Protoplug

http://www.osar.fr/protoplug/
this is for all you lua nuts, a vst that lets you code effects and instruments, in lua, on the fly…haven’t used it myself but i bet some of you will.

Amazing! I’ve been looking for something like this for a while… Thanks for the heads up!

This makes me want to learn coding lua or what you call it.

i want lua oscilloscope!!!

Hey this thing is awesome! And it seems to be fast,too! Very nice to quickly test dsp algorithms or port a little code from music dsp.

Btw. What was the url /name of this online lua audio dsp panel?

Here is one crappy “flexible” softclipping / kind of distortion, maybe good for kind of compression without transients or good for dynamics in depths/reverbation… Seems to be good on drums.

--[[
name: Soft clipping 1
author: J.R.
--]]
require "include/protoplug"

local power
local gain
local gain2
local mix

stereoFx.init ()
function stereoFx.Channel:init ()
    -- create per-channel fields (filters)
end

function stereoFx.Channel:processBlock (samples, smax)
    for i = 0, smax do
    	
        local s = samples[i] * (1/gain)
        local neg = 1
        if (s<0) then neg = -1; s = -s; end
        
        if (s>1) then s=1; end
              
        s = (s - (s^power/power)) * (power / (power-1))* gain * gain2
        samples[i] = s * neg * mix + samples[i] * (1-mix)
 
    end
end

params = plugin.manageParams {
    {
        name = "Strength";
        min = 1;
        max = 100;
        changed = function (val) power = 100.01/(val); end;
    };
    {
        name = "Threshold";
        min = 0;
        max = 1;
        changed = function (val) gain = (1-(val*0.99)); end;
    };
    {
        name = "Gain";
        min = 0;
        max = 1;
        default = 1;
        changed = function (val) gain2 = val; end;
    };
    {
        name = "Mix";
        min = 0;
        max = 100;
        default = 100;
        changed = function (val) mix = val*0.01; end;
    };
}

EDIT: This needs to be integrated into Renoise! A lua dsp device!

Variable-hardness clipping, de Soras assumes a maximum power value of 100, maximum is 1000 , try with 0-100 first.

--[[
name: Variable-hardness clipping
author: Laurent de Soras / J.R.
url: http://musicdsp.org/showone.php?id=104
--]]
require "include/protoplug"

local power
local gain
local gain2
local mix

stereoFx.init ()
function stereoFx.Channel:init ()
    -- create per-channel fields (filters)
end

function stereoFx.Channel:processBlock (samples, smax)
    for i = 0, smax do
    	
        local x = samples[i] * (1/gain)
        local neg = 1
        if (x<0) then neg = -1; x = -x; end
              
        x = math.pow (math.atan (math.pow (math.abs (x), power)), (1 / power)) * gain * gain2      
              
        if (x>1) then x=1; end

        samples[i] = x * neg * mix + samples[i] * (1-mix)
  
    end
end

params = plugin.manageParams {
    {
        name = "Strength";
        min = 1;
        max = 1000;
        changed = function (val) power = val; end;
    };
    {
        name = "Threshold";
        min = 0;
        max = 1;
        changed = function (val) gain = (1-(val*0.99)); end;
    };
    {
        name = "Gain";
        min = 0;
        max = 2;
        default = 1;
        changed = function (val) gain2 = val; end;
    };
    {
        name = "Mix";
        min = 0;
        max = 100;
        default = 100;
        changed = function (val) mix = val*0.01; end;
    };
}

Another one, some kind of cheap and aliasing distortion, but sounds quite cool e.g. on hi hats with a pre filter. Or if you think “damn, this sounds too high quality, let’s lofi it”, it is maybe useful.

--[[
name: Crank Distortion
author: J.R.
--]]
require "include/protoplug"

local power
local threshold
local gain
local mix

stereoFx.init ()
function stereoFx.Channel:init ()
    -- create per-channel fields (filters)
end

function stereoFx.Channel:processBlock (samples, smax)
    for i = 0, smax do
        local s = samples[i]
        local neg = 1
        if (s<0) then neg = -1; s = -s; end
        
        if (s < threshold) then s = s^power
        else s = s^(1/power)
        end
        
        samples[i] = s * gain * neg * mix + samples[i] * (1-mix)
    end
end

params = plugin.manageParams {
    {
        name = "Power";
        min = 1;
        max = 0.01;
        changed = function (val) power = val end;
    };
    {
        name = "Character";
        min = 0;
        max = 1;
        changed = function (val) val = 1-val;threshold = (val*val*val*val) end;
    };
    {
        name = "Gain";
        min = 0;
        max = 1;
        changed = function (val) gain = val end;
    };
    {
        name = "Mix";
        min = 0;
        max = 100;
        default = 100;
        changed = function (val) mix = val*0.01; end;
    };
}

im pretty impressed, there was something i was trying to do in puredata and max before but i couldnt work out how to do it, maybe one of you will be able to fathom it out,

its a type of compressor/maximiser sort of weird thing whereby you set a volume level and the plugin matches the incoming sound volume to that, whether this works on a per sample basis or is averaged over time i dont know, or maybe that could be a feature would allow for weird sustain inducing tricks…

just found this, might try it again…http://designingsound.org/2013/06/tutorial-a-compressor-in-pure-data/

You know, reajs has been available for a very long time and unlike protoplug it has loads of scripts (plenty build in already) :c

