Robotic Bean - Portatron Tape Synthesizer (VST3)

[huggermugger]

I also tried rescanning the plugin in Logic's Plugin Manager*, and have also rebooted the Mac a couple of times.

*interesting that the AU Validation succeeds but that there is what seems like unfinished business at the end...

[buddard]

We definitely tested this in Logic, and it’s been working great for us. First, are you 100% sure that the Portatron version is 1.4.0? (You will see that in the settings menu).

Yeah I checked. The new Library locator is there, and the version number on the actual Component file is correct. Are there two Components, or just one serving double duty?

It's a single Component that offers up different bus configurations. The below screenshot is from Logic 10.8 running on Ventura 13.5.2:

Screenshot 2023-11-24 at 20.45.57.png (167.95 KiB) Viewed 56625 times

[crimsonwarlock]

The Portatron Tape Synthesizer by Robotic Bean sounds like a fantastic addition to your toolkit, offering the vintage charm of a 4-track cassette Portastudio. The ability to play tape loops and manipulate them with features like tape saturation, noise, wobble, and mixing controls sounds intriguing. Hopefully, Reason's support for VST3 comes soon, making your workflow even smoother. Enjoy experimenting with the lofi goodness and creating unique sounds with this synthesizer!

Chatbot nonsens incoming again

[buddard]

I also tried rescanning the plugin in Logic's Plugin Manager*, and have also rebooted the Mac a couple of times.

*interesting that the AU Validation succeeds but that there is what seems like unfinished business at the end...

I just reran the auvaltool on the latest build, and it just passes, no unfinished business:

Code: Select all

* * PASS
--------------------------------------------------
AU VALIDATION SUCCEEDED.
--------------------------------------------------
niklas@Niklass-MBP Portatron %    

It also identifies all the output buses correctly:

Code: Select all

Output Scope Bus Configuration:
 Default Bus Count:7
    Bus Name: Main Out
    Format Bus 0: AudioStreamBasicDescription:  2 ch,  44100 Hz, Float32, deinterleaved
    Bus Name: Track 1 Out
    Format Bus 1: AudioStreamBasicDescription:  2 ch,  44100 Hz, Float32, deinterleaved
    Bus Name: Track 2 Out
    Format Bus 2: AudioStreamBasicDescription:  2 ch,  44100 Hz, Float32, deinterleaved
    Bus Name: Track 3 Out
    Format Bus 3: AudioStreamBasicDescription:  2 ch,  44100 Hz, Float32, deinterleaved
    Bus Name: Track 4 Out
    Format Bus 4: AudioStreamBasicDescription:  2 ch,  44100 Hz, Float32, deinterleaved
    Bus Name: Delay Out
    Format Bus 5: AudioStreamBasicDescription:  2 ch,  44100 Hz, Float32, deinterleaved
    Bus Name: Reverb Out
    Format Bus 6: AudioStreamBasicDescription:  2 ch,  44100 Hz, Float32, deinterleaved

[huggermugger]

Yeah I checked. The new Library locator is there, and the version number on the actual Component file is correct. Are there two Components, or just one serving double duty?

It's a single Component that offers up different bus configurations. The below screenshot is from Logic 10.8 running on Ventura 13.5.2:

Screenshot 2023-11-24 at 20.45.57.png

I'm using Logic 10.7.9 in Monterey, perhaps that's the cause.

[buddard]

It's a single Component that offers up different bus configurations. The below screenshot is from Logic 10.8 running on Ventura 13.5.2:

Screenshot 2023-11-24 at 20.45.57.png

I'm using Logic 10.7.9 in Monterey, perhaps that's the cause.

I'm not sure about that. At least nothing turned up when I googled it.

I assume you have the Reason Rack Plugin? Do the multiple outputs on that work for you in Logic?

[huggermugger]

Yeah the RRP multiouts work as expected in Logic.

[buddard]

Yeah the RRP multiouts work as expected in Logic.

So maybe the latest version of the Portatron AU wasn't properly replaced in the registry?
I'm not super familiar with Logic, but I found this article on how to force a rescan in Logic's Plug-In Manager:

https://help.pluginboutique.com/hc/en-u ... ogic-Pro-X

This should force a rescan of all the AU plug-ins on your system.

[huggermugger]

Yeah the RRP multiouts work as expected in Logic.

So maybe the latest version of the Portatron AU wasn't properly replaced in the registry?
I'm not super familiar with Logic, but I found this article on how to force a rescan in Logic's Plug-In Manager:

https://help.pluginboutique.com/hc/en-u ... ogic-Pro-X

This should force a rescan of all the AU plug-ins on your system.

