio production for US delivery, to comply with the "CALM" Act which takes effect December 15, 2011, using the licensed Dolby Digital surround encoders available in Vegas Pro.

I'm sure there are more creative uses for VST support on the Surround Master than I have just mentioned. Please feel free to add your prospective or contingent uses for such support below (trolls may kindly remain at home).

Comments

ChristoC wrote on 4/5/2011, 10:25 PM

+1

I would use VST support on the Surround Master in Vegas to enable true peak and integrated loudness metering solutions from third party developers to be used in broadcast audio production for US delivery, to comply with ATSC/A85 (the "CALM" Act) which takes effect December 15, 2011, AND for EUROPEAN delivery to comply with loudness standards EBU R128 & ITU BS.1770.
musicvid10 wrote on 4/5/2011, 10:29 PM
And EBU R 128 will become the law soon in the EU, from what I understand.
ChristoC wrote on 4/5/2011, 10:31 PM
As I understand, some have already embedded loudness standards into legislation e.g. Italy.
LoTN wrote on 4/6/2011, 5:51 AM
+1 for 5.1 VST support.

R128 and so on...
farss wrote on 4/6/2011, 6:13 AM
+1 Simply because it should just work or else it should be very clear that it isn't supported.

In a practical sense though I have no immediate need for it.
What I do have a need for is for it to work on the stereo buss. Everytime I've tried one of Nugens's plugs they seemed very wobbly and I've blamed that on Nugen and given up on them. Based on what came out in the discussion about 5.1 and VST I'm far from certain it is Nugen's fault.

One other thing. VST meters are kind of limited in their usefullness when you can only have one FX pane open at a time. Not to derail this thread but I think widening the scope would attract much more interest and support from the users.

Bob.
JohnnyRoy wrote on 4/6/2011, 8:11 AM
> "One other thing. VST meters are kind of limited in their usefullness when you can only have one FX pane open at a time. Not to derail this thread but I think widening the scope would attract much more interest and support from the users."

+1

Agreed not meaning to derail, but IMHO, this is HUGE! What an incredible PITA to try and mix broadcast audio when you need to use a 3rd party meter for monitoring loudness and you can't use it while you're tweaking the track compressors.

I've been delivering broadcast in stereo but I can see that this will be a problem when delivering broadcast in surround.

~jr
musicvid10 wrote on 4/6/2011, 9:06 AM
"What an incredible PIA to try and mix broadcast audio when you need to use a 3rd party meter for monitoring loudness and you can't use it while you're tweaking the track compressors. "

Well said.
bdg wrote on 4/6/2011, 10:01 AM
I would use A Format Ambisonics VST plugins.
Actually I would also use B Format VST Ambisonics plugins that place mono sounds into 3D space. (Although I haven't had the time to try this yet in Reaper).
Currently I have to decode (4 channel) A Format to mono files (4, 5, or 5.1) in a separate app and then drop them on to the timeline in Vegas..
rraud wrote on 4/6/2011, 1:29 PM
"What an incredible PIA to try and mix broadcast audio when you need to use a 3rd party meter for monitoring loudness and you can't use it while you're tweaking the track compressors. "
Well said.
x3
Whilst it would be nice to have the option. The CALM act is more of an issue to the final broadcaster ie; TV station. None of the major networks here in NYC have changed their submission parameters. The CALM act has no mention of DVD or Bluray discs as far as I am aware of, though it will be nice to have an absolute target level. But like music CDs, some of the off-the-shelf DVD/Bluray discs are 'hammerd' to the max, if i may use that terminology.
R0cky wrote on 4/6/2011, 3:38 PM
+1 for metering
+1 to be able to use stereo plugins on any 2 of the surround tracks, or just in logical pairs like L/R and Ls/Rs
jbolley wrote on 4/15/2011, 11:57 AM
+1 for metering
+1 for schoeps vst plugin

+5 for additional surround buss routing. Only the master has surround handles. All surround busses should be fully featured.

Jesse