Deskew Technologies today released Gig Performer 1.0, a audio plugin host application that’s designed to give you complete control over live music rigs, effects, voices or all simultaneously.
Gig Performer lets you create ‘Rackspaces’, which transform your plugins into a live performance system. You can control multiple instruments, layer sounds and authentic effects. with little CPU overhead.
Gig Performer instead uses performer and connection views, letting you connect plugins any way you want, and then custom-design Panels to control each Rackspace. You can also add Variations, which let you instantly switch between multiple sets of settings for a single Rackspace.
For instance, if you create a Rackspace consisting of an electric piano and some effects (phase, reverb, tremolo), you could switch instantly from fast deep tremolo, to slow mellow tremolo plus reverb, and so on.
You can also customize Panels using a variety of available widgets (knobs, switches, levers, LEDs) and colored face plates.
They can also use Gig Performer with their existing environment, by training it to recognize the controls on their keyboards, OSC apps, MIDI expression pedals and control surfaces, and then use them to control plugin parameters. Features such as layering and splitting operations, and individual transposition are also built in.
Here’s the Gig Performer intro video:
Here’s a intro to the basics of working with Gig Performer:
Features:
- Switch among your rack spaces
- MIDI & OSC SUPPORT – Use your existing MIDI and OSC devices and apps. Map any control to any controllable parameter.
- Gig Performer is user-friendly. You will be able to create complete setups in no time.
- Low CPU Usage
- Works on OS X and Windows devices. Your GIG files can be opened on both platforms.
- Connect any plugin to any other plugin in any configuration. Parallel or serial – no AUX busses needed.
- Built-in tuner
- Associate specific MIDI devices with particular plugins easily and visually. Use transpose, channel mapping, MIDI out settings and more…
- Easily create variations of your rackspace. Switch between variations seamlessly – even while holding notes or chords on your keyboard or guitar.
- Use touch surfaces such as Lemur or TouchOSC to control Gig Performer, as well as applications such as Max for even more sophisticated control.
- Gig Performer supports VST formats on both OSX and MS Windows, as well as the AU format on OSX. AAX support will be included later.
Pricing and Availability
Gig Performer has an MSRP of US $249. Special pricing is currently available for $124. A 14-day trial version is also available. See the Gig Performer site for details.
It would be so nice to have a similar standalone application with 2 independent MIDI out ports running on Raspberry Pi or Arduino, or from a master keyboard. There is a nice dedicated hardware box for a similar purpose, but I would really love to see an open source application on an open platform.
And targeted, if not already clear from above, for those working dawless on real MIDI racks and devices.
I don’t quite get it. There is already Usine, Bidule, etc that do this and WAYYYYYYY more and are cheaper. What’s the market for this?
These products are targeting different kinds of musicians. Usine is obviously geared towards an electronic musician for example. These are completely different concepts.
Wouldn’t call Usine cheap either – 249EUR for three years on a pro license with 60% off. Gig Performer is now $124USD at 50% off.
More importantly – if you are playing a guitar or keyboards – have you actually tried to use these products on stage? If you did – you would have understood what the market for this is. As far as features are concerned – again – try using either of these product live, on stage, or in rehearsal, playing an instrument and the answer will come to you.
I use Apple MainStage – And a Nektar P61 controller on every gig – Loaded with all of my fav plug-ins…$30
I guess that if MainStage is working well for you, you are not using any OSC devices and you don’t have performance issues – sure – MainStage is definitely a good alternative.
It is targeting live performing musicians unlike the two applications mentioned above by @DruMunkey
Gig Performer addresses a number of deficiencies found in other hosts. Apart from being cross-platform (Mac/Windows, try it for example on a windows surface tablet), it supports variations which save you from having to duplicate a plugin setup but still flip many parameters instantly.
Then there is multiple instance support so multiple musicians can share a single computer and have independent control (including separate OSC management). Partial saving lets you tweak multiple rackspaces (independent sets of connected plugins) and save some of them without having to save stuff that you’re not ready to or sure you want to save.
Special attention was paid to efficient workflow, very important not just during your initial design but also when you’re in rehearsals.
As for apps like Bidule, Max, Audiomulch etc, those tools are great but the average non-technical musician isn’t going to deal with such complexity.
Try it out.
Yeah, the thing is when I tried to use it to handle a multi-keyboard rig, as well as pedals and control surfaces, it became much harder to manage as well as change quickly. I also think that for non-audio engineer types, it’s much easier to connect plugins together directly rather than having to deal with channel strips, sends, inserts and aux buses. I find it very hard to understand what is routed to what that way.
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And a Nektar P61 controller on every gig
http://kxstudio.linuxaudio.org/Applications:Carla
I have tried Bidule, Usine and Mainstage (ugh) live and none of those packages were stable or effecient in a live situation. Bidule and Usine try to be a live tool but are too piggy with resources and cannot handle a complex show setup. Mainstage is just crap…don’t get me started.
I have been gigging with Gig Performer (GP) for 3 months without issue, It is extremely efficient with large samples and complex, CPU hungry VSTs and transitioning to new patches/sounds is quick. Predictive loading makes it even better and song transitions seemless. I load one instance of GP that contains all VSTs that I will use in a 4.5-hour show (multiple instances of DIVA, many Omnispheres, 12 instances of Kontakt using 9gig of samples, effects and vocal processing). Rock Solid. Highly recommend.
Bottom line, this tool is 100% designed for the gigging musician. I use Ableton or Pro Tools in the studio. In my opinion they are completely different beasts. Apple and Oranges if you ask me.