Hi Ron,

I am actually settling on the conclusion that it is not the keyboard handler that is slowing the works down (although it doesn't help). In reViSiT, graphics updates are processed at the host's disgression - the host calls a function called idle() in the plug-in, whenever it has spare time. The idea is that when your CPU is peaking around 100%, the non-essentials (e.g. graphics, UI) are cut before the audio is effected - idle() is not called and all the juice goes towards audio. Or, looking at it another way: the graphics are only updated when the host thinks it can afford it.

It looks like Tracktion is a host (among some others) which doesn't call idle() as much as it should anyway - especially on slower computers. I can't say why this is, but I can't think of a good reason why it shouldn't. I suppose many plug-ins don't have need for realtime graphics as much as reViSiT. And it's definitely not reViSiT's fault - I have reports of good performance (no sluggishness whatsoever) with Logic and AudioMulch on a 500Mhz Laptop - and you yourself confirmed that VSThost was also spritely.

So, there will be no 0.85 Alpha 6 - the next release will be 0.86 - which shouldn't be too far off. If I can find a way for reViSiT to be a bit more boisterous on the update front without making the system unstable, then I will implement it - perhaps a switchable graphics priority that makes the graphics as important as the audio.

To your other point: why do you want the splash to appear after loading?

All the best,
Chris

Ron,

I've just checked Tracktion and can't find anything wrong with it at all! For a start, the lag isn't present on my 2.4Ghz PC - and, as I mentioned before, the lag is probably due to graphics taking second place to the audio in the priority queue, coupled with a little strange behaviour on Tracktion's part. So the fact that this isn't witnessable in other plugins could be for two reasons: (a) the nature of the graphics doesn't permit a lag to be noticeable (i.e. they simple display parameters), or (b) they place graphics on the same priority as audio. This later option will be looked into for v0.86, as a switchable option.

As for playing with the host, reViSiT seems to working perfectly. It can play back in sync or detached from the host and the rows are highlighted as it plays. Bear in mind that the rows will only highlight when the current pattern is playing! So, F6 and F7 will play the current pattern, and should show the rows being highlighted, but F5 will only highlight the rows on the currently playing pattern (which is denoted in the status bar, during playback).

The only other thing that occured to me regarding your laptop is that it can't have an internal ASIO card - are you using DirectX, ASIO4ALL (or similar) or an external ASIO card? I say this because DirectX performance will always be complete cack - it will probably even perform worse in a VST app than as a standalone app. It could even affect graphics updates during playback - though, admitedly, I'm not sure how it would affect the keyboard. ASIO4ALL might also have some issues: it's a superb utility, but not always the most stable - though they're the sort of issues that you'd notice in areas other than just reViSiT, I think.

When 0.86 comes out it WILL have MIDI output. I'm also trying to include the saving of modules with the host's file, a number of IT behavioural discrepancies that Esa pointed out, complete stereo support, and a couple of minor issues. Hopefully, I can get this done in the next fortnight, but no promises. The splash screen will always appear on first loading, though when saving-with-the-host is done and reViSiT detects that a module has already been loaded or created, it will go straight to the pattern editor or last screen used respectively. There will be no additional options to disable it.

Chris