Yeah I'll give that a try. I rescanned Portatron a couple of times, but nada.

[huggermugger]

Nah, a full rescan didn't solve it. I haven't checked it in Reason yet, I'm only in R12.2 so no VST3. I'm going to start there to see if Reason can see the multiouts.

btw, besides me, has it been tested on pre-Ventura systems?

[buddard]

Nah, a full rescan didn't solve it. I haven't checked it in Reason yet, I'm only in R12.2 so no VST3. I'm going to start there to see if Reason can see the multiouts.

btw, besides me, has it been tested on pre-Ventura systems?

I'm running Monterey on my laptop, but I don't have Logic Pro, and now I'm unable to install it because it requires Ventura or later...

But I've tested the AU in Reaper and Ableton Live without problems.
When I create an instance of Portatron in Reaper it will ask me if I want to route all the outputs to separate tracks.

Maybe you could download Reaper (it's a free unrestricted trial) and see if the outputs work properly for you there?

[EnochLight]

Windows 10 Pro here. Whenever I try to install 1.4, it throws the following error:

ruh_roh_george.JPG (36.05 KiB) Viewed 56523 times

[Arpeg]

Ahh javascript problem!? I have Win 10 i7 3770k @ 3.5 Ghz also, and I'll download and try it now.. with or without presets

[Arpeg]

Same problem.. Ouch!
Portatron set up, Select Components to be Installed : COMMON FILES - is un-tick-able, VST3 - Ticked, AAX - un-ticked, PORTATRON PRESETS - Ticked.

I click NEXT to continue.

Ready to Install - Plugins will be installed at the standard locations:
VST3: C:\Program Files\Common Files\VST3\Portatron.vst3
AAX: C:\Program Files\Common Files\Avid\Audio\Plug-Ins\Portatron.aaxplugin

why is it installing AAX when it is un-ticked? Is Common Files usually un-tick-able (faded out) when installing?!

[buddard]

Windows 10 Pro here. Whenever I try to install 1.4, it throws the following error:


ruh_roh_george.JPG

If this happens, you have to use Explorer to delete the existing Portatron.vst3, then run the installer again.

This is likely due to the Portatron.vst3 being installed as a folder now rather than a plain plugin file like before -- We updated JUCE to the latest version, and it now builds the container variant of VST3 which is a folder including both the actual plugin plus a manifest file that will make it faster fot the host to scan the plugin (since it doesn't need to create an instance of the plugin to read metadata from it).

Strangely enough our upgrade tests on Windows did not have this problem, so there might be some special circumstance involving permissions... I'm looking into it.

[buddard]

Same problem.. Ouch!
Portatron set up, Select Components to be Installed : COMMON FILES - is un-tick-able, VST3 - Ticked, AAX - un-ticked, PORTATRON PRESETS - Ticked.

I click NEXT to continue.

Ready to Install - Plugins will be installed at the standard locations:
VST3: C:\Program Files\Common Files\VST3\Portatron.vst3
AAX: C:\Program Files\Common Files\Avid\Audio\Plug-Ins\Portatron.aaxplugin

why is it installing AAX when it is un-ticked? Is Common Files usually un-tick-able (faded out) when installing?!

It will only install AAX if the box is ticked. We couldn't include a conditional text in the installer (or at least I couldn't figure out how to do it with InnoSetup, which is an absolute nightmare to work with by the way), so it's a generic text that covers all cases. We could probably phrase it in a different manner.

If you don't install the Common Files the plugin won't run, so it's mandatory to install those.

[Arpeg]

Windows 10 Pro here. Whenever I try to install 1.4, it throws the following error:


ruh_roh_george.JPG

If this happens, you have to use Explorer to delete the existing Portatron.vst3, then run the installer again.

This is likely due to the Portatron.vst3 being installed as a folder now rather than a plain plugin file like before -- We updated JUCE to the latest version, and it now builds the container variant of VST3 which is a folder including both the actual plugin plus a manifest file that will make it faster fot the host to scan the plugin (since it doesn't need to create an instance of the plugin to read metadata from it).

Strangely enough our upgrade tests on Windows did not have this problem, so there might be some special circumstance involving permissions... I'm looking into it.

Ok, I have done as you suggest as to use Explorer and delete the existing VST3 file and STILL................. I Love Portatron It worked. Multiouts is a thing, Maaannn
This is MASSIVE. Thank You Very Much

[Arpeg]

Same problem.. Ouch!
Portatron set up, Select Components to be Installed : COMMON FILES - is un-tick-able, VST3 - Ticked, AAX - un-ticked, PORTATRON PRESETS - Ticked.

