So, you have Logic pro X? You love the new features and would rather use it than Logic 9? But, you've still got some 32-bit synths, like Sylenth, which can't run in Apple's 64-bit flagship DAW?
Understandably, you might feel disappointed... sure the writing has been on the wall since Logic 9.1 (the 64-bit version) was released some years ago, but it doesn't make it feel any better that some developers have yet to make their plug-ins 64-bit ready.
So if you depend on instruments like Sylenth for your musical chops, stop your sobbing in the corner of your studio! There are multiple workarounds which involve hosting your 32-bit plug-in outside of Logic and routing it into Logic.
Now some of these solutions will hit your wallet: VEPro (heavy) and Plogue Bidule (more reasonable) being two examples. However, I'd like to share one method which is FREE and relatively easy to set up using Apple's somewhat hidden AU Lab host.
AU Lab What?
AU Lab is an excellent app to host audio units plug-ins (instruments and effects) in. It's designed as a free audio mixing host application for those who don't have Logic Pro or another AU host. Did I mention it's free? To follow this tutorial you'll need to download and install AU Lab from Apple here:
http://www.apple.com/itunes/mastered-for-itunes/
Once installed, you'll also need to install Cycling74's Soundflower if you haven't already done so. This will allow you to route audio between applications on your Mac. There are other solutions to do this, but I'm going to be using Soundflower for this tutorial.
Download Soundflower here:
http://cycling74.com/soundflower-landing-page/
Note: If you install Soundflower you'll need to restart your Mac, so make sure to bookmark this page and come right back to continue this tutorial!
Step 1 - Setting Up AU Lab
Launch AU Lab! You should find it residing in your Applications/Utilities/ folder (or use Spotlight to find and launch it).
Upon launch, it'll scan your system for available Audio Units and you'll see the configuration window below.
Before we continue, let's step back and think about what our aim is here. Ideally, we want AU Lab to host our 32-bit plug-in (I'll be using the demo of the 32-bit Sylenth by Lennar Digital). Then we want to create the relevant tracks in Logic Pro X which will enable us to trigger Sylenth by sending MIDI note data to it... and receive the audio output from AU Lab into Logic (so we can hear it being played).
With that in mind, I'm going to set the input of the initial audio track in AU Lab to None and set the Audio Output to Soundflower (2ch).
Make sure to set the output to Soundflower (2ch) and not built-in output or your audio interface's outputs.
Hit Create Document.
Step 2 - Insert a 32-bit Instrument
An audio channel has been created, but we can't host an instrument plug-in there, so choose Edit > Add Audio Unit Instrument...
Choose your preferred plug-in from the Instrument pop-up menu. You'll know by now I'm going straight to Sylenth1Demo!
Choose the 32-bit instrument of your choice.
Your plug-in will open and if you try triggering it with your MIDI keyboard, you should see the level meters on the channel strip moving.
However, you shouldn't hear any sound. This is because we set the audio output through Soundflower which doesn't have a destination output yet (i.e., it's not coming out of your internal speakers or audio interface). We'll set that up in Logic in the next couple of steps.
Sylenth in AU Lab.
Step 3 - External MIDI Setup in Logic Pro X
Launch Logic Pro X. I've created an empty project and more importantly created an External MIDI track. We'll use this to trigger Sylenth.
Create an External MIDI track.
Open the Library and choose Sylenth1Demo > Channel 1 (or whatever the name of your plug-in is).
Set the correct MIDI output for the channel in the Library.
Playing a note on your MIDI keyboard should now trigger Sylenth in AU Lab! Again, no sound just yet... We'll deal with that next.
Step 4 - Audio Preferences Setup
Now we need to tell Logic to receive its audio input from AU Lab's output, which we set to Soundflower (2ch). So, choose: Logic Pro X > Preferences > Audio...
From the Devices tab, change the Input Device to Soundflower (2ch) and keep your Output Device set to your audio interface. You will also need to make sure that Software Monitoring is checked.
Set the Input Device in Logic to Soundflower.
Click on Apply Changes and then close the Preferences window.
Step 5 - And Then There Was Sound
The final step for success (and please do save this as a template when you're done!) is to create an object in Logic to receive the audio output from AU Lab. We could create an Aux Channel, but for this example I'd prefer to create an Audio track so we can more easily record Sylenth to audio
Choose Track > New Audio Track and in the Inspector make sure the Input Format button on the channel strip is set to Stereo and the Input for the channel is Input 1-2.
The Input Format button and Input slot can be found towards the top of the channel strip in the Mixer or the Inspector.
Click on the Input Monitoring Button on the audio track header so you can hear the incoming audio signal from AU Lab on that track.
