The ability to use DirectX plug‑ins such as the freeware Freeverb is dependant not only on your computer supporting the DirectX standard, but also on your audio software doing so.
I was intrigued by the Freeverb plug‑in mentioned in June 2000's Net Notes, so I downloaded the DirectX version (since I am not a VST user), installed it and hoped to access it through Cool Edit 2000 on my PC. No such luck, and since Freeverb only consists of DLL files, it obviously needs some host program to run in.
By now you're probably rolling on the floor, but I have to ask a fundamental question — what is DirectX for audio, and how do I know whether an application (such as Cool Edit 2000) can make use of it? I know DirectX better from the graphics support angle, but thought that, as long as it's installed on the PC, every audio program that needs DirectX could use it too. Clearly I'm ill‑informed.
I'm also interested in getting the FXpansion VST‑to‑DirectX Adaptor, to allow me to run applications like PSP's Stereo Analyser also mentioned in Net Notes. However, I'm assuming that, until I have this DirectX issue sorted out, I won't really stand a chance of making anything else work.
Tom Kunze
Martin Walker replies: DirectX for audio is installed as part of the DirectX package, which also includes components to accelerate Graphics, 3D Graphics, and 3D Sound. Nearly all modern PCs will already have a version of DirectX installed, but if not then audio applications that need DirectX will give you an option to install the entire DirectX package on your PC at the same time as the main application.
So, if any audio application asks if you want to install DirectX during its install procedure then it's a safe bet that it supports DirectX audio plug‑ins. However, the quickest way to find out for sure is to visit the manufacturer's web site. Sadly for you, a couple of minutes on the Syntrillium web site (www.syntrillium.com) proved that Cool Edit 2000 doesn't support DirectX plug‑ins. Cool Edit 2000 it does include its own range of 20 audio effects, and you can buy a range of proprietary add‑ons from Syntrillium, such as the Studio plug‑in which adds four‑track mixing, and the AudioCleanup plug‑in for restoration of noisy files. DirectX support is, however, included in the flagship Cool Edit Pro, and if you've registered your copy of Cool Edit 2000 then UK distributors Et Cetera tell me that you can upgrade to Cool Edit Pro for £189.
There is one more point to note for those who have downloaded the DirectX version of Freeverb (a 40K file named 'freeverbx.zip'). When you unzip this you will find it contains five files: two DLL files, a 'readme.txt' file, and two battery files named 'Activate (WinNT).bat' and 'Activate (Win9x).bat'. Jezar hadn't managed to create an automated install or setup file for his first DirectX release, so the plug‑in needs to be registered by hand to make it visible to suitable Windows applications. To do this, choose the BAT file to suit your Windows operating system, and then double‑click on it to run it. Freeverb should then appear in your list of available plug‑ins inside any DirectX‑compatible audio application. Cool Edit Pro users will have to first click on the 'Refresh This List' option at the bottom of the drop‑down DirectX options in the Transform menu.