tonewise.com and DirectiXer

Cardboard Box Page¹

My site has been unavailable for two days.  It will be offline for a few more days, because I need to assemble from parts, install and configure a new machine. I also hope to finish the new web site that I has been working on (or, rather, playing with) to learn the new features in ASP.NET 2.0².

Meanwhile I want to make demo of DirectiXer available for download here.  DirectiXer is “adapter” software that enables VSTi plugins in DirectX-only host programs. Since DirectiXer creates first-class DirectX plugins³ once, when a VSTi plugins is registered with it, the VSTi plugins appear in menus of DirectX hosts seamlessly as if they were native DirectX plugins.  DirectiXer also supports recording MIDI stream generated by a VST instrument in real time (users of Groove Agent and Jamstix need that function), within the same host program, and in-sync! This feature is distinguished because it is wanting in DXi specification, but present in VSTi, so it is not at all straightforward to implement. Please correct me if I am wrong, but I believe that this feature is unique to DirectiXer. The program works on Windows 95, 98 and ME, and Windows 2000 and XP.

DirectiXer is always available for purchase for US $49. While dwelling in the Cardboard Box, however, until its new home is built, the price will be $44, or 10% less (I certainly feel obliged to repay your respect shown to the lowly Cardboard Box Page! )  This special will continue until I run the new server, and it may be as soon as February 27, if I am lucky (or longer, and then you are lucky!)

Below is a screenshot of DirectiXer “console”, a program than creates DirectX plugins from VST plugins. Names on the left are exactly those appearing in a DirectX-aware host plugin selector.

If you are interested, please download DirectiXer and try for a while to make sure that it works for you the way you expect.  If you like it, then you can purchase it by credit card, check, MO, wire; I also accept non-credit card payments through PayPal. You receive, normally within minutes after a credit card payment, or, if using PayPal, in a few hours, a license code to unlock the demo and make it fully functional. The program neither “call home” for an “authorization”, nor locks on to a single computer⁴.

DirectiXer also installs and uninstalls very cleanly. Uninstallation does not remove the registration of plugins; if you decide to remove DirectiXer from your system completely, then first remove the plugins created with it. (Plugins survive uninstallation intentionally, to avoid losing plugin registration when the user does indeed plan to install the program again).  DirectiXer leaves no other residues in the registry or file system. Check program's help and the file README.TXT in the package for detailed instructions.

Please also contact me with questions that you may be willing to ask (especially now when most of the site is gone).

Let me bring together the links that I mentioned above:

• Download DirectiXer v2.5 and try it.

  I also package it into two diskette-sized files, Disk 1 and Disk 2, for folk who keep the DAW off network.

• Purchase a license and receive a code to unlock the program
• E-mail me if you have questions (the same e-mail address, kkm@pobox.com, is for PayPal transfer.)
• Google was so nice as to cache the DirectiXer FAQ page.

— kkm (also responds to Kirill Katsnelson),
      2006.02.22

Footnotes:

1. A Cardboard Box Page is something like a Home Page, only for a homeless program. [Back To Text]
2. A major improvement is the master–content model, where a “master” page is defined with “content” placeholders, and a page is merged at run-time. This is exactly the model that I used in the deceased Web site; that in ASP is much more detailed, and redesign on a better platform is due. [Back To Text]
3. Their geekname is “DirectShow filters.” [Back To Text]
4. Installation on many computers allowed, as long as one person works at them all at any time. DirectiXer is licensed per person, not per computer. [Back To Text]