What Is A VST Plugin?

Introduction

 VST stands for Virtual Studio Technology. It's a software interface that integrates software audio synthesizer and effect plugins with audio editors and hard-disk recording systems. VST use digital signal processing to simulate recording studio hardware in software. You could simply say it's a way to get all those hardware effect racks, drum machine, keyboard, synthesizer, into music software such as FL Studio, Ableton, Cubase, etc.
VST are different with VSTi. If a VST has single sound source like an instrument, you could say it's a VSTi.

Types of VST plugins

VST instruments generate audio. They are generally either virtual synthesizers or samplers. Many recreate the look and sound of famous hardware synthesizers. Better known VST instruments include Massive, FM8, Absynth, Sylenth, Reaktor, Gladiator, Vanguard and Omnisphere.

VST effects process rather than generate audio—and perform the same functions as hardware audio processors such as reverbs and phasers. Other monitoring effects provide visual feedback of the input signal without processing the audio. Most hosts allow multiple effects to be chained. Audio monitoring devices such as spectrum analyzers and meters represent audio characteristics (frequency distribution, amplitude, etc.) visually.

VST MIDI effects process MIDI messages (for example, transpose or arpeggiate) and route the MIDI data to other VST instruments or to hardware devices.

How Do you Install A VST plug in Or VSTi

You can read it here :). How to use guitar rig 5 in DAW . Most of all VST has similar way to use.

Are VST plugins and Instruments as good as the originals ?

In my opinion, VST is a good plugin to simulate a real instruments or effects, but VST will never get sounds like a real instruments or effects.
Many VST developer can make a good VST but no one can make sounds as good as real thing.

Finally, be wise to use VST, don't get it too much.


references :
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Virtual_Studio_Technology
http://www.looperman.com/blog/detail/55/what-is-a-vst-plugin-or-vst-instrument
images :
http://www.velvetacidchrist.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/12/VST_logo.jpg

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