Make sure you have the External MIDI track selected and, if you don't have a MIDI keyboard connected, pop open Logic's keyboard using Command-K or Window > Show Musical Typing Keyboard.
Hit a few notes and you should be playing Sylenth in Logic Pro X! You can record MIDI to your track just like you would when using external MIDI hardware... Additionally you can record the output from AU Lab to your audio track by selecting the track header and hitting Record!
Bliss! You're in Logic Pro X and you're now able to play your 32-bit synths, record the patterns as MIDI and record as audio.
This is a useful workaround to keep you using your favorite synths and effects before their 64-bit versions are available. Oh, and remember to save your setting in AU Lab and save your Logic Pro X project as a template.
We're interested to know of other ways you've found to use 32-bit plug-ins in Logic Pro X. Tell us in the comments below.
Editor's Note: For information on how to host and run 32-bit plug-ins using VEPro in Logic Pro X check out this article here:
Discussion
Is there any way to get Sylenth to sync to the tempo of Logic using this method?
Thanks
J
Actually, I'm not really a Sylenth user (hence my use of the demo version in the tutorial!), so I didn't even think of it.
I'm not sure if it is possible to tempo sync using AU Lab ... hmmm, perhaps Mainstage or JBridge would work better for that.
:)
I'm sure theres plenty of 64 bit plugins that are just as good (or better) than the old 32 bit plugins that the 3rd party developers seemed to have abandoned?
personally, i'd feel uncomfortable using any software where the last update on their website was in 2009 o.0
Thanks for posting this, but I hope that LPX will mostly get people to move forward :-)
Thanks J
http://discussions.apple.com/thread/5176726
...except the author doesn't mention any of the downsides, not least AU Lab instability and overall latency.
As far as sync etc. goes - this treats your software plugin as an external MIDI instrument, totally independent of Logic as if it were sitting its own metal box in a rack somewhere.
It seems like more work than it is... but I agree with your sentiment.
I personally prefer to work with as stable a setup as possible and therefore am sticking with 64-bit plugins mainly with Logic Pro X.
I really wrote this for the benefit of some friends who use Sylenth and are waiting for it to become 64-bit. I only see this method as a workaround - not an everyday solution for using multiple 32-bit plugins in LPX :)
I really hope most devs update their plugins soon to 64-bit so we can all move into the 64-bit future with no more baggage ;-)
I've answered your post on the Apple Discussions forum too.
Once again, thanks for your observation. Great to know you cam up with the same solution. It's no surprise that 2 or more users can come up with this...
I've been using Soundflower and building complex Logic Environments for years - learning and teaching Logic... so that you came up with a similar/same solution would suggest that great minds think alike? ;-)
Thanks for posting your comment here :)
If only there was a decent Rewire-capable AU host at low/no price then that'd allow for deeper integration at lower latency.
The only benefit I can think of is that AU Lab is free and MainStage costs a very very reasonable amount! So, my tip here is designed to be completely free (as in free lunch!) but certainly Mainstage is an excellent way to go too. I also feel AU Lab is more streamlined and easier to setup for those that don't know about MS.
Yes, Soundflower can introduce some latency into the process. From my tests it's pretty minor, but for other "serious" players it could be a deal breaker. Routing through your interface should give better results!! Let us know :)
This is really a workaround - so it's not perfect or ideal for the long haul. It's also a free technique...
I'd suggest checking out JBridgeM (VST only host) which costs around $10 I believe. I haven't had time to try it but it could be possible to automate parameters there. Good luck and let us know if you have any success.
What I don´t get yet is how to make use of my effects using this method? I´d be happy fpr hints. :)
Is there a way to simply add 32-bit effects to my audio tracks?
Personally, I'd load up Logic Pro 9 or another 32-bit capable DAW and run them there.
Glad it's working well for you.
Unfortunately, that won't work because Logic Pro X can't directly host 32-bit plug-ins and there's no way I know of for AU Lab to know the settings of Sylenth from a Logic 9 project.
If you're in any way heavily reliant on 32-bit plugins as used in a previous project I'd recommend still using Logic Pro 9 for those projects.
The good news is: I've heard on the grapevine that Sylenth 64-bit is being worked on as I type...
:)
That and the big plus that it takes the issue of Logic's CPU balancing (or lack of it) and lets you optimize your computers power.
This used to be a so so app a few years ago, but in the last year has become the best option out there for either using multiple computers for sample library use for composers or if you just wanna use any older computers or something like a Mac Mini as synths...
George Leger III
www.georgetechguru.com
I agree. The VEPro method is preferable, more reliable and useful...
