Effect audio independent from DAW playback?

Audio Plugins
1

Hi - I have a plugin that generates audio from soundfile playback & manipulation and has the option to mix this with live audio from the DAW track its running on. I'm currently running all the audio in the processBlock(), where I call the getNextBlock for audio files, do processing & mix with the DAW audio etc. However it seems that some host DAWs only call the process block when they are playing and some others start once the DAW is playing and then continue. i.e. they do not all respond the same.

 

Is there a solution so that my plugin can play sound file audio at any point independant of the DAW playback state?

Thanks.

2

Nope - it's entirely up to the DAW when it chooses to use your plugin.

They generally all have an option to keep plugins running when stopped though.

3

ah ok, thanks, I'll look at that 'keep plugins running' option.

 

So is there a better way I can run my sample based / generated audio so that it's not dependant on the DAW calling the process block? (perhaps outside of the process block? or by calling the process block manually when the DAW doesnt call it?)

4

Plugins are not supposed to be used that way... you don't (and shouldn't) have access to audio stuff outside of the DAW callbacks.

Maybe you could use ReWire or something similar for the interaction with a DAW that you are after?

5

ah ok - So I shouldn't be trying to make a plugin that can generate audio independent of the DAW processBlock calls in the first place (unless it's a synth plugin, in which case its not going to be recieving audio anyway). I'll have to rethink the design a bit then...

6

Yes exactly.

And even a synth plugin is also controlled by the DAW...