September 6, 2023 — Deskew Technologies today officially released a huge software update for Gig Performer, the most advanced VST/AU plugin host for live performers.
First introduced in 2015, Gig Performer receives high marks from its vast user base of gigging keyboard players, guitarists, drummers, vocalists—even Front of House engineers—who applaud its intuitive modular design, with customizable controls, visual plugin wiring, instant switching and remarkably low CPU usage. They love that it runs light and doesn’t crash, providing rock-solid reliability that lets musicians perform with confidence and “own the stage.”
The latest version, Gig Performer 4.7, offers dozens of powerful new features, enhancements and updates that give users even greater control without worrying about the underlying technology.
A new Streaming Audio File Player plugin, which supports multiple audio formats, including MP3, WAV, OGG, and FLAC, enables users to seamlessly integrate thousands of songs into their gig files, shattering the limits on backing tracks while preserving precious RAM resources. Users can switch instantly from one song to another or configure two blocks in a gig file to cross-fade between them, DJ style, taking full advantage of host automation and Gig Performer widgets for intuitive control while tracks are running.
Through the Streaming Audio File Player, Gig Performer now supports timelines, allowing users to insert markers in song tracks and add actions triggered during audio playback as each marker is reached.
Musicians new to Gig Performer can easily take advantage of numerous actions to control widgets, set captions, send out program changes or other MIDI events to control hardware or DMX lighting systems, and automatically switch rackspaces or song parts. OSC messages can also be included in actions. Advanced users can leverage Gig Performer’s proprietary GPScript programming language to trigger custom actions and functionality developed by 3rd parties using Gig Performer’s SDK.
A powerful new Auto Sampler feature allows users to create a set of samples from individual or interconnected plugins that, if used together, might demand too much CPU to be practical for live performance. External synths can also be sampled with added plugin effects, eliminating the need to bring those heavy synths to a show.
A feature often requested and now realized in Gig Performer 4.7 is radio groups, which makes it easy to define mutually exclusive parameters such as the Fast-Off-Slow choices for the well-known Leslie rotary sound. Users can assign a radio group number to a collection of buttons and then click any button to turn it on while automatically turning off other buttons in the same radio group. Up to 99 radio button groups can be deployed.
MIDI Finger Tap, previously available only by using GPScript, is now easily accessible via the MIDI File Player plugin. With this feature, users can playback MIDI files with multiple tracks sequentially by simply tapping keys, typically with two fingers (or even a foot pedal) to trigger the next note or chord. Each time the user taps, the Player will step by a quarter or eighth note (or any duration chosen), and the MIDI events in that range will be sent to connected plugins. This keeps the user’s performance in sync with the rest of the band while enjoying freedom from click tracks. With one hand liberated, the user is then free to embellish melodies or play other essential parts.
Gig Performer’s custom font support allows users to incorporate their favorite fonts to enhance readability and visual appeal, design front panels that resonate with their unique style, imitate the design of their favorite hardware tools, or create a look that quickly grabs their attention. Every glance at their workspace provides inspiration and a personal touch to the live performance experience.
Gig Performer’s locked widgets feature prevents widgets from being inadvertently altered by mouse clicks while allowing control via the user’s MIDI device, bringing peace of mind to the musician’s preparations, rehearsals and performances.
Having dozens, if not hundreds, of plugins at your disposal can open new avenues of creativity in performance, but these tools can easily become a cluttered mess if not managed properly. Gig Performer 4.7 provides the solution with improved plugin management, enabling keyword tagging for individual plugins and a filtering mechanism to find them instantly. Plugin collections, i.e., those used routinely in setups, can be added as “favorites,” which can then be recalled to quickly recreate sections of a system to streamline workflow with greater efficiency and organization.
Easily review a gig file’s plugin lineup, regardless of its scale, with the addition of the Plugins In Use feature. Users can easily view and export plugin names and formats for quick identification and seamlessly transition from old VSTs to upgraded alternatives with pinpoint accuracy. This enables the user to have a clear view of plugin formats and to choose and monitor their tools in a highly informed manner, particularly important when working cross-platform.
With new multiple Tap Tempo algorithms, users can simply tap a key to achieve the perfect tempo, no matter the genre of music or personal expression of time. These algorithms work to align the system tempo or to shift effects, ensuring precision each time the tempo is adjusted.
Gig Performer 4.7 offers even more widgets, including an expanded range of knob, fader, and slider styles, each destined to elevate front panel design and take visual creativity to the next level.
Finally, enhancements have been made to scriptlets that allow users to create custom functionality within Gig Performer, which can then be shared with the ever-growing Gig Performer community. The logical offspring of GP Script, the easy programming language included with Gig Performer, Scriptlets expand Gig Performer’s functionality with customer user-designed features.
Gig Performer 4.7 comes bundled with a sampler of synths, guitar amps and effects from third-party plugin developers, and related templates, to get musicians up and running from the moment they launch the application for either performance or trial evaluation. Of course, users will want to bring their favorite plugins into Gig Performer, but having this convenience right out of the gate helps them immediately appreciate both the functionality and power of Gig Performer.
Additionally, it is available as a universal application that will run natively on new M1 and M2 processors.
Gig Performer 4.7 sells for US$169.00 (macOS or Windows) or $199.00 for a cross-platform bundle. It is free to Deskew customers who already have a Gig Performer 4 license.
For more information about Gig Performer and to download a 14-day free trial, please visit www.gigperformer.com.
