Frequently (and Occasionally) Asked Questions
The download file is a compressed archive .zip folder. That folder contains executable files for either 32-bit or 64-bit DAW hosts.
For Microsoft Windows the executable files are called VidPlayVST32.dll and VidPlayVSTv2.dll.
To install, copy the relevant executable file into the VST plug-in folder used by your host DAW. Instruct your DAW to re-scan the plug-in folder.
Example Windows VST install screenshots:
Screenshot 1
Screenshot 2
The download file is a compressed archive .zip folder. That folder contains executable files for 64-bit DAW hosts.
For Apple OSX/macOS the executable files are called VidPlayVSTv2M.vst, which uses Apple's proprietary Metal graphics, and VidPlayVSTv2.vst, which uses OpenGL graphics. Technically, an OS X plug-in is a 'loadable bundle' package, which itself is a folder having a specific internal directory structure containing the executable code.
To install, copy the relevant executable package into the VST plug-in folder used by your host DAW. Choose file VidPlayVSTv2M.vst for macOS 10.13 or later. Choose VidPlayVSTv2.vst for macOS 10.8 to 10.12. Instruct your DAW to re-scan the plug-in folder.
For those who do not know how to copy and paste in Finder, for macOS 10.13 or later, there is an easy installer in folder /AUTO_INSTALL_macOS-10.13_AND_LATER
Example macOS VST install screenshots:
Screenshot 1
Screenshot 2
The download file is a compressed archive .zip folder. That folder contains executable files for 64-bit DAW hosts.
For Apple OSX/macOS the executable files are called VidPlayAUv2M.component, which uses Apple's proprietary Metal graphics, and VidPlayAUv2.component, which uses OpenGL graphics. Technically, an OS X plug-in is a 'loadable bundle' package, which itself is a folder having a specific internal directory structure containing the executable code.
To install, copy the relevant executable package into the Audio Unit plug-in folder used by your host DAW. Choose file VidPlayAUv2M.component for macOS 10.13 or later. Choose VidPlayAUv2.component for macOS 10.8 to 10.12. Instruct your DAW to re-scan the plug-in folder.
For those who do not know how to copy and paste in Finder, for macOS 10.13 or later, there is an easy installer in folder /AUTO_INSTALL_macOS-10.13_AND_LATER
Where are Apple Mac plug-in folders?This discussion is for Ableton Live but applies to most other DAWs as well.
LinuxThe Linux version is distributed as a self-extracting archive. Please refer to the Linux Page.
The manufacturer name for VidPlayVST is 'AnthonySJaques'. If you are having trouble finding the plug-in in your DAW try looking for that name. Some hosts (e.g. Brainspawn Forte) organise their plug-in lists by manufacturer name.
Also check the 'MIDI: Cue with any C note' option. If this is set then the plug-in will not start playback until a MIDI C note is received.
It is advisable to test VidPlayVST first in an empty project. Confirm that it syncs correctly in your DAW before using it in more complex projects where CPU usage might be an issue.
Videos encoded with long key frame intervals will compromise the performance of the plug-in. See item 20 on this page.
See also: VidPlay VideoValidator
There are tools available online to re-encode a video down to a smaller frame size. 426*240 is the default size of the VidPlayVST window, so that would be a good minimum size to choose. Frame size greater than 1920*1080 is not practical except on super fast hardware.
Close down all other applications (including your internet browser) and disconnect from the internet.
Videos encoded with long key frame intervals will compromise the performance of the plug-in. See item 20 on this page.
See also: VidPlay VideoValidator
See also: VidPlay VideoValidator
In Sonar and Digital Performer you can change this behaviour by setting the 'SYNC: Use PPQ position' option. For Bitwig a workaround is discussed here: Bitwig Page
Yes, but keep in mind that you also need sufficient CPU power to run the audio processing for your project. The plug-in will skip frames if there is not sufficient CPU time available for it to keep synchronisation with the host.
Linux
No.
The cache files are created in the same folder as the video. They are named with "_acache.vdp" and "_vcache.vdp" appended to the video path name. The 'OPTIMIZE: Cache File Analysis' option must remain set, otherwise the cache files are ignored. You may delete the cache files at any time, and the plug-in will simply re-create them next time the video is opened.
