i just tried the Fxpansion VST wrapper, and i'm pleased to announce that it does exactly what it says on the box. Changes happen in real time (so you can move a slider and hear the changes to the mix).

i would encourage you all to buy this, because it will honestly open up a whole new side to your mixes. there are dozens (hundreds??) of free VST plugins, doing everything you could imagine to your sound. Flangers, Phasers, Filters, Vocoders, Delays, Distortion etc etc

as soon as i buy the full version of MM4 (this week) i'll get to work on reviewing the best VST plugins, with screenshots, instructions and mp3 clips.

happy as a pig in muck

Nice work Al - thanks for that - keep the plugin reviews coming.

_________
In the beginning there was Jack...

Thanks Al ...I also look forward to seeing your reviews. in the next days that follow.

"In MiXx We TrUsT"

I've since tried the (free) spinaudio vst wrapper and been pretty non-plussed by it, it works but for some reason requires you to pick the vst.dll about 3 times over everytime you touch the effects track (even if you are working with a different plugin elsewhere in the mix!!!).

On the bright side though it has opened my eyes to the wonderful world of vst plugins so I will definately be purchasing a wrapper that works.

Al - Would you recommend spending the extra cash on the pro version of the fxpansion plugin or just getting the lite version?

just get VSTDX-lite. it does everything you would need for Mixmeister. The Pro version enables you to use VST Synths as DX Synths, which is fine if you are using Sonar etc, but not much use in MM.

The lite version is $30 from:

FXpansion

(no, i don't work for them)

when you install it, you tell it where your vst plugins are, and it adds them to your DX plugin list. So you will need to download some VST plugins first.

oh yeah, and there are two advantages to VST plugins.

1) They are just small .dlls. So you can put them wherever you want. No need to install like you do with DX plugins.
2) They are (on the whole) very processor friendly. You can stack up your MM with more VST plugins than you would DX plugins. And you have a much wider range of plugins to choose from.

good luck!

Thanks again Al.
I'll have to go check them out when I get home.

"In MiXx We TrUsT"