Torq 1.5 User Guide Chapter 1 77Torq 1.5 User Guide Chapter 13 77VST Effects
The 10 built-in effects provided with Torq cover a wide range of e ffects typically used by DJs— many DJs will never need more
than these built-in effect s. Others, however, will want to explore the possibil ities of additional effects. For t his reason, Torq
allows you to use third-party plug- ins that adhere to the VST standard (referred t o as “VST plug-ins”).
The amount of third-party VS T effects available on the market tod ay is staggering. The variety can r ange from top-of-the-line
audio mastering plug-ins to simple d evices made by someone in their spare time. As a resu lt, your mileage with VST plug-ins
will vary.
Latency
Another potential drawback from us ing VST plug-ins is latency. Latency is the o bserved lag between when you trigg er an
event or action on the computer and when you final ly hear the results. When running wit hout any VST plug-ins, Torq’s
latency is nearly undetect able—Torq will respond to scratches, button presse s, and knob tweaks immediately.
Some VST plug-ins, however, must perform very com plex calculations on the audio. Sometime s, these calculations require
that the plug-in buffer the audio so t hat it can process it in large chunks. In th ese cases, the plug-in will fill its bu ffer with
some audio sent from Torq. It will then process the audio and send it to a n output buffer. Once the output buffer is fi lled,
the audio is sent back to Torq. This process, while extrem ely fast, can still manifest i tself as a perceived lag in response
time. And, as you can see, this pheno menon is beyond the control of Torq (the latency is created by the plug-i n, not
Torq).
If you find that a VST plug-in you’re using is creating late ncy, you can try to find a similar-sounding plug-in w ith minimal
latency, or simply try to “play ahead” and ant icipate the latency. While some other program s feature “Plug-in Delay
Compensation,” such a system would not work wit h Torq because the program is entirely real-time (the music a nd effects
are not preset or programmed).
Selecting Effects
To begin using a VST, you’ll need to select one from the list of available VSTs:
1. Click on the top window in the VST section of t he Effect Rack. A pop-up menu w ill appear showing all valid VSTs
in the selected VST folder (see Plug-in Pref erences).
2. Click on the name of a VST. It will be loaded immediatel y and the VST’s graphic interface will ope n and float over
the Torq interface.
3. To close the window, click the close icon in the window’s title bar or click the Wrench i con in the Effect Rack.
4. To open the same VST interface again, click t he Wrench icon again.
✓ Note: At the top of the VST drop-down men u list, you will see a “blank” plug-in a s an option. If you select it, no VST
will be loaded into the Slot (any current VST will be unl oaded).