Blue Cat's Plug'n Script - I don't get it

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BKK-OZ
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Blue Cat's Plug'n Script - I don't get it

Post by BKK-OZ »

I just got an email announcing Blue Cat's Plug'n Script plugin, and while it looks interesting, I can't see how it would be used in practice. Wot?

With this plug-in, you can write your own processors or instruments, with very little knowledge about programming: it brings an entire development environment into your favorite DAW. It also includes 46 scripts and 120 factory presets for non-programmers to use it as a multi effects processor.

http://www.bluecataudio.com/Products/Pr ... ugNScript/
Cheers,
BK

…string theory says that all subatomic particles of the universe are nothing but musical notes. A, B-flat, C-sharp, correspond to electrons, neutrinos, quarks, and what have you. Therefore, physics is nothing but the laws of harmony of these strings. Chemistry is nothing but the melodies we can play on these strings. The universe is a symphony of strings and the mind of God… it is cosmic music resonating through 11 dimensional hyperspace.
- M Kaku
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bayswater
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Re: Blue Cat's Plug'n Script - I don't get it

Post by bayswater »

The link to their youtube channel takes you to a different product. There doesn't seem to be anything there for Plug'n Script. From the description, I can't see the point of creating your own audio plugins, but I can see some potential in creating MIDI plugins if the tool is flexible and powerful enough. There have been things I've tried to do with Custom Consoles that didn't work. Maybe this could do it.
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dewdman42
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Re: Blue Cat's Plug'n Script - I don't get it

Post by dewdman42 »

BKK, weren't you the one asking about EDM? I'm sure that plugin could be used to do some interesting things that normally would require Reaktor or something like that... People will find uses. I read their stuff, basically BlueCat has been using that scripting environment to prototype their plugins for a while and now they are offering this capability for the public. Kinda cool, but priced too high unless you have a definite need, that is for sure
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BKK-OZ
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Re: Blue Cat's Plug'n Script - I don't get it

Post by BKK-OZ »

dewdman42 wrote:BKK, weren't you the one asking about EDM? I'm sure that plugin could be used to do some interesting things that normally would require Reaktor or something like that...
I think you are thinking about this thread: http://www.motunation.com/forum/viewtop ... 26&t=58323

Still not sure how one would use this plug...
Cheers,
BK

…string theory says that all subatomic particles of the universe are nothing but musical notes. A, B-flat, C-sharp, correspond to electrons, neutrinos, quarks, and what have you. Therefore, physics is nothing but the laws of harmony of these strings. Chemistry is nothing but the melodies we can play on these strings. The universe is a symphony of strings and the mind of God… it is cosmic music resonating through 11 dimensional hyperspace.
- M Kaku
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bluecataudio
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Re: Blue Cat's Plug'n Script - I don't get it

Post by bluecataudio »

Thank you for mentioning our plug-in. There is indeed currently no video for it. We have however written a post on our blog that will hopefully clarify what you can do with it, if you do not want to go thru the entire manual:

Blue Cat’s Plug’n Script: Bringing MIDI and Audio Scripting into your DAW
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BKK-OZ
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Re: Blue Cat's Plug'n Script - I don't get it

Post by BKK-OZ »

OK, I have skimmed through both those links and, as was the case before my original post, I fully understand what the plugin can do from a technical point of view - scripting, etc. I get that. I can also see how a developer might want to use it as a means for testing out ideas for further development.

It all seems tantalizing, but I still don't get how a non-developer would use this plugin.

Can someone give me a 'For example...'?

Maybe I'm just thick.
Cheers,
BK

…string theory says that all subatomic particles of the universe are nothing but musical notes. A, B-flat, C-sharp, correspond to electrons, neutrinos, quarks, and what have you. Therefore, physics is nothing but the laws of harmony of these strings. Chemistry is nothing but the melodies we can play on these strings. The universe is a symphony of strings and the mind of God… it is cosmic music resonating through 11 dimensional hyperspace.
- M Kaku
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bayswater
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Re: Blue Cat's Plug'n Script - I don't get it

Post by bayswater »

Here's an example. http://www.bluecataudio.com/Tutorials/T ... Performer/

Scanning the manual, I get the impression that this only works with Blue Cat plugins.
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dewdman42
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Re: Blue Cat's Plug'n Script - I don't get it

Post by dewdman42 »

no that article you linked could be applicable to any other plugin, not just BlueCat. Basically what he was saying in that article is that most of BlueCat plugins are able to output automation data, which can be recorded on the automation lane of DP. You can use that recorded automation data to drive automation of ANY other plugin out there. BlueCat likes to have a lot of fancy side chaining capabilities and this is one way they allow one plugin to drive other plugins. So in the article example, some aspect of the meter output could be used to drive a filter sweep on some other plugin, for example. That other plugin doesn't have to be BlueCat, since most all plugins do RESPOND to automation data. But BlueCat is unique in that it outputs this kind of automation data. It lets you turn their plugins into fancy LFO's that can control other plugins of your choice. It can output MIDI for that, but since DP doesn't support MIDI output on AU plugins, they also output the automation data somehow, this article documents the DP workaround for the fact that DP doesn't support MIDI output from AU plugins. VST MIDI output is supported I think?

With regards to this scripting plugin, it just means that the scripts can output automation data as well as MIDI and audio. So you can write a little LFO script that does some kind of crazy modulation, but rather than manipulating the audio directly (which it could also do), or sending a MIDI CC out...(which it can also do), it could directly control via automation another plugin out there, just by recording the automation data into the DP lane.

BKK, if you are not much of a programmer, this will not be of interest to you until/unless someone comes out with some script for it that you can't live without. But a scripting environment like this just allows us to write a custom little MIDI or audio (or automation) plugin, without writing any C++ code or learning all the intricacies of Audio Units or VST plugin development. Looking at the AngelScript manual, its *NOT* a trivial language. that is a good thing and a bad thing. Its good because it looks like it can be used to write some very complicated plugin scripts. On the other hand, simple tasks will require a bit of programmer mindset, with object oriented programming skills. LogicPro and Mainstage both include a MidiScripter plugin, which is very handy, but also very very limited. This thing from BlueCat will blow it away, and happens to work in DP too.

At the simpler end of the spectrum I see this being most useful for MIDI scripting. You can theoretically use the VST version of this plugin to write MIDI scripts that transmogrify your MIDI stream for you, the way DP MIDI plugins do, but with a scripting language to do ANYTHING you want, including the ability to make a GUI for it. Arpeggiators, MIDI LFO's, and all manner of creativity.

On the audio side, the sky is the limit it would seem, but I think most non-programmers will get more mileage out of Reaktor for creating audio plugins, but on the other hand, sometimes even Reaktor can't quite do what a programmed algorithm can.
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bluecataudio
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Re: Blue Cat's Plug'n Script - I don't get it

Post by bluecataudio »

Thank you dewdman42 for this great analysis. I tend to agree with your point of view.

However, if AngelScript is a powerful language and lets you write complex things using inheritance, interfaces etc. if you want, this is not required for writing scripts in our plug-in. And as far as I remember, the Logic plug-in uses JavaScript, which can actually be much more complex in some ways!

As explained in the blog post, non-programmers who do not want to learn how to write scripts can use the plug-in as a multi-purpose processor with the existing scripts (there are already 46 scripts and 120 presets available). We plan to add others scripts in the future and hope programmers will share theirs :-). But it is true that if you do not want to write scripts or find someone to do it for you, it is less useful...
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