Tutorial : Audio Plug-ins

In Usine you can use your favorites plug-in (VST, AU) in a very original way. You can use them in your racks, add Usine controls (knobs, faders) to any of his parameter but also use random, lfo or any automation generators modules to create crazy sounds.

In this tutorial you'll see how to:

  • Configure and scan your plug-ins,
  • Add plug-ins in a workspace and show the GUI,
  • Make MIDI learn,
  • Integrate plug-ins in your patches and use modules likes random or LFO to modify parameters,
  • Use synthesizer plug-ins driven by MIDI.

Plug-ins Installation

To use Plug-ins, the first thing is to provide the path to their folders in the setup-plug-ins.

Then click on rescan all to scan the content of plugins folders.

Some corrupted plug-ins can crash Usine, in this case, just restart Usine, invalid plug-ins will be ignored.

use Plug-ins

Available plug_ins list will be visible in the browser-panel.

A simple Drag & Drop from the browser to the target will create a new plug-in patch:

Usine will create a complete patch and you'll be ready to use it.

Plug-ins parameters

By default the plug-in module hasn't any parameter. Click on show all params to display the entire list of available parameters.

To hide all parameters click on hide all params.

But the list of all parameters can be very long ans not so easy to use. So to display only the parameter you want to use, go on the plugin interface window and move the control.

Example: How to use Usine's modules with a plug-in

When you move a parameter on your plug-in, the corresponding Inlet is created at the bottom of the module. You can add a knob, fader, step module, or whatever else you desire. The Inlets of the plug-in will accept values of 0 to 1.

By default the data-generator-lfo and data-generator-random module's output ranges are set as 0 to 1. With this same default range, you can connect them directly to the plug-in's Inlet parameters.

You can also create faders and knobs directly by wiring from the Inlets of the plug-in.

Example: Bi-directional Faders & Knobs

When you change a preset on a Plug-in you will want the Usine faders and knobs to be updated too. Here is the method to achieve this:

On your outlet place a flow-pass-if-changed module and link it into the fader's Inlet. That's all!

This is referred to as a "feedback path", because the data has become "fed"-back to the fader.

Now when you change a parameter from the actual Plug-in interface, your fader is updated in response bi-directionally (able to send and receive updates).

Legacy Video for HH4: Plug-ins in Usine

Usine Tutorial

More about Plug-ins

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