Is there AAX compatible software comparable to Vienna Ensemble, to offload CPU usage?

[jaminjamesp]

With the Mac Pros being fairly expensive, I’m looking for other options to beef up my rig. Currently using a 6 core trash can.

From what I understand, Vienna Ensemble is instantiated like a normal plugin in your DAW, but from there you load whichever plugins or software instruments you like, and it offloads CPU processing via Ethernet to other computers. It doesn’t support AAX though.

Wondering if there is a similar alternative that does? Or a way to “daisy chain” a second computer to handle plugins.

[nedorama]

What plugins do you have that are AAX only? Most 3rd party ones have Audio Units, VST as well as AAX which could be offloaded into VSL, so that only your AAX-only plugins are running in PT.

[jaminjamesp]

Okay, I didn't think about that. How does it work in Pro Tools? Does Vienna Ensemble come in an AAX plugin? Or does use it ReWire? I'm having trouble finding anything online.

[musicman691]

Originally Posted by jaminjamesp

Okay, I didn't think about that. How does it work in Pro Tools? Does Vienna Ensemble come in an AAX plugin? Or does use it ReWire? I'm having trouble finding anything online.

It's actually simple to find out things online about VE Pro. First place you should visit is the VSL site itself; also make Google your friend. YouTube also has videos on VEPro.


Basically you can use VEPro on either a single machine with no Ethernet connection to anything or as a client machine to another machine connected by Ethernet to your main computer.


Here's the product page for VEPro 7 https://www.vsl.co.at/en/Vienna_Soft...a_Ensemble_Pro


And here's a link to the VEPro 6 manual; I know it's not the VEPro 7 manual but it's enough to help you on your journey. https://www.scribd.com/document/3373...sh-v3-0-0-1-34

[Flyingrockstudios]

I have to add my first hand experience with VEP 6 and using a second computer. I have a 6 core Mac Pro trash can with 32GB of RAM running PT 2019.10 HDX. I am a songwriter/producer, and I tend to use all kinds of VI's in my productions, although not a full orchestra. But stuff like SP3, Keyscape, Kontakt 6, Roland Cloud, etc. So I have been coaxing my Mac Pro to behave by disabling plug ins, freezing tracks, adjusting the buffer, etc. for some time now.

I researched the VEP solution with using a second computer, and I was hoping to offload much of the stress of the VI's onto the secondary computer. So I purchased a Dell XPS tower with Windows 10 Pro and 16GB and VEP 6 with a Thunderbolt 2 card and an external Lacie 4TB hard drive. I gathered all the necessary software licenses to load all my VI's to the second computer(I wanted to keep my original Mac Pro working exactly the same, at least for a while). I installed VEP 6 on the Dell, and spent hours installing and getting it all working correctly. It was a hassle. but I had the second PC connected via 1GB ethernet running only locally to the Mac Pro, and the Dell was working just fine running VEP 6 and many tracks of VI's, so I expected all my Mac Pro PT CPU troubles to disappear.

Unfortunately that's not been my experience. Of course I still had to have instrument tracks on my Mac Pro projects to accept the VEP 6 instances from the remote PC, and that still sucked CPU cycles from my projects. Maybe performance was slightly better, but not light years better as I expected, and not enough to keep a second computer up to date with all the VI's and what not, and to make separate VEP projects for each tune with all the instruments, and spent time while writing songs managing 2 computer instances and the associated VI's (I had to keep the Mac Pro ready to go as a backup). I got tired of this after about 2 songs! Not being a film score composer, it wasn't like I could just load up 24 tracks of the same orchestra on a VEP project and leave that same project always on and ready. Each tune had different instrument requirements so I created even more work for myself that way.

So I have gone back to just the single Mac Pro trash can, and the Dell XPS is practically new and gathering dust. I thought about jumping to Windows and beefing up the Dell XPS instead, but that just seems like even more work than I want to do, and more of an interruption to my flow.

After seeing the prices of the new Mac Pro, and deciding that I am not selling my car to buy it, I have settled on upgrading my Mac Pro trash can CPU from 6 core to 12 core. This will almost double my CPU multithread GeekBench score, and I am going to at least double my RAM to 64GB as well, if not more. After getting the "Your CPU ran out of power" PT error just the other day again, I have settled on this upgrade which I think is going to be worthwhile, and keep my Mac Pro trash can running for hopefully more than a few years and stave off my need to have the "latest and greatest" all the time.

Now maybe others have had a better experience with this second PC technique, but it didn't allow my Mac Pro run a ton more VI tracks from the second PC.

[jaminjamesp]

Originally Posted by Flyingrockstudios

I have settled on upgrading my Mac Pro trash can CPU from 6 core to 12 core. This will almost double my CPU multithread GeekBench score, and I am going to at least double my RAM to 64GB as well, if not more.

This was my conclusion as well after doing more digging on the subject. Still undecided if I'm going ship my Trash Can off to OWC to have them do the 6 core to 12 core upgrade... they charge $1249 for the upgrade. Thats with a $100 rebate for my current CPU. Plus I gotta pay for shipping both ways. I'm hoping that would be the cost for a *new* E5-2697 v2 12-Core. They sell refurbished E5-2697 v2 12-Core for just under $500, and that comes with a 1 year warranty. I've watched the install videos, and it looks fairly straight forward. Also, in regards to your RAM upgrades, from what I can tell reading online, going past 64GB might not be that helpful. All 128GB can be utilized by Pro Tools, however, if you read the fine print on the OWC website (who sells the 128GB upgrade) you'll find this:

"Due to processor design and memory architectures, 32GB module utilization occurs at a bus speed of 1066MHz with Apple Mac Pro 2013 E5-16XXv2 4-Core, 6-Core, and 8-Core processor equipped models, 800MHz with factory 12-Core or after-market E5-26XX equipped models. Utilization of 2 or more 32GB modules minimum is recommended. Overall performance with applications and workflows that are able to utilize higher available memory, remains exceptional."

If you do the CPU upgrade and upgrade to 128GB ram, your RAM speed gets knocked down from 1866MHz (the standard speed for Mac Pro RAM), to 800MHz. I'm not hardware savvy enough to know if that translates into a 50% reduction in RAM speed, and how that would impact performance, but from my reading on these forums, it looks like unless you're loading MASSIVE orchestral templates, 64GB seems to be the best option, because you don't take any hit on the RAM speed. Would love it if someone who knows more could chime in.

EDIT:Here is a good videos of Chris Henson from Spitfire comparing his 2013 3.0 GHz 8 Core/64GB RAM, to his new iMac Pro 10 Core 3.2GHz with 128GB RAM.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EouLohgmvrI

At the end of the video he seems pleased with his purchase... however if you read the YouTube comments (which agree with my own thoughts) he could have achieved possibly
better results upgrading his 6 core to a 12 core... and saved $7,000. The ONLY benefit I see at this point in upgrading to a newer system is Thunderbolt 3/USB C. And in time I'm sure
that will pose to be an issue. But again, unless you're loading/streaming MASSIVE orchestral templates (or do video editing and want to work in 4k) I'm hoping the lack in bandwidth wont be an issue for some time. Certainly not
soon enough to justify spending $8000 on a new iMac Pro 10 core, or $6000 on an entry level Mac Pro, over $500 for a CPU upgrade.