just starting using trackplug 5 in pro tools LE on a dual 2.0 G5, and have noticed a couple issues related to opening plug-in windows:

1) the currently-selected tabs/panels always revert to “comp 1” and “eq” (as opposed to any of the sidechain EQs) whenever a TP window is opened. this can get very confusing, as the controls on the tabs for gate/comp1/comp2 are identical; it’s easy to start tweaking what you thought was the gate, and realize you’re changing compression settings, for instance.

2) it takes a relatively long time to open a TP window, about 1 to 2 seconds. might seem negligible, but I like to work fast and intuitively when I start a mix, and this lag can be a real bummer to the point of being unusable. also, it seems to be the case for all the other powersuite plug-ins, it’s just particularly slow with trackplug. the only other plug-in I’ve found that has a similar issue is vintagewarmer 2, which also uses a custom preset manager—could this be the culprit? if so, I’d gladly use pro tool’s built-in manager if it meant better responsiveness.

3) I’ve tried the same thing using VST versions in ableton live, and both of these things are a non-issue. UI tabs stick, and once the plug-in is initiated for the first time, switching is instantaneous.

I’d love to hear that I’m doing something wrong and there’s an easy solution to this, or that this is an acknowledged bug and soon to be fixed. it’s particularly frustrating because while I absolutely love trackplug’s UI, these issues seriously hamper usability.

UPDATE:

just for fun, I wrapped the VST versions of the powersuite plugs using fxpansion’s VST to RTAS adapter, and it solved BOTH problems I described above. instantaneous switching in pro tools, and the UI “sticks” as it should.

I’d rather use the native RTAS versions of these plug-ins, but the wrapped VST versions are so much more usable, I’ll probably stick with them for now.

I’d like to investigate this further to see if there is indeed an issue with our RTAS plug-ins, just been really busy with some other pressing issues (including an impending new product launch).  Will report back once I find out more.

great—thanks for looking into it, rob. looking forward to seeing what you find out.

can’t wait to hear about the new product.

We will be addressing the currently selected tab issue with the next update (it affects more than RTAS).  The opening time issue is on the list for things to investigate, I’ll be looking into that this week.

just installed the 5.51 update, and noticed that while the tabs now “stick,” they stick across all instances of TP, not within each instance of TP independently. I wouldn’t call this an improvement—just as confusing as before, just in a different way. in fact, the tabs seem to stick between pro tool sessions, so that the last selected tab on TP instance in session X sticks as the selected tab on the first instance of TP selected in session Y.

thoughts?

also, while I’m at it: an “enable button selects respective tab” would be a great addition. I’m only so picky because the UI is otherwise so fantastic.