Just for testing, regarding discussion of Renoise’s allpass filter device, see here: https://forum.renoise.com/t/new-tool-3-0-insert-hidden-legacy-renoise-dsp-effect/43441

Algorithm taken from here:http://denniscronin.net/dsp/vst.html

This seems to be the algorithm of the allpass filter dsp device:

--[[
name: Allpass filter
author: Dennis Cronin, j.r.
--]]

require "include/protoplug"
local mFreq
local z1 = {}
local z2 = {}

z1[0] = 0
z1[1] = 0
z2[0] = 0
z2[1] = 0

function plugin.processBlock(s, smax)
	for cn = 0,1 do
		for i = 0,smax do
			local input = s[cn][i]
			
			
			local wp = (math.pi * mFreq) / plugin.getSampleRate()
			local coef = (1 - wp) / (1 + wp)
			
			z2[cn] = coef * (z2[cn] + input) - z1[cn]
			z1[cn] = input
			
			s[cn][i] = z2[cn]
		
		end
	end
end

params = plugin.manageParams {
	{
		name = "Frequency";
		min = 10;
		max = 20000;
		default = 440;
		changed = function(val) mFreq=val end;
	};
}

just found this, might try it again…http://designingsound.org/2013/06/tutorial-a-compressor-in-pure-data/

You know, reajs has been available for a very long time and unlike protoplug it has loads of scripts (plenty build in already) :c

Well, ReaJS doesn’t seem to be available for Mac OSX. Pure-Data seems to complicate things. Protoplug is maybe only at beginning state, but is 1. cross platform, 2. LUA like there stuff in Renoise 3. very simple and fast in producing results

Funny little trick… default instance of Protoplug Gen vsti can act like a quick midi-thru if you want to midi-chain multiple instruments in series in R3.1.

require "include/protoplug"

Simply compile this line.

Cool trick. Are renoise users still using this plug? Is it still being developed? I’ve had it for a while but still don’t get how to use it at all bc I’ve never delved into lua. Imo, this is the short term answer to tool-development of the audio engine (a much needed feature).

Protoplug is quite nice. I began playing around with it recently, to try one or another silly demolition of sound. Maybe I will try to use it in future to “prototype” some more useful plugins that are later implemented in more efficient languages like c - what protoplug was thought for judging by its name.

Maybe it is some interesting tool for people with programming background and some dsp knowledge, as playground to experiment with dsp methods in a rapid development environment, while not caring too much about performance. People without a certain level of programming experience will very soon be frustrated, maybe use one or another precoded snippet like those above, here and there, but not really use themselves as creative music production tool. Real DSP is quite different from just coding some simple modulator with the formula device. You’re directly generating or manipulating audio buffers with this beast, and lua being built up in simple ways won’t mean it’s easier to code quality dsp with.

I don’t think it would make a nice object to learn coding with - dsp is too delicate for beginners imho, after trying some crappy sounding naive methods there’ll be a long way through a thirsty desert until you’re able to come up with something sounding real good. Also the results seem to soak quite a lot of cpu power compared to pure (and probably hand-optimised) c code, but maybe I just have to get into the ffi modules and the implications of using c types with luajit some more. This thing has its beaty as a development tool - not as a musician’s bread-and-butter tool for music production.

As I think of it now, having the new renoise 3.1 feature in mind, this thing can also make midi processors. Maybe it might have potential for musicians with moderate coding background, enabling them to make their own chord-generators or arpeggiators or stuff in that line? Shuffling around midi notes in creative ways is not as bitter and hard as developing good sounding dsp. A trip on the procedural music line granted, but realtime controlled.

I dont want to hijack, but does anyone know of an environment that acts as a vst which uses a language that’s more popular/efficient/documented for dsp? I really like the concept that protoplug puts forth. The whole idea of a VST IDE makes learning to code really attractive to those who are experienced with daw production, but in terms of developing skills for dsp coding, it doesn’t seem scalable to me personally.

You can get jesussonic as a part of reaplugs vst pack herehttp://www.reaper.fm/reaplugs/#reajs it also comes wth reaper and there is a ton of presets online all over the place.

#edit# sorry i forgot to mention that it is a vst and that the coding is quite simple …depending on what you wan t to code…

There’s Blue Cat’s Plug’n Script, but no common language (forgot what it is, the demo took too much cpu I never look closer.)

Another one is Faust, seems to be able to export C++/java/VST/AU/Max/PD all by a same Faust code, but has its own language and no existing VST IDE (there’s something in the work though, search Faustlive and “pmix v2”).

I’m learning dsp stuff too, planning to implement Protoplug into Bidule. I think Lua is close enough to C++ that it won’t hurt much just doing separate segments or fast prototyping. After that I might convert critical parts to Bidule’s sdk (it’s C-based). But my goal isn’t large projects but to make funny sounds here and there.

btw I think both Max and PD let you import C-based objects too.

I know of Faust but I had no clue it was that versatile in terms of exporting. I’ll definitely have to give it another look over. I know for sure you can code external max objects in C, and Gen will spit out C source if I’m not mistaken. My main hesitation with Max is its lack of DAW integration. But I LOVE the visual language element. A renoise canvas for modular coding and patching would be a dream. Something that you can pull up and patch like Max, but then spits out Renoise xml to control the back end is basically exactly what I’m looking for. But as far as I understand, Renoise’s lua implementation wouldn’t allow for any kind of free form patching window at the moment.