Wavelab 9.5.2 + AA Ruby = Crash

Hi,

A simple question to clarify things further: i understand Acustica plugins stopped working with the latest WL update (according to user reports). They are working with previous WL versions ?!?

If this is correct, i assume something related to VST processing has changed with the latest WL update (Acustica plugins didn’t change).

To me, this looks (!) like something called “breaking backward compatibility” without a warning ?

From tehnical view point of view, i guess it is much simpler for PG to check differences between WL versions (related to VST2) and inform Acustica about possible incompatibilty issues, than Acustica doing blind/random experiments with the code, trying to find out what has changed in WL and how to fix it on plugin side. Especially when considering the fact, that Acustica plugins work in other major hosts.

Please let me know, if i don’t understand things completely or i am not seeing the complete picture. To me things are pretty logical and straightforward in sense what can be done next. In these situations, with a bit of PG’s work (comparing versions), the exact piece of code which is breaking compatibility can be located.

Recently, there was similar issue caused by the S1 V4 - suddenly N4 stopped loading in Studio One. Presonus didn’t request Acustica to debug plugins, but checked it first and found bug on their side. The fix is already available. Not saying this is the case here, but “but only AA can bring an answer to the non-working case” answer is not really helpful.

Thanks for your attention!

This report is more than 6 months old, and I still haven’t got an email from Acustica saying something like:
“our plugin crashes because we see this…(whatever it is)”.
IOW, their developer did not try to reproduce the problem. This is not serious, sorry.

Why can’t there be some cooperation instead of playing a blame game. IMO since AA was working fine in previous versions and works fine in Cubase 9.5.30 the onus must fall upon WL even if PG refuses to accept the facts. Sorry no insult intended.

In my case the only plugins which give me trouble are AA’s Aquamarine3, crashes WaveLab when rendering, and now in Cubase 9.5.40 and 41, Nebula4 VST3 is not seen at all but fortunately the VST2 version is ok.

All my other (many) plugins work as expected so obviously there are ‘compatibility’ issues with, at least some, AA products.

even if PG refuses to accept the facts.

I don’t refuse the facts, on the contrary I am waiting for them, but from the plugin AA developers. They are the only usable facts for this topic.

For cooperation you need two parties to be involved. I think PG made it pretty clear they (AA) simply do not respond - it seems to me you’re howling at the wrong door.

Windows users with N4 VST3 and Cubase 9.5.4* problems, please check Acustica forums & FB channels for temporary solution.

Cheers!

I followed the advice you posted on AA’s “Working with Nebula4…” forum, now the VST3 version shows up in Cubase but VST2 does not and I’m ok with that. BTW, both versions work fine in WaveLab.

Now, if you guys could fix the issue with AA’s Aquamarine and WaveLab I’d be very happy :wink:.

Thank you, Zab!

I’ve seen the difference in Task Manager with this plugin in current and earlier Wavelab 9 versions as Master section effect, if that would be of any help with this. Same settings, same file, quite different activity in Task Manager. Maybe someone else could take a video of that, or i’ll do it when I have a chance. But Acustica really should be doing this if they want to get it fixed.

The crash doesn’t happen in the master section with Ivory 3 COMP1B, but that’s a smaller single band version of the plugin, not multiband.

Crimson does not crash Wavelab upon rendering when Crimson is inserted in montage editor.

None of them has a problem in the Montage afaik. It’s just some of them (mostly some of the bigger ones I think) can’t render without crashing in the Master Section in the past couple Wavelab versions.

Yes that is what I have experienced as well.

Does the Pink Single Band compressor crash in the Master Section? Or is it the Multiband compressor that crashes? Both?

I’ll check and get back tomorrow

Thanks zz0zz.
There are probably as many that work as there are that don’t work. Maybe they can make something of that.

Master Section render - Crash Plugins:
Ivory3 Multiband Compressor
Ivory3 Dynamic EQ

Master Section render - No Crash Plugins:
Ivory3 Single Band Compressor
Ivory3 EQ

Just an update from 1 day ago from Giancarlo Del Sordo (Acustica company owner?) on Facebook:

" Steinberg walelab introduced issues on the acustica framework lately. Our framework almost never changed and it has been compatible with all vst hosts starting from 2007. They are hundreds. They do all possible calls to vst 2.4 framework, in all possible order for calls, and content. It should be added the vst 2.4 is poor documented all developers approached it in a sort of trial/error fashion. The real documentation is about “what is working in the actual panorama” in order to not break compatibility with all other vendors. The idea of “acustica didn’t test enough” is counterintuitive, sorry. Florin Buciu your version of what happened is heavily misleading. I’m not accusing anyone, but this is a list of consecutive facts"

IOW, they haven’t yet tried themselves…

fwiw, Acustica Ivory3 Comp3B doesn’t crash on render if you run it from within Blue Cat Patchwork in the WL Master Section. If anybody else has or can get Patchwork, maybe you could try some of the other crashing Acustica plugins in it to see if you get the same thing. Seems like you probably would, without crashing. Not an especially practical solution, but just more information, and maybe another workaround (besides the montage workaround) until this is fixed.

I’ve been following this issue for some time and it seems Acustica has finally acknowledged it:

“The only known incompatibility issue is wavelab 9.5, but it happens for all our products and it is something we’ll work on.”

  • zaphod, 11/30/2018

Great news. Thank you.