Mirax Labs has announced the release of vstPlayer 2.0, an updated version of their free WAV file player in VST plugin format for Windows and Mac based digital audio workstations.
vstPlayer is a multi-format audio file player in the form of a VSTi plug-in.
The plugin is available in two different versions. The full version of vstPlayer 2.0 is priced at $15, however you can get a 40% discount by sharing a link to the product on your Facebook or Twitter accounts. The free version of the product shares most of the features with the full version, however the most important drawback is that it only supports WAV format. So, loading MP3, AIFF, or other audio formats isn’t possible with the free version of vstPlayer 2.0.
The main functionality of vstPlayer 2.0 is playing WAV files. The loaded file is represented with an audio waveform which is located underneath the browser panel. In addition to the basic playback feature, the plugin also supports loop points and playlist managing.
So, why would you want to add such a simple WAV player to your VST host application. Well, some plugin hosts still don’t have decent audio file browsers built-in, so this freeware tool could easily serve that purpose. Another idea that comes to mind is that you could use it in order to apply VST plugin effects in real time to your music library. Perhaps you’d like to use your favorite equalizer in order to enhance some old recordings, or perhaps use a limiter while listening to a playlist? Still, you’d need the full version of the plugin for such tasks because MP3 files are not supported in the freeware version.
UPDATE: Actually, our reader g0nz3r pointed out that this plugin can actually work as a great tool for playing reference tracks right inside your audio project. With vstPlayer 2.0, you can easily jump between different reference tracks and compare them to your current mix. Many thanks to g0nz3r for the valuable comment!
I downloaded the plugin because I wanted to check how the drag & drop controls work, but unfortunately I’m getting an error when trying to load the plugin inside MuLab. I still haven’t managed to test the plugin in another host application.
Download
vstPlayer 2.0 is available for free download via Mirax Labs (0.89 MB download size, 7Z archive, 32-bit & 64-bit VST plugin format for Windows & Mac).
4 Comments
g0nz3r
onThe main use that I see for this is for referencing. I, myself, was going to make something like this to give away as a free download because the only other referencing VST I knew of, Magic AB, is bull***t expensive for a buggy audio player. I am happy to see this.
Bedroom Producers Blog
onYou’re right! I totally failed at figuring that out. :(
This is absolutely awesome as a tool for referencing, it’s easy to use and you could easily jump between different reference tracks on the go! I’ll add your quote to the article, thanks for the comment!
Reince
onIs this still the best of breed for this sort of application?
Ian
onI haven’t found a good alternative.