Slayer2Reboot

A bridge that brings a classic 32-bit VST2 instrument back to life inside a modern 64-bit digital audio workstation.

Many well-loved plugins were only ever released as 32-bit Windows DLLs. A 64-bit host such as FL Studio cannot load them directly, and the bridging built into hosts is often unreliable with older plugins. Slayer2Reboot solves this with a small two-part bridge written in Delphi: the host loads an ordinary 64-bit plugin, and that plugin runs the original 32-bit plugin in a separate process behind the scenes. To the host and to the user, the old instrument looks and behaves as if it were native.

The current target is reFX Slayer 2, the guitar-modelling instrument.

This repository holds the releases. Download the installer from the Releases page.

Features

• Sound - audio from the original plugin, sample-accurate MIDI timing
• Original editor - the plugin's own window appears inside the host's plugin window, exactly as it was designed
• Full MIDI - notes, controllers, pitch bend and aftertouch
• Presets - all programs with their names, selectable from the host
• Project recall - the plugin's settings are saved with your project
• Automation - turn a knob in the plugin's editor and the host can record it or create an automation clip from it
• Crash isolation - if the old plugin fails, the host keeps running and the bridge falls silent instead of taking your session down

How it works

 64-bit host (FL Studio)
   |
   |  loads
   v
 Slayer2Bridge.dll  (64-bit VST2 plugin)
   |
   |  shared memory + events
   v
 Slayer2Server.exe  (32-bit process)
   |
   |  loads
   v
 Slayer2.bin        (your own Slayer2.dll, copied and renamed by Setup)

• The bridge plugin is what the host sees. It passes audio requests, MIDI, parameter and preset calls across to the server, and passes the original plugin's knob movements back to the host.
• The server is a 32-bit process that hosts the original plugin and answers the bridge's requests. It starts with the plugin and closes when the host does.
• The two halves share one block of memory, so audio crosses between them with almost no overhead (well under a millisecond per audio block).
• Slayer 2 itself is never included in or distributed with Slayer2 Bridge. During installation, Setup asks for the Slayer2.dll from your own Slayer 2 installation and copies it next to the bridge as Slayer2.bin. The different name stops the host from finding it during a plugin scan and listing it as a 32-bit plugin that fails to load.

Requirements

• Windows 10 or 11, 64-bit
• A 64-bit VST2 host (developed and tested with FL Studio)
• Your own licensed copy of Slayer 2 (Slayer2.dll)

Slayer 2 is not included with Slayer2 Bridge and is not distributed by it. The installer asks for your own copy.

Installation

1. Close FL Studio.

2. Download Slayer2BridgeSetup-<version>.exe from the Releases page and run it. Windows asks for permission, because plugins are installed for all users.

3. Install location - choose where Slayer2 Bridge goes:

   • FL Studio plugins folder - Setup finds FL Studio on any drive and offers its Plugins\VST folder. This is the default when FL Studio is found.
   • Shared VST2 plugins folder - the folder all your VST hosts use.

   The next page shows the full folder, which you can still change.

4. Locate Slayer2 - select the Slayer2.dll from your own Slayer 2 installation. Setup fills this in if it finds Slayer 2 in a usual plugin folder. A copy is placed next to Slayer2 Bridge; your original is not changed or moved.

5. Click Install. The last page shows where Slayer2 Bridge was installed.

Adding it to FL Studio

1. Start FL Studio and open Options > Manage plugins.
2. Make sure the install folder is listed under Plugin search paths. If it is not, click the folder icon and add it.
3. Click Find plugins. Slayer2 Bridge appears under the generators.
4. Add Slayer2 Bridge to a channel and open it: Slayer 2's own window appears inside FL Studio.

Using it

• Presets: choose from Slayer 2's own preset list or FL Studio's preset menu.
• Automation: turn a knob in Slayer 2's window, then right-click any FL Studio control and choose Create automation clip, or use Tools > Last tweaked > Create automation clip.
• Your settings are saved with the FL Studio project.

Uninstalling

Use Settings > Apps > Installed apps > Slayer2 Bridge > Uninstall. This removes Slayer2 Bridge and its copy of Slayer 2. Your original Slayer 2 installation is not touched.

Troubleshooting

Slayer2 Bridge is not listed in FL Studio. Check that the install folder is in FL Studio's plugin search paths, then click Find plugins again.

A plugin called "Slayer2" fails to load. That is the original 32-bit Slayer 2, which FL Studio found during a scan. Use Slayer2 Bridge instead, and remove the old entry in Manage plugins.

Something else is wrong. Slayer2 Bridge can write a log of what it is doing. Logging is off by default.

• Turn it on: type %LOCALAPPDATA% into the Explorer address bar and create a folder there named Slayer2Bridge. The next time the plugin loads, it writes Slayer2Bridge.log and Slayer2Server.log into it.
• Turn it off: delete the folder.

Include both logs when reporting a problem on the Issues page.

Author

Mark S Day (GrooverMD)

Disclaimer

Slayer 2 is a product of reFX. This project is not affiliated with or endorsed by reFX. VST is a trademark of Steinberg Media Technologies GmbH. FL Studio is a trademark of Image-Line Software.