The (official) end of VST2...

[pongasoft]

As announced earlier this year (https://sdk.steinberg.net/viewtopic.php?f=6&t=557), Steinberg pulled the VST2 interfaces from the latest VST3 SDK (3.6.11).

From the release notes (https://sdk.steinberg.net/viewtopic.php?f=4&t=606):

• Interfaces Changes:
  • VST2 interface not anymore available!
  • New \ref Steinberg::Vst::INoteExpressionPhysicalUIMapping: allowing the host to retrieve the preferred physical mapping associated to note expression supported by the Plug-in.

Since they only offer the latest build to download (which IMO is insane...) it is going to be very hard to get a hold of VST2 SDK anymore...

Yan

[madmacman]

And in your first link you can read:

Late 2013 we announced that the Software Development Kit (SDK) for VST 2 would no longer be maintained

(emphasis by me)

So you could hear the signals for 5 years now. VST2 is nearly 20 years old. Time for something new. And VST3 ist already there...

[ltbrunt00]

My question is five years from now will the major DAWS support VST2. I have some VST's that probably won't be ported over to VST3.

[Loque]

Iam so excited to update 1000 VSTs soon... Well, if there are updates available and Reason supports VST3.

Long live REs!

[Ahornberg]

My 2 cents:
I don't noticed any benefits of VST3 over VST2.
VST3 crashes more often.
I can't use it in Reason.
VST2 is around for 20 years, so it can be called mature.

[madmacman]

My 2 cents:
I don't noticed any benefits of VST3 over VST2.
VST3 crashes more often.
I can't use it in Reason.
VST2 is around for 20 years, so it can be called mature.

I can add 1 more cent:
Steinberg as inventor and maintainer has all the rights to do so.
"Der Herr hat's gegeben, der Herr hat's genommen!"
For longer lasting synthesizers I recommend hardware: My DX7 is 35 years old.

[Zac]

If they aren't already, the props working on vst issues should also be implementing vst3 it seems...

[antic604]

Most VSTs I own already come in VST3 version as well, so not a problem (and I don't use VSTs in Reason at all).

What pisses me off though is that typically you can't choose a directory where the .vst3 files are being put. I like to have everything neatly organised in single folder, with sub-folders for developer and device and I have to do it manually for VST3 which is pain in the ass...

[Creativemind]

If they aren't already, the props working on vst issues should also be implementing vst3 it seems...

Hope you're right. I actually (sorry to sound pessimistic) can't see that happening, not this year anyway. Hope so though.

I was also gonna ask, does Steinberg pulling the plug on VST2 mean that no future (new) vst's will have a VST2 version, or does it mean that VST2 will no longer be useable entirely?

[bitley]

one of these days it's going to be time to stop updating. I am actually sometimes enjoying pro~53 on my old mac pro - inside reason 9!

[pongasoft]

I was also gonna ask, does Steinberg pulling the plug on VST2 mean that no future (new) vst's will have a VST2 version, or does it mean that VST2 will no longer be useable entirely?

It means that they are no longer including the files required to build VST2 plugins part of the VST3 SDK. If you already have those files you can still build VST2 plugins. They cannot "disable" VST2 plugins. But it becomes "impossible" for anybody not owning those files to rebuild old VST2 plugins (or fix bugs for example...). DAWs cannot suddenly stop supporting VST2 otherwise millions of songs won't be able to load (or play correctly).

I just personally think that what Steinberg is doing is really wrong. I know that they own VST2 and they can do whatever they want with it. But they created a standard that has been vastly successful with hundreds/thousands of developers writing plugins for it. They were very happy that those developers spend their time writing plugins for this standard. And now they just yank it because they want their new standard (which has not been successful) to succeed.

It is really sad when companies do the wrong thing for the wrong reason. Legacy is important. The entire VST2 SDK is exactly 2 files... The right thing to do would be to simply make those file open source. But they would rather kill a legacy for their own goals

Yan