View Full Version : Steinberg Cubase's Virtual Studio Technology (VST) DSP audio effects plugin API?
baldrick
2008-09-15, 22:37
Is there any way I can use VST (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Virtual_Studio_Technology)plug-ins with XBMC?
If not, is there any hope for this feature? For many users (like me) DSP plugins like VST are very important to get the most out of our HT systems. There are a lots of great VST filters like EQs and room correction
Gamester17
2008-09-15, 22:51
No, there is not currently any support for VST. I doubt there is any chance that it would be integrated into XBMC as it is a proprietary format, are there even any small/effective open source libraries out there that can use VTS and are coded in in C/C++ programming-language?
I think if any there would be a much larger chance for a open source format such as LV2 (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/LV2), LADSPA (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/LADSPA), and/or NASPRO (http://naspro.atheme.org). All of which have free open source plugins available for them, and free open source SDK software tools to make new plugins for them on your own.
Why do you want it for XBMC exactly? ???
baldrick
2008-09-15, 23:10
The reason is what I said in my first post, I want EQ and room correction in XBMC! I guess it doesn't need to be VST, maybe others would do the same, but VST is the most common today. Winamp doesn't have builtin VST support either, but it has support for DSP plugins, and with this (http://www.kvraudio.com/get/1946.html) plugin I can use VST filters!
This is what it can do for me: I use a program called Audiolense (http://www.juicehifi.com/index.html) or DRC (http://drc-fir.sourceforge.net/) to create advanced room corected filters which can be loaded with the VST filterConvolver (http://convolver.sourceforge.net/). This results in one of the best room corrections possible today with 24000band EQ and is MUCH more accourate and better than $5000 HT receivers! But we need DSP plugins to make it work also with XBMC!
Gamester17
2008-09-16, 00:21
Yeah you still need to find an small open source library in C or C++ programming-language which supports the plugins you want first, and it should preferably already be cross-platform or be easy to port to multiple platforms (as all code should strive to be platform agnostic).
I believe there has been some discussion regarding implementing a filter framework for both audio and video playback, however it would definitely be a post-Atlantis feature. VST support could theoretically be implemented as one of the chains in the filter.
Some form of Audio DSP is something I personally would love to see in XBMC, the plugin interface should be fairly easy to implement but the main problem would probably be to find any Audio Programmers to create the plugins, if any one is out there please make yourself noted :)
Cheers, Tobias
also surely these plugins are not platform neutral ?
baldrick
2008-09-16, 09:48
Some form of Audio DSP is something I personally would love to see in XBMC, the plugin interface should be fairly easy to implement but the main problem would probably be to find any Audio Programmers to create the plugins, if any one is out there please make yourself noted :)
Cheers, Tobias
Theoretically XBMC really doesn't have to include DSP plugins at all as long as there are an plugin interface so you can add DSP plugins. This is how it's done in programs like ZoomPlayer, Winamp, Foobar... This way the DSP plugin it self really doesn't have to be platform indendent as long as there are an platform indenpendent plugin interface. I guess this could result in many DSP plugins for Linux and only a few for Windows, but a few is better than none :)
DrErling
2009-05-27, 16:08
I would also love to see this. I do not currently have a surround pre-amp, but constantly consider going for Audiolense XO and some kind of sound card that would connect directly to my power amplifier(s).
But since I absolutely love XBMC, I would not take this step before I know it is a supported feature.
DrE