are there any realistic alternatives?? The lack of urgency is intolerable.
AudioGridder is native. I haven't used it so I don't know how well it works, I still would prefer to stick with VEP. But I'm still not in AppleSilicon yet (but soon!) so I can wait, unlike some of you folks. Hopefully you find an alternative, even if its temporary.
I began exploring Audiogridder (silicon native) with Cubase Pro 12 today on a Mac Studio (M1 Max) as my DAW computer, and a 2013 Mac Pro and 2018 Mac Mini as farms. Audiogridder is working beautifully, with the added (and significant) bonus of letting me use effects (CPU-hungry reverbs etc) residing in the farms. There are several Youtube videos on the subject. Oh, and Audiogridder is available for free. As I've only now started exploring this avenue, my remarks reflect a very optimistic assessment, but nothing more, at least for the moment. Having said that, I have a project that can no longer wait, and VSL's schedule is a mystery, so I must move on to Audiogridder. I had hoped otherwise.