VST Effects and Instruments

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VST Effects and Instruments

Steinberg introduced the VST (Virtual Studio Technology) system in 1996, allowing Cubase users to include virtual effect processing to audio tracks in their projects, such as equalizers, compressors, and so on. Since 1999, VST instruments allow Cubase users to insert software synthesizers as sound modules inside the Cubase environment. Cubase SX/SL comes with built-in VST effects and instruments, but also plays host to third-party applications that have been developed to run under this system. As a result, Cubase not only offers tremendous flexibility in music creation, but it also offers an open platform for future expansion.

For example, the new Q (see Figure 2.36) VST effect (SX version only) offers a high-quality stereo four- band parametric EQ. The Multiband Compressor (SX version only) seen in Figure 2.37 compresses the dynamic of an audio signal by using up to five user -defined bands. This is very useful when you want to compress certain areas of a frequency bandwidth more than others or to enhance a range of frequency while applying heavy compression on others.

Figure 2.36. The Q VST effect processor.

Figure 2.37. The Multiband Compressor VST effect processor.

Steinberg also redesigned and renamed the TrueTape tape saturation simulator plug-in introduced in an earlier version, which now comes under the name Magneto (see Figure 2.38).

Figure 2.38. The Magneto VST effect processor.

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