From AudioGridder to EPS
Our AudioGridder integration showed how much a DAW gains when plugin processing runs outside it. AudioGridder treats the server as a place to process plugins: instances belong to the DAW project and disappear when it closes. EPS is the next natural step. The EPS Server is based on AudioGridder, and we built new functionality on top of it around one idea: the plugins should outlive the project.
With EPS, instances live in the server. A DAW project connects to them, stores their full state, and disconnects when it closes, but the instances stay loaded. The next project, or the next version of the same song, simply reconnects.
How it works
EPS has two sides: a server that owns the plugins, and a small client plugin on each DAW track.
| Part | What it is |
|---|---|
| EPS Server | A stand-alone application with its own window and a menu bar icon. It owns the instances and their plugins. |
| EPS Inst / EPS FX | The client plugins you insert in the DAW: EPS Inst on instrument tracks, EPS FX on audio tracks and buses. Available as VST3, AU and AAX, so EPS also works in Pro Tools. |
| Instance | A container on the server with up to 12 slots, of type Instrument or Effect. One client track connects to one instance. |
| Slot | One MP Single Host inside an instance, hosting one VST2, VST3 or AU plugin. |
| Server project | A .epsproj file that saves a whole set of instances, and can open automatically when the server starts. |
In the DAW, insert EPS Inst or EPS FX, click the instance button in the plugin header and choose a loaded instance, create one from a plugin, or start a new empty instance. A freshly inserted client connects by itself to a free instance with the same name as the track, so a track called "Strings" finds the "Strings" instance on its own.
One computer or many, Mac or PC
The EPS Server does not have to live on a separate machine. Run it on your DAW computer and you can dramatically increase the number of plugins you run on that same computer. The plugins are hosted outside the DAW process, so they add no CPU load to the DAW itself.
When you need more power, run the EPS Server on multiple computers across your network and add their CPU resources to your plugin pool. A spare desktop, a rack machine or an old PC all become extra plugin power for the studio.
The platforms do not have to match. Keep your DAW on a Mac and put an old Windows PC to work as a plugin server, or the other way round. Macs and PCs both work as EPS servers, with any DAW on Mac or PC.
What it changes in the studio
Persistent templates
Load an orchestral or production template once, save it as a server project and set it to open at startup. The server is ready before the DAW is.
Instant project switching
Move between projects and song versions without reloading the shared instruments and effects. Only what is different needs to load.
Shared instruments
Use the same sampler setup across every cue of a film score, or every song of an album, from one set of loaded instances.
Crash isolation
Each instance runs in its own process. A plugin crash stays in its own instance instead of taking down the DAW, and you can restart it from its last snapshot.
Built for the MP Controller
Every slot in an EPS instance is an MP Single Host. That means the MP Controller sees EPS plugins exactly as it sees plugins in MP Host: automatic parameter mapping, the Plugin Panel, pages, presets and the 32 encoders all work with no extra setup and no separate mode. New plugins are picked up from MP Host's scanned plugin list, so anything you already control in MP Host is ready in EPS.
Your DAW project stays in charge, if you want it to
Because instances outlive projects, EPS has to decide what happens when a project opens and the server already holds a different state. That is the reconcile policy:
- DAW wins (default): the plugin state saved in the project is applied to the instance.
- Server wins: the instance keeps what is loaded on the server.
- Ask: currently keeps the server's state.
Each instance can override the default. Two more switches shape how instances behave: Preserved (on by default) keeps an instance loaded when its track disconnects, and Decoupled makes the DAW project store only a reference, so the server always wins. If you duplicate a track, the copy gets its own instance, named for example "Strings 2", and the client tells you so.
Saving RAM and CPU
A template that stays loaded all day should not cost resources it is not using. EPS can power off a whole instance or a single slot, and bypass either. A powered-off instance outputs silence and uses no CPU, and Power off disconnected instances parks everything the current project is not using. Folders group instances in the list, and powering a folder on shows its progress, for example "Powering on 3/12".
Crashes and recovery
Auto-snapshot saves the state of every instance every 10, 30 or 60 minutes, and instances also snapshot when their track disconnects. If a plugin crashes, its instance shows as crashed while the rest of the server, and the DAW, keep running. Restart it and it comes back from its last snapshot. Effects pass audio through while the server is not available, so a session never goes silent on an effect bus.
Included with your MP Controller licence.
EPS uses your MP Controller licence, the same licence as MP Host, checked when the EPS Server starts. The EPS Inst and EPS FX clients are available as VST3, AU and AAX. Inside the server, the MP Controller controls VST2, VST3 and AU plugins, as it does in MP Host, including in Pro Tools.
Bottom line
EPS takes what AudioGridder started, running plugins outside the DAW, and turns it into a way of working with large templates. Instruments and effects load once and stay loaded. Projects and song versions reconnect instead of reloading. A plugin crash stays in its own process. And because every slot is an MP Single Host, everything in the server is mapped on the MP Controller the moment you select it.
See pricing and order the MP Controller How automatic mapping worksFAQ
What is EPS?
EPS, the External Plugin System, hosts your plugins in a stand-alone application called the EPS Server instead of inside the DAW project. Instances stay loaded between projects, so a large template loads once and every project reconnects to it. The DAW project still stores the full state of every plugin.
How is EPS related to AudioGridder?
The EPS Server is based on AudioGridder, the open source plugin server by Andreas Pohl (MIT License). We added new functionality on top of it: persistent instances, server projects, folders, power management, reconcile policies and crash recovery. EPS can also work like AudioGridder, with instances that follow the DAW project, through DAW Load Mode.
Do I need a separate licence for EPS?
No. The EPS Server uses your MP Controller licence, the same licence as MP Host. It checks the licence when the server starts.
What happens if a plugin crashes?
Each instance runs in its own process, so a crash stays in that instance instead of taking down the DAW or the other instances. You can restart the instance from its last snapshot. Auto-snapshot can run every 10, 30 or 60 minutes, and instances also snapshot when their track disconnects.
Can I control EPS plugins from the MP Controller?
Yes. Every slot in an EPS instance is an MP Single Host, so automatic parameter mapping, the Plugin Panel and the encoders work on EPS instances exactly as they do in MP Host.
Topics: EPS External Plugin System AudioGridder plugin server persistent orchestral template Kontakt template server plugin crash protection MP Host MP Controller