You might remember the
ELK Music Operating System from this prevoius post. In a nutshell, "ELK allows manufacturers to move away from dedicated chips and use standard off-the-shelf CPUs, with significant improvements in terms of user experience, performance and scalability - combined with unprecedented time-to-market advantages and potential new post-sales revenues from software, content and services for their devices."
It also supported the ability to host JUCE and VsT 2.x and 3.x plugins. That integration, however, was implemented by ELK. With this announcement, Steinberg is hosting the integration.
I asked ELK how this differed from the prior announcement and my contact stated: "Before WE (ELK/MIND Music Labs) were the ones working on integrating VST support in ELK (i.e. making ELK "VST compatible") - potentially with the need of future reworks, patches, etc. and no guarantee of support to future VST evolutions.
Since today, it is Steinberg that by adding ELK-related elements to its standard ensures future-proof full compatibility between VST and ELK."
And: "This means ELK will be the first available embedded platform to officially support all plug-ins developed under VST 3 specifications, allowing manufacturers to offer their customers access to an enormous range of VST instruments and processors, and making it extremely easy for software developers to release VST-based software, sounds and effects on hardware musical instruments."
The following is the official press release on the announcement:
MIND MUSIC LABS AND STEINBERG ANNOUCE ELK INTEGRATION IN JUST RELEASED VST VERSION 3.6.11
With the release of version 3.6.11, Steinberg's Virtual Studio Technology plug-in format will natively support the integration of Mind Music Lab’s ELK operating system, allowing VST-based plug-ins to run seamlessly in ELK-powered musical instruments and audio processors.
October 23, 2018 – Stockholm, Sweden
Today MIND Music Labs announced that version 3.6.11 of Steinberg's VST (Virtual Studio Technology) natively supports ELK integration.
ELK, an OS designed specifically for use in embedded systems such as hardware musical instruments and audio processors, will be the first such platform to officially support all plug-ins developed under VST 3 specification. This will allow embedded hardware manufacturers who develop products with the ELK OS to offer their customers access to an enormous range of VST instruments and processors.
Essentially, ELK's integration with VST will make it extremely easy for software developers to release VST-based software, sounds and effects on Powered by ELK hardware musical instruments - the first of which, DVMark's Smart Multiamp, is scheduled for release in early 2019.
“We were very impressed by the performance and stability that the ELK Music Operating System has to offer. And this is the prominent reason that we decided for it to become the first platform for hardware musical instruments within the VST domain,” commented Yvan Grabit, senior developer and tech lead at Steinberg.
"It is an honor for us to be officially recognized as partners for embedded use by Steinberg. For the past 20 years, VST plug-ins have been the de-facto standards for desktop-produced music, and we are ready to help VST become the standard for smart musical instruments and audio processors as well." said Michele Benincaso, CEO of MIND Music Labs.
About MIND Music Labs:
MIND Music Labs develops music technologies that change the way musicians create, record and share music. Among the people who believed in MIND Music Labs are Jacob Key - former VP at Warner Music - Ludvig Linge - co-founder of The Astonishing Tribe, bought by Blackberry in 2010 - and Jordan Rudess - Dream Theater keyboardist and music tech entrepreneur.
About Steinberg:
Steinberg has been providing award-winning, technologically advanced music and media production products for musicians and producers of music, video and film since 1984. Today, Steinberg is one of the world's largest manufacturers of music and audio software and hardware, as well as license-management and copy-protection systems. The Steinberg range of products has long since found world renown in all aspects of modern digital audio processing.
