VST 101

PRE-READING NOTES:

- This is a tutorial for absolute beginners. If you have any previous experience with VSTs, move along, there is nothing for you to see here.

- If your computer does not have midi installed (which is odd, because it is pretty standard, but I have seen one laptop without it, so there you go), stop reading now and go do something useful (because, as we know, all art is quite useless).

- For the rest of you, get ready to spend an enjoyable half hour. I know you have time to kill: you are reading this blog.

INTRODUCTION

As some of my readers have no idea about synthesizers (hello, Dicle), this post is designed to remedy the situation. I will not ask you to buy a synth; instead, we'll work with something easier and considerably more accessible: a VST.

VST stands for:

            a. Venezuela Standard Time

            b. Very Sexy Tights

            c. Vancouver Steel Trees
            d. Virtual Studio Technology

If you chose “d”, you are already well on your way to synth-pop stardom.

If and when VSTs (also called “plug-ins”) become widely known to the general public (and not just music geeks), they could change the way we make music in much the same way Napster changed the way we acquire music. Even better, many VSTs really are free. However, with technology, there is often the fear of the unknown (I blame sci-fi writers & Hollywood). Well, by following the following the eight easy steps described below, you will see that playing with VSTs is easier than operating a mobile phone.

THE EIGHT STEPS TO SYNTH-POP STARDOM

Step One: Download VST Host, possibly the best music-related freeware available (You want "vsthostx86.zip".) I am not afraid to call Hermann Seib a genius. The zip file is 1.25MB. You only have to extract the contents; there is no installation - the blue diamond named “vsthost” in is an exe. file which opens the program. You can delete “VSTHostBridge32.” Put extracted contents into a new folder and give it a clever name, like "VST Host" or "Fred".

Step Two: as the name suggests, VST Host needs to "host" something. You will now download that "something". I decided to share with you Prodigious (scroll down the page, the zip file is 2.11 MB), a good all-round synth that has been a favourite for over a year. Extract the contents. Put this and any subsequent VSTs in the same folder to make your life simpler.

Step Three: Go back to "Fred" and click on the blue diamond named “vsthost” to open the program. If you don’t see a piano keyboard at the bottom of the screen, click on the icon in the top right of the menu bar. Next, go to "Devices -> Midi -> Midi Input Devices" & click on whatever name appears (if nothing appears, you don't have midi installed; sorry to have wasted your time). As for the rest, go with the default settings & don’t worry for now.

Step Four: Click on "File" (top left corner), go down to “Set PlugIn Path” and tell VST Host which folder contains Prodigious.

Step Five: Your VST folder is loaded into VST Host’s memory, so now click "File" & go down to “PlugIns,” follow the arrow & click on Prodigious.

Step Six (Optional): In the little box that has appeared, click on the dial icon (circled).

(Click to enlarge)

Prodigious will appear like this.

(Click to enlarge)

Do not be afraid to adjust the knobs with your mouse - that is why they exist, to be turned (or, to use the geek term - "tweaked").

Step Seven: Play. You can use the piano keyboard at the bottom of the screen with your mouse, but this is an inefficient method. Instead, you want to use your computer keyboard. If you get no sound, click on one of the piano keys, and then use your computer keyboard. If you want to change the "preset" sound, use the big blue arrows in the menu bar (you can’t miss them, they are big & they are blue – you’d have to ask Hermann), or you can click "PlugIn," go to the bottom to "Programs" and choose from the list (for Floyd fans, find preset 58 "To Mr. Rick Wright" and go nuts. I also strongly recommend presets 83-85, the Solina Strings). Remember to click on the piano keyboard again if you have no sound.

Step Eight: Repeat Step Seven until you are addicted & want to buy your own midi controller keyboard, which is a reasonably inexpensive purchase.

CONCLUSION

If just one person out there starts playing music because of this tutorial, I'll be happy. If you have any questions, do not hesitate to contact me. Many more free VSTs can be found at VST Planet and elsewhere.

Peace

TJ