There is a test video available DAW-Seek-Test.mp4. This is a short 25 fps video which has the 'performance time stamp' (pts) displayed on every frame (the frames are 40 milliseconds apart). You can compare the pts against the time displayed in your DAW transport. These two values should normally be within 40 milliseconds of each other (unless you are using the 'MIDI: Cue with any C note' option).
A longer 30 minute version Test-DAW-Sync-30-mins-with-click.mp4 is available. This has a click track and is a 33mb download.
Please rename the file using characters from a US or European keyboard ANSI character set.
Please view this video tutorial:
How to configure VidPlayVST to score multiple cues from a single video reel
The video probably has very long key frame intervals. Click on the plug-in logo to open the About window. Video statistics are displayed here, including 'Average key frame interval'. If this exceeds 5000 msecs then seek time will be noticeable as a delay in synchronization when the DAW timeline is moved.
A video may have been encoded with long key frame intervals in order to get maximum compression. For a video to be quickly 'seekable' it needs to have key frame intervals of 1000 msecs or less. The fix for this problem is to re-encode the video.
CPU overload can compromise the performance of the plug-in. See items 5 and 6 on this page.
See also: VidPlay VideoValidator
The video has probably been encoded without any key frames. Click on the plug-in logo to open the About window. Video statistics are displayed here, including 'Final key frame'. If this is zero it indicates that VidPlayVST was not able to find any key frames in the file.
As an example, the GIF format encodes video without key frames, and also without a video length parameter in the file header. In VidPlayVST synchronization takes a long time when the DAW timeline is moved because the plug-in has to decode all the frames from zero to the sync position. The fix for this problem is to make the video 'seekable' by re-encoding with key frames, preferably at an interval of 1000 msecs or less.
See also: VidPlay VideoValidator
The fix for this is in FL Studio OPTIONS, General settings, Miscellaneous. Uncheck 'Auto select linked modules' and check 'Detach all plugins'. In the wrapper window for VidPlayVST select option 'Detached' to allow it to float outside the bounds of the FL Studio application window.
VidPlayVST displays a video exactly as encoded, without view rotation. The free applications MovieMaker on Windows, and QuickTime Player on macOS, both have the facility to re-encode a video with rotated orientation. FFmpeg command line tools can be used to read rotation metadata which may be present in smartphone videos.
Windows Movie Maker: Use Rotate option as required. Choose 'Save movie' to re-encode. Windows 10 rebrands this application as 'Photos Video Editor'.
macOS QuickTime Player: Use Rotate option as required. Choose 'File, Export As' to re-encode.
There may be errors in the sequencing of the video frame decode time stamps (dts). dts should always monotonically increase, i.e. it should never step backwards. VidPlayVST requires a correct dts sequence for file seek to work correctly.
Frame sequence errors can be caused by attempts to edit clips into a new video file without re-encoding the whole finished result. Players such as Windows Media Player or QuickTime may be able to correct for this by substituting time stamps calculated from the average frame rate (obtained from the file header). VidPlayVST is not currently able to 'fix' videos that have sequence errors. FFmpeg command line tools can be used to check the integrity of a video file.
See also: VidPlay VideoValidator
Some early Apple Macs have GPU (graphics processing unit) incompatibility with Apple's proprietary Metal 2 graphics framework. Such systems require installation of the legacy OpenGL version of VidPlayVST. Refer to READ-ME.TXT in the download .zip file.
FAQs for previous purchasers - transfers, macOS upgrades, lost software, VST3
- If the previous machine was an Apple Mac Buy the current Windows version of the plug-in.
- If you have kept a backup copy of the original download .zip archive Copy the .zip archive over to the new Windows PC and install there.
- If you have lost your original backup copy of the download .zip archive Find the plug-in file VidPlayVSTv2.dll in your DAW plug-in folder (prior to August 2018 it was called VidPlayVST64.dll). Copy the plug-in file over to the DAW plug-in folder on the new Windows PC.
- If the previous machine was a Windows PC Buy the current Apple Mac Notarized version of the plug-in.
- If your original purchase was before February 2020 Buy the current Apple Mac Notarized version of the plug-in.
- If your original purchase was after February 2020
- If you have kept a backup copy of the original download .zip archive Copy the .zip archive over to the new Apple Mac and install there.
- If you have lost your original backup copy of the download .zip archive Find the plug-in file VidPlayVSTv2M.vst in your DAW plug-in folder. Copy the plug-in file over to the DAW plug-in folder on the new Apple Mac.