I found a free VST host That is very good at Element Modular Plugin Host | VST Plugin Chainer and Effects Rack (kushview.net) It is also a plugin that will allow you to stack VST instruments in MG2. you can also select it as an effect and run some more complicated effects chains. you can run it as a host app and use the MG2 plugin as a midi input and make some interesting instrument and effect routings. patch changes are more immediate when you do it this way. you can also have multiple instances of MG2 in one patch.
1 Like
Thank you for this discovery, I’ve been using Gig Performer for several years and Element can be a joy for those who do not have the budget or do not need too many developed or very specific functions.
Its merit is to be open source.
Yes, Element seems to be quite extensive and has some interesting secondary functions (i.e. wrapping VST to AU) and it is well on its way.
1 Like
I tried to use it about a year ago, but it is wasn’t that stable, especially when using it recursively. Maybe I’ll try again someday, the idea as such is nice.
This is the main question I was asking myself and the management of RAM. But the development work seems to be going well and the product is certainly improving with time.
Unfortunately I don’t have the time to test Element, as I am already busy programming new performances in Gig Performer.
1 Like
Don’t have the budget to buy Gig Performer?
Well, at Plugin Alliance it is 99,- instead of 199,- right now.
And they do a sale on Gig Performer now and then, I bought it for € 29,90 + VAT, no joke. 
No subscription necessary.
regards, Robert
The best plugin host I’ve seen so far is Unify.
It is a host and an instrument at the same time, it comes as a plugin and as a standalone app.
It can load VST2 and VST3 and is fully recursive.
They also have a lot of MIDI effects and ready made libs/patches for free instruments as well as paid ones like Omisphere.
A trial is available, try it out.
Buggy? No, not at all.
2 Likes
Unify is terrific. Except. It’s a total CPU burner. In DAW it rocks for combining instruments and effects. Has some great presets, too.
In Mainstage, with MidiGuitar, it drove mac activity monitor up to 122%.
What’s up with that, anyway? I should start a new thread: how can CPU go over 100% ? What is a safe number for performance? I don’t crash when activity monitor spikes like that. (yet…)
another satisfied unify customer here.
i had cpu spikes with some guru sampler patches which i resolved by reducing the number of concurrent samples. (this was mainly an issue when using the sustain pedal)
there is a wurlitzer in there which is amazing.
i also get cpu spikes with some unify/hive patches, but unlike the guru issue, these don’t produce artifacts.