But most people seem to be looking for a free solution/workaround to tide them over. Definitely VEPro would be a good investment if the user is serious and able to open their wallet ;-)
Best,
Rounik
I agree 100%... and there's some good news from Lennar Digital released today:
http://www.lennardigital.com/modules/home/
From the Lennar Digital website:
"23 July 2013
Recently we receive a lot of questions about how to run Sylenth1 in 64bit hosts on OSX, such as the new Logic X and Ableton Live 9. We are still working on a 64bit version of Sylenth1 and we're hoping to get it done before the end of this year. Until then there are a few options to run Sylenth1 in these hosts. You can find an example walkthrough here (links to this page).
For Ableton Live it is recommended to use the 32bit version of Live to run Sylenth1. If you still need the 64bit version, you can use JBridge to run Sylenth1. "
I have only been able to play one instance of Sylenth on my Logic Pro X, whenever I try a second track, it all goes OMNI, so I hear the same performance with the different channels,
Is there a way to have more than one Channel?
I was able to play different instances of Sylenth on different tracks by changing de different instance's MIDI channels in the MIDI editors on each instance ( Upper right corner ) inside AU Lab's documents, but MIDI Channel 1 Can't be used, whenever I try to use MIDI Channel 1 it goes into OMNI mode,
Using MIDI Channel 2 and above I was able to play several instances of Sylenth on one document...
I don't think this is really the best way, but it seems to be working...
Johnny
Thanks for the prompt response.
Try it in a new Logic Pro X project, maybe restart AU Lab too...
Hope it works for you.
I did a tutorial that is on You Tube about using Logic Pro X and VEPro 5 together to run 32 bit plug-ins. Can I post the link here so people can see the difference in running the AU Lab VS VEPro, or would you prefer I start a new topic (which I might have already done).
Since it seems like the topics are related, and that the VEPro method is much easier (though more costly) and I think people would want to see just how easy.
Thanks
George Leger III
AKA George Tech Guru.
BTW I have no affiliation or connection with the people at VSL. I bought and paid for their software that I'm using for this tutorial. Also, if you do buy VEPro, you will get the "Epic Orchestra" sample library free with it. This is a 3 GB sampled orchestra, simple to use, and fantastic sounding, a great addition to ones sample collection.
Sounds like a good new thread for the macProVideo.com Logic forums :-)
Thanks,
George
If someone can answer to this question, I'd appreciate that! :))
I'm still having trouble getting two different MIDI sounds at the same time. I've been fiddling around with different channel assignments in both MIroslav and Logic X.
I can do another workaround - I can record each track as an audio track, but that way I don't get to hear what the various sounds are like together before the audio recording.
Anyway, if anybody knows how to deal with this, I'd really appreciate it.
(or, heck, I'll just do the recording in Logic 9!!)
thx so much for the workaround,tremendously helpful..
have hit a slight snag tho...
i'm trying to get Xln's Addictive Drums to work
with a midi kit but it wont trigeer on any midi channel..
it plays the demo audio fine with the AU Lab workaround
but i cant seem to get it to trigger from either a midi kit or a keyboard controller...the kit and keys are triggering the new LPX kits just fine, but not AD..
All midi channels have been tried and the midi is going in ,but in the tutorial when is says i should see the channels show the kit sounds without hearing them ,they aren't being triggered.
Any help/ideas most welcome...
On the upside i can now trigger RMX kits from the midi kit which i couldn't do in LP9..Which is nice..
Cheers, i've just found this forum and it's excellent.
Thx again,
-CJ
No problem at all :)
Unfortunately, I'm not familiar with Addictive Drummer. Have you setup each track in Logic to its own MIDI channel? hmmm... not too sure I'm afraid.
I didn't consider multi-instruments when writing this tutorial. If you find a solution do let me know.
I'll have time to take a look over the weekend maybe. If I discover anything I'll let you know... though, a better solution to using AU Lab and Soundflower would be VEPro (a few hundred dollars) - it can run 32-bit plugins in Logic Pro X... and I believe it'll work a lot better.
Another author has written about this recently... so stay tuned to macProVideo as we'll publish it in the coming days.
Best,
R
thank you very much for your contribution!
I tried to run Steinbergs virtual guitarist, I get sound, but the plugin won't play as it should, you can hear only the first chord but no groove follows. After a few moments the first chord can be heard again and so on.
In this discussion Main Stage was mentioned: Do I need version 3 or could do version 2, delivered with Logic Studio, do the job?
Itried to connect Main Stage 2 and Logic X, but it did'nt wor so far.
If someone could give me a hint, I would be very glad.
Best wishes
henkx
finally I got it to work with MainStage 2, seems to be ok far now.
