Steinberg VST Connect Pro 4 User Guide
Contents
Preface 3
1 Overview 5
1.1 Quick Guide . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
1.2 Cubase / Nuendo Setup . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
2 VST Connect 8
2.1 User Interface Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
2.2 Connection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
2.2.1 MySteinberg . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
2.2.2 Key . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
2.2.3 LAN . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
2.3 Network . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
2.3.1 Find User Tab . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
2.3.2 Friends Tab . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
2.3.3 Icons . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
2.4 Control Room . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
2.5 Talkback . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
2.6 Mixer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
2.6.1 Performer Monitor (Headphone) Mix . . . . . . . . 17
2.6.2 Recording Mix . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
2.7 VST Cloud Menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
2.8 Event Monitor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
2.9 Setup Tabs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
2.9.1 Configuration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
2.9.2 Performer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
2.9.3 Manager . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
2.9.4 Recordings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26
2.10 Toolbox Items . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26
2.11 Status and File Transfer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27
3 VST Connect Monitor 28
4 VST Connect Performer 29
4.1 User Interface Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
4.2 Connection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30
4.2.1 MySteinberg . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30
4.2.2 Key . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31
4.3 Performer Monitor (Headphone) Mix . . . . . . . . . . . . 32
4.4 Effects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34
4.4.1 Reverb . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34
4.4.2 EQ . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34
4.4.3 Compressor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35
4.4.4 Inserts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35
4.5 Toolbox Items . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36
4.6 Status and File Transfer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37
4.7 Settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37
4.8 Plug-In Manager . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39
4.9 Using a VST Instrument . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39
5 Troubleshooting 40
5.1 Connection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40
5.2 Server Not Responding . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40
5.3 Avoid Audio Dropouts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41
5.4 Avoid Feedback . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41
5.5 More ... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41
2
Preface
Welcome to VST Connect! We are very proud to present this exciting
new version of VST Connect, which features an all new user interface
and mixer, significantly simplified setup for the engineer, and many more
new features and improvements.
VST Connect has been used by skilled and professional producers all
over the world to record artists from all over the world conveniently and
with highest audio quality standards using the affordable PRO version.
And hobbyists and serious amateurs have recorded friends and colleagues with the SE version coming for free with the latest Cubase and
Nuendo versions.
With VST Connect an engineer can connect to a remote artist and create a situation, which is entirely similar to recording somebody next door,
including video to see each other through the virtual Control Room window. The artist does not have to do anything but perform, just like in
a professional studio. All that is required on his or her end is a decent
microphone, headphones, and audio interface. The artist doesn’t need
any DAW, but simply downloads and installs the freely available "VST
Connect Performer" application from the Steinberg website, available for
Apple OSX, Windows, and iOS (iPad). Once installed, it is sufficient to
start this application and connect to the studio; everything else, even
including setup of the audio and video devices and connections, can
be remote-controlled by the connected studio engineer. This allows for
artists and talents to concentrate on their job and use this new technology even when they are not technically skilled.
With this third iteration of VST Connect also comes an incredibly simplified setup procedure for the studio engineer. From Cubase 8 and
Nuendo 7 on, there is a menu allowing to incorporate the entire setup
for VST Connect in one single step, either from an empty project, or an
already elaborated production. It also utilizes the built-in Cue Mix and
Control Room features of Cubase / Nuendo in exactly the same way as
they are being used in the room-to-room studio! Using the PRO version, high resolution ("HD") and glitch-free audio files recorded on the
Performer end can be transferred after the job. So now, the recording
situation is entirely transparent, whether the artist is located next room,
or on the other side of our precious planet.
We have been working on connecting musicians and talents over the
Internet for more than 10 years now. Having come a long way from the
early 80s, when Internet wasn’t yet a word and we just started to send
our first e-mails to those "chosen few" who even knew that remote communication was applicable, it is truly exciting for me to see how far it has
come, and I’m particularly amazed to be part of this process.
There are too many colleagues at Steinberg and elsewhere to mention,
who have helped to make this dream come true, so I hope they don’t
mind if I express my gratitude to all of them here. In particular, I would
like to thank Michael Spork who has provided at least as much of the
programming work as myself, and my very long term friend and partner
Manfred Rï¿
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rup, with whom I am happy to still share the experience of
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these amazing developments of our brave new world.
