# VST's in Standalone Mode over Ethernet...no VEP



## Synetos (Jun 15, 2019)

I am wondering if anyone runs their VST libraries with the libraries native standalone mode? Like HALion, Omnisphere, VSL players, etc.

I run Waves Soundgrid Studio, so I have no issues with routing audio. Should be the same for others running Dante. I use IPMidi for sending midi over Ethernet.

I was exploring just running all my different libraries with their native standalone players on my slave machines, then routing the audio back to my DAW.

I have VEP7, and I am playing around with that in standalone mode as well. This would be an alternative to VEP.

I want my DAW template to be clean and small, and not populated with a bunch of VSTs, and hundreds of tracks (even if hidden). Also, I am finding by using VEP and my instruments pre-configured in my template, that I am tending to use the same VSTs over and over.

I don't do large orchestral stuff. This is more for POP/Acoustic/Rock kind of thing with pianos, strings, synths, percussion, etc from VST's, and everything else tracked live.

Just a workflow idea I am exploring, and I just am wondering if anyone else is working successfully with this approach?


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## benatural (Jun 15, 2019)

I'm trying to do this with Dante and VEP7, and the one thing I haven't quite sorted out is how to get the amount of MIDI ports I need. The plan is to use rtpMIDI, we'll see if it has a breaking point with the amount of ports I'm going to set up!


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## neblix (Jun 15, 2019)

I'm not sure how this would work. Wouldn't you have to bounce your mixdowns in real-time?


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## benatural (Jun 15, 2019)

Yep, you have to bounce in real time.


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## Synetos (Jun 16, 2019)

Many times, plug-ins I am using require real-time export anyway, so that isn’t that big of an issue.

One thing I ran into...I can’t seem to get Omnisphere to map more than one stereo output. Maybe that is a limitation of the standalone player, or incompatible with soundgrid?

Using VEP standalone may end up being my most functional solution.

EDIT: I got to play around a little bit more with this idea this afternoon and I ended up just going back to using VEP 7, but in standalone mode on my slave machines only.

I think this will be a more manageable way to run the libraries, and just use Folders to create library "space". I will try to create dedicated output buses for each library, rather than for each instrument. That should make my template a little bit more simple, and still encourage me to explore new sounds.

I could go with the idea of a single instance in VEP as well, and then use the traditional VEP server method. Maybe there are delay compensation reasons for that?


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