This summary of the video was created by an AI. It might contain some inaccuracies.
00:00:00 – 00:13:07
The video introduces and explores the functionality, setup, and practical considerations of using Audio Gridder, a software that offloads the processing of VST plugins and instruments to a separate computer, functioning similarly to Vienna Ensemble Pro. The speaker explains how to install Audio Gridder on both the master and slave computers and manage the network setup. They highlight the efficiency of controlling plugins on the slave computer from the master PC without additional peripherals, demonstrating the seamless integration and the impact of buffer size settings on latency. The discussion touches on the practical trade-offs, such as latency issues and the importance of using signal chains to mitigate this effect during different stages of music production. They also touch on current limitations of the software, such as the lack of support for multi-out plugins and pending features like preset management, expected in future updates. Furthermore, they advise optimizing network settings—like deactivating Wi-Fi for better latency performance—and mention that the plugin is available as donationware, encouraging users to try out its promising capabilities.
00:00:00
In this part of the video, the creator introduces Audio Gridder, a software that allows users to offload the processing of VST plugins or instruments to another machine, either a PC or a Mac. The creator explains that, similar to Vienna Ensemble Pro, Audio Gridder enables using a slave computer to handle processing tasks. They detail the setup process: installing Audio Gridder server software on the slave computer, which scans the VST folder and displays the plugins, and installing the Audio Gridder plugin on the master computer. The plugin connects to the server, allowing the user to choose and control plugins installed on the slave PC. The interface displayed on the master computer is actually a screen capture from the slave computer, streamed to the master PC. This part of the video also demonstrates how the interface behaves and appears when resized on the master computer.
00:03:00
In this part of the video, the speaker explains how they are using a master and slave computer setup to manage controls and processes across both systems efficiently. They mention the convenience of transmitting controls from the master computer to the slave computer via a network without needing additional peripherals, unlike Vienna Ensemble Pro, which requires another monitor and mouse-sharing solutions like “Mouse Without Borders.” The speaker details their setup, which includes Nuendo 11 on a Windows 8.1 master computer and a Windows 10 slave computer. They demonstrate inserting various plugins and instruments from the master computer that are processed on the slave computer, highlighting the seamless integration and effectiveness of this arrangement.
00:06:00
In this part of the video, the installation process for the Audio Grid software is explained. On the slave computer, you need to install the Audio Grid server, and on the master computer, you install the Audio Grid plugin. No additional software is required. The speaker mentions having a network with two fixed IP addresses, which simplifies the setup as everything works out of the box. A key point to be aware of is the buffer size of Audio Grid. In an empty project, the buffer size can be disabled, which works well. However, increasing the buffer size introduces additional latency. For instance, increasing the buffer size adds 6 milliseconds of latency to the channel with the plugin. Adding a second instance of Audio Grid increases overall latency further, as each instance adds its latency to the Digital Audio Workstation (DAW).
00:09:00
In this part of the video, the speaker discusses the impact of latency when using the audio plugin, Audio Gridder. They explain that while low latency is crucial during playback, each instance of Audio Gridder adds latency, especially as the buffer size of the audio card increases, for example, to 1024. Despite this, latency issues are less critical during mixing, making Audio Gridder preferable for that purpose rather than for virtual instruments.
Additionally, the speaker advises building signal or plugin chains rather than using multiple instances of Audio Gridder to avoid increased overall latency. They also mention current limitations of Audio Gridder, such as the lack of support for multi-out plugins and incomplete features like preset management, which is expected to be added in version 1.2.
00:12:00
In this part of the video, the speaker advises that when connecting slave and master computers via a router, it’s crucial to deactivate the Wi-Fi on at least one of the computers to avoid significant latency issues. They emphasize that the audio plugin being discussed prioritizes a Wi-Fi connection over a wired one, which can lead to unacceptable delays. The speaker also highlights that the plugin is currently donationware and encourages viewers to try it out, describing it as very exciting and cool.