October 2014
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1 Overview
1.1 Quick Guide
VST Connect is used by two people, the artist or talent performing vocals or other instrument, and an engineer in a studio using Cubase /
Nuendo along with the VST Connect components. The artist downloads
and installs the VST Connect Performer application or app. The Apple
OSX and Microsoft Windows versions are freely downloadable from the
Steinberg website, the iPad IOS version is very affordable. Everything
else that is required on the artist side is a microphone, headphone, and
audio interface along with a suitable driver. For a test, even the built-in
hardware can be used, but for reasonable quality recordings, a good audio interface like the Steinberg UR22 is recommended..
For a quick start, and also for explaining some of the new features of this
version, we will start by describing the steps necessary on the Cubase
/ Nuendo end, assuming the artist is ready to go and has installed and
launched the VST Connect Performer application (or app).
For the impatient, and those already familiar with previous versions of
VST Connect, here is a super-quick rundown how to start remote recording instantly:
PROCEDURE
1. Create a new Cubase / Nuendo project or use an existing one.
2. Access the VST Cloud menu and choose "Create VST Connect".
3. If not already present, create a Talkback channel using "Add
Talkback" in the same menu.
4. If the VST Connect Editor is not already visible, choose "Open
VST Connect Editor".
5. Enter your MySteinberg name and password in the according
fields at the top right and click the "Login" button (see Connec-
tion). Open the Net view by clicking the bottom leftmost icon to
find and invite friends. Have the Performer open the Performer
app or application and find and accept you (with your VST Cloud
name). Now either side can connect by double-clicking in the
friend view, provided the friend is online (blue light).
RESULT
You can see, hear, and immediately record the artist now, just like you
would record yourself or somebody else next door!
1.2 Cubase / Nuendo Setup
With version 4 of VST Connect comes an all new menu in Cubase /
Nuendo. It is called VST Cloud. To begin with, let’s assume that you
start from scratch, so the first step is to launch Cubase / Nuendo and
PROCEDURE
1. Create a new empty project, using either the "Empty", "Default",
2. Select "Create VST Connect" from the VST Cloud menu. De-
or your preferred default project template. To set up a VST Connect session, all you have to do is to
pending on whether you are using the built-in VST Connect SE,
or have purchased the VST Connect PRO version, you will find
this in the accordingly labeled menu. This will create an Input
channel with the VST Connect plug-in, possibly (if not existing
already) create a Cue Mix Channel in the Control Room Mixer,
install the VST Connect Cue plug-in in that channel, install the
VST Connect Monitor plugin after the main output, and create an
audio track in the arrangement, which is readily set up to record
and chat with a remote artist.
3. You can create more such audio tracks from the VST Connect
menu ("Create Performer Track"), or right click and choose "Duplicate Track" if you need several recording tracks like for doubletracking, two-part guitars, choir, or various versions etc. This is
similar to creating a new Audio Track and select "VST Connect"
as its input audio source.
The only thing that is left to do, if you haven’t already done so is
to create a Talkback setup. You have to do this only once. For
convenience, there is an entry in the VST Connect menu labeled
"Create Talkback" which you should select now.
4. Then make sure that the Talkback channel of the Control Room
is assigned an audio input with your Talkback (abbreviated: TB)
microphone attached. This is done in the "Devices" menu of
Cubase / Nuendo
5. Select "VST Connections" (not to be confused with "VST Connect") in the "Devices" menu and then, access the rightmost tab
labeled "Studio". You should see the "Talkback" row; assign the
according audio port to which your TB microphone is connected
(you may have to click the "+" plus icon to open up the connec-
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tions row). This is the same procedure as assigning audio ports
in the "Inputs" tab of the VST Connections panel. It is a good
idea to save the Studio (Control Room) settings once all works
as desired.
Note
If you have never recorded an artist or yourself in your studio
using the Control Room, you might consider having look around
the Control Room and its settings in the "Studio" tab and/or refer to the Control Room section of the Cubase / Nuendo manual.
There are many useful functions available there that relate to professional studio recording and monitoring.
To access the Control Room Mixer, use the "Devices" menu and
there choose "Control Room Mixer". You can also use the top
left control in the MixConsole window to show the Control Room
mixer on the right hand side of Cubase / Nuendos’ mixer window.
For more details on this, again refer to the related sections in the
Cubase / Nuendo manual.
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2 VST Connect
2.1 User Interface Overview
• On the top left, Talkback can be controlled. These controls are linked
to the according controls in the Cubase / Nuendo Control Room Mixer.
See Talkback how to use this.
• The top middle section shows status information, none of these can be
changed, they are for informational purpose only. See Event Monitor.