One thing I always wanted to know: If I want to use Vienna Ensemble, it has to be Ensemble Pro?
With the VSL Special Edition there came the Ensemble, but I only could create instances with Vienna instruments.
Best regards
henkx
Thank you!
I came here looking for a solution, when I realised my Komplete 8 Ultimate sounds disappeared from Logic Pro X. Just to confirm: Is the issue people are encountering got to do with Logic ProX not detecting Komplete 8 at all? Or is it that Komplete 8 fx don't work? I use Komplete 8 Ultimate and at first I had a hard time finding it on Logic Pro X. But now, I got a way out. But I have to tested that all the plugins work.
AU Lab for whatever reason does not like FLUX plug-ins, and AU lab seemed a little crash, had to bail on that.
Tried Vienna Ensemble Pro, but there's too many hoops to jump through and my ability to get audio to just consistently pass through like a plug-in would just wasn't happening for me. It's likely that the intention of VEP is meant for slightly different uses than I need.
I decided to give RAX a try, from Audiofile-Engineering. They've made some great improvements on this application which I hadn't tried since many years ago. It's been working great and lets me use Logics I/O plug-in to get in and out of it which I prefer for my workflow.
Rax also has the added benefit of VST support. It also looks like it has Multichannel support up to 8, I may have to try that with surround mixes from Pro Tools where I'd like to use some VST's...
As with all things, YMMV, but this seems a good solution for now.
Thanks for the tip. Is it possible to run instances of, say, Miroslav and Sonik Synth 2 in the same project via this method?
Thanks,
G.F.
I think it'll be tricky to set up with this method...
However, stay tuned to:
www.askaudiomag.com
in a few hours from now we'll publish an article on running 32-bit plug-ins (multiple ones too) in Logic Pro X using VEPro.
:-)
Admittedly is does cost... seems to be about 150 Euros (probably about the same in dollars).
http://www.vsl.co.at/us/211/497/537/1456/1083.htm
But, a few of our authors tell me you get a lot of bang for your buck with it... lots of excellent features and sounds. Also, looks like a very efficient way to run 32-bit plug-ins in Logic Pro X.
:)
Oops. My bad... so yes, if you get VE Pro you get a 9 GB collection of high-quality samples:
http://www.vsl.co.at/en/211/497/1685/1990/2016/1703.htm
And, yes, that means the price creeps up too... though if you're already in the market for orchestral samples I've heard it's a good buy!
We'll be publishing the article on using VE Pro to host 32-bit plugins in Logic Pro X on Monday (tomorrow)... so take a look through the steps (very few involved) to get a sense whether it's the route you'd like to take.
Best,
Rounik
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N18kLZMo_2o
George
We've just published our article on using VEPro to host 32-bit plugins in Logic Pro X (you'll find it here at macProVideo.com) or here at AskAudioMag.com:
http://www.askaudiomag.com/articles/how-to-run-32-bit-plug-ins-in-logic-pro-x-using-vienna-ensemble-pro
Thanks!
I think It might have to do with Step 5, where you're meant to set the Input Format button to Stereo because I couldn't work out how to do it, thanks!
Thanks
In other projects do you have sound coming through? Have you set your Audio Device for input and output correctly in the Logic Pro > Preferences > Audio window?
Is the channel strip for the track setup correctly with its output and input?
In terms of setting the stereo format button/input for the audio track click on the track header and in the Inspector on the left is its channel strip. Next to "Input" you should see a circle (mono) or interlinked circles (stereo). clicking on this button will toggle the input type between the two. Clicking on the word "Input" will allow you to set the input for the audio channel.
Hope this helps.
And regarding templates, simply choose File > Save as template...
Choose a name and make sure the location is set to:
Users/~/Music/Audio Music Apps/Project Templates/
:)
P.S. I'd highly recommend checking out the Logic Pro X video courses here to help you master Logic quickly:
http://www.macprovideo.com/logic
I imported a midi clip from Ableton, to use in Logic. When I play the keyboard, the audio plays through just fine. However, when I add the midi clip to the same track and hit play, no audio comes through. Is there a way to fix this? I would love to be able to edit and humanize this midi performance in Logic instead of exporting an audio track from Ableton.
Thanks!
That sounds like a different issue.
Have you tried importing the MIDI clip to a different software instrument track in Logic?
It should work fine as long as it's on the correct track (i.e. not on the audio track).
:)
On a separate note, it seems unfortunate that I cannot record audio while this reroute occurs, since I have to change the input to my audio interface. I guess that means I will need to bounce the track down to an audio file first, which isn't a huge deal.
Thanks for the work-around! This saved me a lot of time.
