How to run loads more VSTs without buying a new CPU
Posted: 04 Feb 2018
Let me warn you before I begin. I am going to write quite a bit. So, grab yourself a coffee. Don't scan read. I have made some important discoveries... and you wont waste your time. Promise!
I have been on a mission of late. I want to increase the number of VSTs I run, without resorting to expensive CPU upgrades. Yes... I know… there are already quite a few REASONTALK forum chats already on this subject - but I would like to take things in a different direction, as I think the discussions so far haven't truly found a solution. Not everyone wants to spend hundreds of pounds to get a new faster computer. Plus it's a lot of effort setting it all up - especially registering all of those VSTs you have.
So - what's the solution? Is there one? Yes there is! Before I explain my solution, let me explain how I got to my solution.... When I look at forums for other DAWs (yes, the dark side!), these other DAW users do seem to manage to run a lot more VSTs all at once than we can in Reason when using similar spec CPUs/CORES/RAM etc.
(this isn't a scientific conclusion - just an educated hunch)... So, this hunch was also made by watching all of those Youtube tutorial videos and it does appear that these dark-side DAW users are running a lot of VSTs without killing their CPUs. So why can't I do that in Reason?
Before I give you my solution. Let's do a little house keeping. Optimise your computer. Windows users should follow the steps given by Focusrite: https://support.focusrite.com/hc/en-gb/ ... Windows-10 If you have a MAC then take a look at https://support.focusrite.com/hc/en-gb/ ... -for-Audio.
This really does help. A lot, but not enough.
If you still want much more grunt... and you can't get Reason to give you a load of VSTs... then let's trick Reason instead!!
How? Here goes... Buy yourself a copy of Computer Music magazine (£6.99) and install the free Nyrv Agent CM VST plugin - – which is given away on the cover DVD every month. Now…. Each time you want to run a VST, instead of running it directly in the rack… Load and run AGENT CM. Then load your VST inside this VST host and you will save absolutely shed load of CPU.
Don’t worry, you can totally automate all the hosted VSTs, just like you can if you ran the VST direct. Plus you are given a really powerful set of tools to make automation controls in AGENT CM. But that isn’t the point of this forum post – just an aside.
How much CPU saving am I getting. Well… take for example… I can load 8 instances of Izotope Ozone 8 inside AGENT CM and the DSP hardly moves. If I did this direct in Reason I would eat 100% of that DSP just by running 2 Ozone's. That often seen popup YOUR COMPUTER IS TOO SLOW BLAH BLAH message will appear. Ozone 8 really loves to use your CPU… but not anymore!
Before you shoot me and you will. You will tell me that there are loads of VST hosts out there. What's so special about AGENT CM? Yes, there are loads of VST hosts… however, AGENT CM is quite unique…
A. If there is no audio running through AGENT CM, all of the VSTs that you have running in AGENT CM take zero CPU. Yes – ZERO. It’s like magic. It’s like your sequencer isn’t running. What's clever here is that... for each section in your music you are likely to use different VSTs. So... in a section of your music where some of your VSTs aren't producing any audio... they will sit there taking up no CPU. If you did this in the normal way, they would be taking up your CPU even when doing nothing.
B. You can automate the switching ON and OFF of each VST hosted inside AGENT. This is useful when you have 1 effect in a set of many that is only used for one little bit in your music. If the VST is set to OFF... then zero CPU is used. Even more magic! Reason doesn't let you switch VSTs ON/OFF and so they would normally always take up precious CPU. Not anymore!
I have tried nearly all of the VST hosts out there, and most of them don’t have the feature of NO AUDIO = NO CPU usage. For example: Blue Cat Audio Patchwork (and their other host plugins like Late Replies etc) use this same type of technology, but these plugins cost quite a bit of money. AGENT CM is given away for free.
BTW – some other dark-side DAWs have this Zero Audio = Zero CPU technology built in. Hopefully Propellerheads will add this into Reason 11. Until then… use AGENT CM.
Also – there is a paid for version of AGENT. There are a few extra bells and whistles, but the CPU saving is similar in both versions. With CM they don’t give you all of the extra useful resources – however, if you install the paid for version demo… you can copy the resources across to CM and they work – without spending a penny!
Ok - I've rambled on and on. Bye! Oh wait on... I did spend 2 days trying to use Vienna Emsemble Pro, which allows you to run VSTs on multiple computers, all connected via Ethernet cable. It's a great idea. But there are many practical problems... but that's for another topic. For most people they just want/need to use 1 computer.