I click NEXT to continue.

Ready to Install - Plugins will be installed at the standard locations:
VST3: C:\Program Files\Common Files\VST3\Portatron.vst3
AAX: C:\Program Files\Common Files\Avid\Audio\Plug-Ins\Portatron.aaxplugin

why is it installing AAX when it is un-ticked? Is Common Files usually un-tick-able (faded out) when installing?!

It will only install AAX if the box is ticked. We couldn't include a conditional text in the installer (or at least I couldn't figure out how to do it with InnoSetup, which is an absolute nightmare to work with by the way), so it's a generic text that covers all cases. We could probably phrase it in a different manner.

If you don't install the Common Files the plugin won't run, so it's mandatory to install those.

I love some fundamentals Thank you for clarification, RB. Nice choice with SonalSystem for Portapacks and BF Sales .. woohooo

[buddard]

Regarding the Windows installation issues.

I've managed to reproduce them now, and it turns out it's related to a change in Portatron's VST3 format:

In earlier versions, we would install a plain plugin file named Portatron.vst3.
When a host scans this plugin, it has to create a temporary instance of it, which means that scanning for plugins can take a long time.

But there's another way that's supported by the VST3 standard: Instead of a plain plugin file, you create a folder named Portatron.vst3, which contains a metadata file (in json format) along with the actual plugin file.
The host can then simply read the metadata file from the folder instead of opening the plugin.

We switched to this standard in this update (as the consequence of a JUCE update we also took), and everything seemed to work fine on our Windows machines. In hindsight I think that's because a more recent build of the plugin had already been copied to the VST3 folder by Visual Studio, so there was no conflict when we tested the installer afterwards...

There are several lessons to learn from this, I think.

Anyway, the best workaround for now is to uninstall Portatron before installing the update.
In the meantime I'll dive into the horrible innards of InnoSetup to find a way for it to delete the existing plugin file before installing the new folder....

[buddard]

I believe I've managed to solve it now...

I have replaced the Windows installers on the Portatron download page, please let me know if there are any issues with it.

[huggermugger]

So, the multi-outs are present in the VST3 in Reason 12.7. And likewise for the AU in Reaper. So I suppose this implicates Logic 10.7 itself or Logic running in Monterey. For now I can enjoy the new Portatron update in Reason though Logic is my preferred platform.

[Arpeg]

I believe I've managed to solve it now...

I have replaced the Windows installers on the Portatron download page, please let me know if there are any issues with it.

Nice one for looking into that straight away, very much appreciated, RB.
I did the delete file thing and I'm currently loving Portatron with now newly bought Portapacks, dark matter vol1 and Horizons modern classic wave, so good and so useful.

The multiouts now means I use this device quite a lot to say the least. It truly needed this update to accompany what already is great and now with the SonalSystem portapacks it is inspirational for ideas as soon as I press play. Said before by many and Huggermugger above - Game changer

[artmessiah]

Hi, quick question - Will there be an update that will allow polyphonic play? At the moment all play is monophonic. I only ask because I was considering the Nastro VHS/Soundscape bundle deal and I noticed you can play chords on that but not Portatron. Portatron has more options tho which includes sample loading, but I'm missing polyphonic play.

[buddard]

Hi, quick question - Will there be an update that will allow polyphonic play? At the moment all play is monophonic. I only ask because I was considering the Nastro VHS/Soundscape bundle deal and I noticed you can play chords on that but not Portatron. Portatron has more options tho which includes sample loading, but I'm missing polyphonic play.

No plans for this at the moment, although I wouldn’t rule it out entirely, of course. But the core concept behind this device is to center it around a single tape motor and playhead that are modulated in different ways, which makes all the tracks glue together in a very nice and organic way.

So the features we’re looking into right now are more in line with this concept.

But we are of course open to other ideas as well and take note of all the feedback we receive, so thank you for that!

[artmessiah]

Hi, quick question - Will there be an update that will allow polyphonic play? At the moment all play is monophonic. I only ask because I was considering the Nastro VHS/Soundscape bundle deal and I noticed you can play chords on that but not Portatron. Portatron has more options tho which includes sample loading, but I'm missing polyphonic play.

No plans for this at the moment, although I wouldn’t rule it out entirely, of course. But the core concept behind this device is to center it around a single tape motor and playhead that are modulated in different ways, which makes all the tracks glue together in a very nice and organic way.

So the features we’re looking into right now are more in line with this concept.

But we are of course open to other ideas as well and take note of all the feedback we receive, so thank you for that!

Gotcha, understood Of course I look forward to whatever update you roll out.