VST2 or Audio unit for SD3 when using Studio One 4.5

[william roberts]

I see that SD3 has two choices in Studio One – use the plugin as a VST2 or an audio unit.  Is there a list of pros and cons somewhere?  Why would I use one over the other?

 

thanks,

billy123

Superior Drummer 3 version: 3.1.4
Operating system: OS X El Capitan (10.11)

Topic

[Brad]

Sorry this took a while. As I only usually use VST2/3 plugins within Studio One I spent a few days playing around with just using AU plugins and so far I don’t see any advantage of one over the other. I guess the only thing is there are some Apple specific plugins that will only show up as AU, but as far as SD3, I see no difference so far.

Superior Drummer 3 version: 3.1.7
Operating system: macOS Mojave (10.14)

Mac Studio M1 Max, RAM 64 GB, 1TB Drive, OSX 12.x/13.x and Windows 10 (VM)
DAW: Studio One Pro (always up to date)
DTX Express III (Extreme triggers), Nektar LX88
OWC Thunderbay Mini (4 X 1TB Sata SSD), Express 4M2 (4 X 2TB M.2 SSD), Envoy Express (1TB M.2 SSD)
Presonus Quantum, Faderport & Faderport 8
Black Lion Sparrow Mk2 A/D, FMR-RNP-RNC, MIDI Xpress 128, BM5A, KRK VXT4, Equator D5
2020 Macbook Pro 16GB RAM, 512GB SSD Audio(mobile rig)

• This post was modified 5 years ago by Brad.

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Thanked by: william roberts

[Bear-Faced Cow]

The difference is more under the hood. VSTs are handled on the application layer where AU’s are more tied to the OS layer, being CoreAudio. It may become more noticeable in a high load situation as CoreAudio will ensure that audio is handled in a pre-emptive manner (sometimes noticeable when graphics become a bit laggy). This could at times potentially affect VSTs. When given the choice between an AU and a VST, I am more likely to opt for the AU.

jord

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Jordan L. Chilcott

Web Site: https://jordanchilcottmusic.com/

1

Thanked by: william roberts

[Brad]

jord has a good point that audio unit plugins sometimes provide greater throughput in Logic as the protocol is highly integrated with that particular DAW being designed specifically for it. Other DAWs, Studio One, Reaper, etc that support AU might be using a wrapper internally, there are a number available, that may or may not provide the kind of performance native AU integration would provide. So far I haven’t seen any difference in Studio One. I work with a couple of musicians/artists that work in Windows, which is why in Studio One I tend to lean towards VST, just basically for compatibility. The nice thing about the integration is that it gives you access to AU only plugins. I would say try them both and see what your experience is. Can’t hurt anything, they both work.

 

Superior Drummer 3 version: 3.1.7
Operating system: macOS Mojave (10.14)

Mac Studio M1 Max, RAM 64 GB, 1TB Drive, OSX 12.x/13.x and Windows 10 (VM)
DAW: Studio One Pro (always up to date)
DTX Express III (Extreme triggers), Nektar LX88
OWC Thunderbay Mini (4 X 1TB Sata SSD), Express 4M2 (4 X 2TB M.2 SSD), Envoy Express (1TB M.2 SSD)
Presonus Quantum, Faderport & Faderport 8
Black Lion Sparrow Mk2 A/D, FMR-RNP-RNC, MIDI Xpress 128, BM5A, KRK VXT4, Equator D5
2020 Macbook Pro 16GB RAM, 512GB SSD Audio(mobile rig)

[Bear-Faced Cow]

On the Mac, AU is native. VSTs are wrapped. Everything eventually has to go through CoreAudio in order to play on a device (doesn’t matter whether its your audio interface or computer speaker).

jord

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Jordan L. Chilcott

Web Site: https://jordanchilcottmusic.com/

[Author]

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