I have been on a mission of late. I want to increase the number of VSTs I run, without resorting to expensive CPU upgrades. Yes... I know… there are already quite a few REASONTALK forum chats already on this subject - but I would like to take things in a different direction, as I think the discussions so far haven't truly found a solution. Not everyone wants to spend hundreds of pounds to get a new faster computer. Plus it's a lot of effort setting it all up - especially registering all of those VSTs you have.
So - what's the solution? Is there one? Yes there is! Before I explain my solution, let me explain how I got to my solution.... When I look at forums for other DAWs (yes, the dark side!), these other DAW users do seem to manage to run a lot more VSTs all at once than we can in Reason when using similar spec CPUs/CORES/RAM etc.
(this isn't a scientific conclusion - just an educated hunch)... So, this hunch was also made by watching all of those Youtube tutorial videos and it does appear that these dark-side DAW users are running a lot of VSTs without killing their CPUs. So why can't I do that in Reason?
Before I give you my solution. Let's do a little house keeping. Optimise your computer. Windows users should follow the steps given by Focusrite: https://support.focusrite.com/hc/en-gb/ ... Windows-10 If you have a MAC then take a look at https://support.focusrite.com/hc/en-gb/ ... -for-Audio.
This really does help. A lot, but not enough.
If you still want much more grunt... and you can't get Reason to give you a load of VSTs... then let's trick Reason instead!!
How? Here goes... Buy yourself a copy of Computer Music magazine (£6.99) and install the free Nyrv Agent CM VST plugin - – which is given away on the cover DVD every month. Now…. Each time you want to run a VST, instead of running it directly in the rack… Load and run AGENT CM. Then load your VST inside this VST host and you will save absolutely shed load of CPU.
Don’t worry, you can totally automate all the hosted VSTs, just like you can if you ran the VST direct. Plus you are given a really powerful set of tools to make automation controls in AGENT CM. But that isn’t the point of this forum post – just an aside.
How much CPU saving am I getting. Well… take for example… I can load 8 instances of Izotope Ozone 8 inside AGENT CM and the DSP hardly moves. If I did this direct in Reason I would eat 100% of that DSP just by running 2 Ozone's. That often seen popup YOUR COMPUTER IS TOO SLOW BLAH BLAH message will appear. Ozone 8 really loves to use your CPU… but not anymore!
Before you shoot me and you will. You will tell me that there are loads of VST hosts out there. What's so special about AGENT CM? Yes, there are loads of VST hosts… however, AGENT CM is quite unique…
A. If there is no audio running through AGENT CM, all of the VSTs that you have running in AGENT CM take zero CPU. Yes – ZERO. It’s like magic. It’s like your sequencer isn’t running. What's clever here is that... for each section in your music you are likely to use different VSTs. So... in a section of your music where some of your VSTs aren't producing any audio... they will sit there taking up no CPU. If you did this in the normal way, they would be taking up your CPU even when doing nothing.
B. You can automate the switching ON and OFF of each VST hosted inside AGENT. This is useful when you have 1 effect in a set of many that is only used for one little bit in your music. If the VST is set to OFF... then zero CPU is used. Even more magic! Reason doesn't let you switch VSTs ON/OFF and so they would normally always take up precious CPU. Not anymore!
I have tried nearly all of the VST hosts out there, and most of them don’t have the feature of NO AUDIO = NO CPU usage. For example: Blue Cat Audio Patchwork (and their other host plugins like Late Replies etc) use this same type of technology, but these plugins cost quite a bit of money. AGENT CM is given away for free.
BTW – some other dark-side DAWs have this Zero Audio = Zero CPU technology built in. Hopefully Propellerheads will add this into Reason 11. Until then… use AGENT CM.
Also – there is a paid for version of AGENT. There are a few extra bells and whistles, but the CPU saving is similar in both versions. With CM they don’t give you all of the extra useful resources – however, if you install the paid for version demo… you can copy the resources across to CM and they work – without spending a penny!
Ok - I've rambled on and on. Bye! Oh wait on... I did spend 2 days trying to use Vienna Emsemble Pro, which allows you to run VSTs on multiple computers, all connected via Ethernet cable. It's a great idea. But there are many practical problems... but that's for another topic. For most people they just want/need to use 1 computer.