• The top right section is where you connect to the artist. See Connec-
tion for further details
• To the middle left, usually the Performer video is displayed, but depending on other settings, also the large mixer view or settings pages
can be seen. See Setup Tabs section for more information on this.
• To the right, the Monitor Mixer is shown. See Mixer section for details.
2.2 Connection
2.2.1 MySteinberg
Now you are ready to record the remote artist. You should see the VST
Connect plug-in user interface; if that window has been closed accidentally, you can re-open it by selecting Open Editor in the Cubase / Nuendo
"Project/VST Connect" menu.
The connection procedure has changed since version 4. With the new
connection procedure, both the Studio and the Performer can initiate a
connection and it is no longer required to exchange a key number. To
be able to use VST Connect, you need a MySteinberg account. Both
Performer and Studio need to be registered with MySteinberg.
Use the "Id" button to toggle between the MySteinberg and the classic
"Key" connection page.
If you run VST Connect PRO, you can also connect locally. Note this
only works if the PRO version is started in Cubase / Nuendo.
All three available connection methods are described in the following
sections.
PROCEDURE
1. On the top right of the VST Connect and Performer user interface
you will find the login section.
2. Fill in your credentials (MySteinberg email address and pass-
word) and
3. Click the "Login" button.
4. If you do this for the first time and you have not yet provided a
VST Cloud user name (for instance with VST Transit), you will
have to do so now. Choose a name that can be easily recognised, because this is the name that your friends may be searching for, using the search function described below. You will need
to do this only once. Note that a VST Cloud user name can not
be changed later.
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2.2.2 Key
5. After successful login, the Network page opens automatically on
the Friends tab.
Note
If you don’t have an account, please go to the MySteinberg Website to create an account free of charge.
2.2.3 LAN
PROCEDURE
1. If you haven’t done so yet, type your name in the "Name" field
in the top right "Network login" section. This can be your real
name, or a nickname that the artist will see.
2. Click on the "Login" button right to the name field. A two-part
number ("Key") will appear in the second field below the name,
provided you are connected to the Internet. Communicate this
number to the artist, for instance via SMS, email, or phone.
3. Ask the artist to start the Performer application and enter a name
in the "Name" field in top right section, also labeled "Network
Login", and to enter the "Key" number into the according field.
Make sure that there is a blank (space) between the two groups
of numbers.
4. Ask the artist to click the "Connect" button.
If the Performer should be connected in your Local Area Network (LAN),
and provided that you are running the PRO version of VST Connect,
the LAN button in the Performer application is lit. The artist can then
click this to see and select your computer to connect as is described
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in the Performer documentation. You should now see the artist in the
VST Connect plug-in window, provided he or she has a webcam connected and installed, and hear his or her voice provided he or she has
connected a microphone via an audio interface to the computer. It is not
necessary or even recommended that the Performer Track in Cubase /
Nuendo is in Monitor mode (the yellow speaker icon should not be lit) to
be able to hear the artist’s microphone signal, because you can hear the
Performer at any time thru the VST Connect Monitor plugin which is inserted after the Main Output ("Monitor") in the Control Room. Otherwise
you may experience undesired delays. If this is the first time, you may
have to help the artist assigning the correct video and/or audio device
and connections:
PROCEDURE
1. Click the "gearwheel" item on the lower right of the VST Connect
editor window and select the "Performer" tab. In the "Audio Device" item, choose an audio device of the Performer’s computer
from the list.
2. If you cannot hear the artist yet, click the toolbox icon again to
close the settings page, and choose his or her microphone’s port
on top of the "Mic" channel in the VST Connect mixer.
2.3 Network
3. For the artist to hear his or her monitoring (headphone) signals,
you may also have to choose the correct output ports above the
"MASTER" channel found in the Monitor mixer all to the left.
RESULT
You are now ready to record the artist just like with any other recording
you are used to! You will probably want to import some playback audio
file for the artist etc. Just use Cubase / Nuendo the same way you would
if you were recording yourself or somebody else.
After successful login, the Network page opens automatically on the
Friends tab. You can also access the Network page at any time by clicking the network icon on the bottom of the toolbox item. The Network
page features two tabs: "Find User" and "Friends" Tab.
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2.3.1 Find User Tab
This network tab allows you to search the VST Cloud for your partner.
Type his or her VST Cloud name to find it in the list. To send a friendship,
select the user and double press the request button. You also can
send a request if you start the context menu with a right click to the user.
The selected user receives the request and needs to confirm .
The symbol shows you that the user is your friend.
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