Thanks for this tutorial. I'm having problems with hearing sound...
(FWIW I'm an relatively experienced Logic user - at least of the previous versions :-))
I can see the signal on the MIDI channel, and when I hit the keys on the plugin (Sylenth) within AU Lab I can hear sound, but when I'm back in LPX, nothing.
Can someone help ?
Thank you!!!
Great tutorial! I'm new to logic and I think I'm missing something though. I can only hear the audio from the VST when the audio track is selected. When I select the midi track to record something in midi I hear no sound and have a hard time playing without hearing myself. I tried to trigger record on the midi track while selecting the audio track but then the Input Monitoring turns off.
Additionally, since AU Lab lacks stability and has bad overall latency as some user previously pointed out I would like to use MainStage instead. However, I've never used it before and would need help with that. Is it possible to make an additional tutorial for that? That would be great! :D
Thank you!
is this problem made becouse i'm running a version of Ableton at 32 bit? and Logic Pro X in running at 64bit?
Can anybody give me helpppp...:D
I'm having the same problem u describe & was hoping u figured out a solution?
cheers
Check the steps once again and make sure you have the MIDI channel set up in Step 3 that corresponds to the MIDI channel in AU Lab/Sylenth. This should work...
Best,
Rounik
If I open up Logic Pro X, I can't see sylenth1 or any other AU-lab inserted plugin. I've done all the steps correctly
Thanks
Here's a screenshot with my setup
[IMG]http://i39.tinypic.com/2qkjn8j.png[/IMG]
(I've also tried with Sylenth, but had no sucess too.)
=;(
Sorry to hear this. Have you tried restarting your Mac and using a new blank project in Logic Pro X?
Also, can you provide a few details. e.g. the version of Logic Pro X you're running, OS X and any details about audio interface/MIDI keyboard/your Mac, etc.
Thanks!
R
B4 II: Still no tonewheel files found! Please install the B4 again.
Is there a way around this, or to get rid of B4 completely (I trashed the file in Applications as well as the plist in Library)
thanks,
Francis
Thanks for the article. Unfortunately, after following your instructions to the letter, I cannot get Sylenth to work.
The external MIDI track with Sylenth loaded is receiving an input as every time I touch my MIDI controller I can see signal coming through but cannot hear anything through the input-enabled audio channel.
I am using Logic X on iMac 2013 FD OS 10.9.1 with NI KA6 sound card (with Soundflower set as input in Logic X settings).
Best wishes
Patrick
hmmm... sorry to hear that. Do you have auto-punch mode enabled? Try turning it off.
Also, make sure the audio channel strip's output is set to Stereo.
I don't know if anybody here has tried it, but "32 Lives" works like a charm. It took about 5 minutes for the whole process and now the old 32 bit Miroslav Philharmonik shows up in Logic Pro X just like my 64 Real Guitar and Garritan plug ins. After the first download and set up, there's absolutely nothing more to do.
Let me know if you try it - I hope it makes it much easier for you.
Don Salmon
www.remember-to-breathe.org
A trial version is also available. ;-)
I forgot to mention it's only $99 (yes, I paid several hundred dollars last September for Vienna Pro, which worked ok for awhile - I still found it annoying to have to set it up each time I wanted to use Miroslav - but then just stopped, and neither the Vienna Pro folks (who said it must be a Miroslav problem) nor the IK Multimedia (Miroslav) folks would help.
And yes, if you have any doubts, get the trial version. It's kind of funny- your old 32 bit plugin will work fine for about 20 seconds, then suddenly the image will start to fade and you won't get any sounds. Wait a few seconds and it comes back, and you can try out your sounds again for another 20 seconds or so.
I found that using the trial version for about 20 minutes was enough to convince me to buy it. I bought it right away, set the whole thing up, and I've been having a blast layering Garritan, Miroslav and Logic sounds ever since!
Don't hesitate - if you have had any trouble with 32 bit in Logic X, get the trial version right away. I doubt if anybody, after using the trial version, will hesitate to get the real thing (and in case anybody wonders why I'm so enthusiastic, no, I don't have any connection with the makers of the product. It's just really that great and such an incredible relief not to have to bother with all the other measures)
Ho già provato molte volte a ripetere i passaggi per essere sicuro di aver seguito alla lettera le tue istruzioni!!
Do I follow the same process if I already have an Aggregate device setup in my AMS? I was thinking the Aggregate device might replace AU Lab or Soundflower?
I have done literally everything you summed up in your article, but I don't get any sound through my speakers. My volume bar is going in AU Lab, FM8 (Which I'm using here) and Logic Pro. Can you help me?
Thanks anyway.
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