Jim-
    I was chatting with a friend last week at TMEA and he mentioned someone developing a Standalone VST host machine? Can we get some more info on this?

So does anyone have a working opinion of this thing?

[quote author=Jim Casella link=topic=1579.msg7506#msg7506 date=1172126489]
Essentially, it's a second computer to play your sounds (with midi and audio routed via Ethernet), but without the overhead of having to run Windows or Mac OS.
[/quote]

From the Muse website: ";Instead, it runs a custom-built version of Linux, which Muse Research has created to provide the lowest possible latencies coupled with the most efficient processor usage.";

This is really interesting because it's very possible to build a simple linux OS, but audio support on Linux is terrible- they must have had to do a lot of work to build a VST player. 

[quote author=Bryan Harmsen link=topic=1579.msg7514#msg7514 date=1172208417]
I was told by a little bird that the only downside is that it does not support sound banks. So that would be kind of a bummer for us percussion guys who like to load a million instruments into a bank to be used by one channel.
[/quote]

VERY true...

Ya, for me it's one of those things that sounds great on paper...

I was told by a little bird that the only downside is that it does not support sound banks. So that would be kind of a bummer for us percussion guys who like to load a million instruments into a bank to be used by one channel.

Receptor is proably what you're talking about (see drumcat's link). Muse Research was exhibiting with us at TMEA, and they've developed a Receptor compatible version of VDL. Receptor is pretty darn cool. It may not be for everyone, but it's a hardware unit that holds VSTs and allows you to play them in real time, or in your studio. Think of it like an iPod for your virtual instruments. A sound canvas, but with the flexibility to hold whatever VST instruments you may own. Essentially, it's a second computer to play your sounds (with midi and audio routed via Ethernet), but without the overhead of having to run Windows or Mac OS.

This kind of thing has existed for a while...  something new may be due though...

http://www.museresearch.com/