Steinberg V-Stack Operation Manual

8
Audio effects 

V-STACK8 – 102 Audio effects
Background
V-STACK allows you to process your VST Instruments through VST 
effect plug-ins in various configurations. There are three basic “effect 
types”:
•Send effects
Up to eight send effects can be used. When you use send effects, audio is routed 
through the effect processors via independent effect sends for each channel, just like 
on a “real” physical mixer. The output from each effect processor is then routed to one 
of the buses or the master fader, where it is...

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Installing effect plug-ins
V-STACK doesn’t include any effect plug-ins when you install it – you 
need to install these separately. There is a wide range of effect plug-ins 
available in the two formats supported by V-STACK (VST and DirectX). 
The two formats are handled differently when it comes to installation:
VST plug-ins
Under Windows, VST plug-ins are usually installed simply by dragging 
the files (with the extension “.dll”) into the Vstplugins folder in the 
V-STACK...

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About shared VST plug-ins (Windows only)
While V-STACK’s own plug-ins reside in the Vstplugins folder within the 
V-STACK program folder, the program can also access plug-ins in an 
additional location, called the shared VST plug-ins folder. This lets you 
use plug-ins installed by other VST compatible applications, etc. You 
can change what folder is considered the “shared” vstplugin folder at 
any time in the Plug-In Information window, see page 118.
DirectX plug-ins...

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Using effects
Using send effects
This procedure is divided into three steps: Activating effects, setting 
up the send section and making effect settings.
❐Note that it’s also possible to route sends to groups, and use the insert 
effects for the groups as additional effect racks. See page 115.
Activating send effects
1.Pull down the Devices menu and select VST Send Effects.
The VST Send Effects panel opens. You can have up to eight separate “processors” 
arranged on top of...

V-STACK8 – 106 Audio effects
4.By default, the effect processor is activated when selected. This is in-
dicated by the On button. Make sure this is lit.
5.Make sure the effect output is routed to the desired output bus, by 
checking the Bus pop-up (below the File pop-up).
6.If you wish to activate more effects, repeat steps 2 to 5.
Remember that the effects rely heavily on the CPU power in your computer. The more 
activated effect units, the more computer power will be used for effects.
• To turn off an...

V-STACKAudio effects 8 – 107
Setting up the sends
This can be done in the upper panels for the channel strips in the (ex-
tended mode) or in the Channel Settings window. The figures below 
show the Channel Settings window, but the procedures are similar for 
all three sections:
1.Bring up the Channel Settings window or the “Sends” or “Sends+” 
pane in the extended Mixer.
Each of the eight sends has the following controls and options:
• A send on/off switch
• A send level slider or dial
• A pre/post fader...

V-STACK8 – 108 Audio effects
4.Select an effect from the pop-up menu.
5.If you want the signal to be sent to the effects before the fader, click 
on the Pre fader button for the send.
With pre-fader effect sends, the amount of effect for the channel is not affected by the 
volume fader. With post-fader effect sends (Pre/Post button not pressed), the amount 
of effect is proportional to the channel volume, and will change with the volume fader 
movements.
6.If you want to use several effects for this...

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3.You can switch between different effect program presets by pulling 
down the Program pop-up in the VST Send effects panel.
The number of program locations depends on the selected effect type.
Clicking here...
...opens the Program pop-up.
4.If you have several effects activated, repeat steps 1 to 3 for these.
• You can also edit the effect parameters. See page 113. 

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Using insert effects
•You can apply up to five different insert effects per channel. 
•The signal passes through the effects in series from the top downwards.
•Each channel (group or VST Instrument channel) has its own set of in-
sert effects, totally independent of the other channels.
❐Insert effects require the same processing power as any other effect type. 
This means that applying insert effects on many channels uses up far 
more processing power than the send effects...