Skip to content

Latest commit

 

History

History
65 lines (36 loc) · 2.5 KB

README.md

File metadata and controls

65 lines (36 loc) · 2.5 KB
Raw

HelloDAW

HelloDAW is a collection of boilerplate audio plugins for multiple formats, implementing a single low-level standard, built with Makefiles and the terminal.

It's like the "Hello, world!" of DAW plugins. Actually, it's like TodoMVC, except with audio plugin formats instead of JavaScript frameworks.

Most importantly, this project attempts to reduce the time to build your first plugin from hours of frustration to hopefully 2 minutes (git clone ..., cd HelloDAW/..., read README.md, and make).

Includes

  • VST2

Wanted

  • VST3
  • AU (Audio Unit)
  • AAX
  • LV2

Pull-requests are welcome and will be merged if I can follow your instructions and build the plugin with make.

The standard

Each plugin project is very simple and does nothing except prove that it works.

The plugin should be loadable in a plugin host (e.g. DAW) capable of loading its format. The plugin should feature

  • 8 inputs (4 stereo inputs) if possible, otherwise 2 inputs
  • 8 outputs (4 stereo outputs) if possible, otherwise 2 outputs
  • 8 automation parameters if possible
  • No custom GUI. The plugin should use the host's built-in GUI if possible.

When running, the plugin should implement the following I/O.

  • print incoming MIDI message bytes to stdout
  • print the state of automation parameters (whenever they change, or upon each audio block)
  • In a double for loop for each frame and channel, apply a gain of 0.5 to the input buffer and write to the output buffer.

The project should have a single Makefile and should be built by running make in the project directory. No IDEs like Xcode or Visual Studio should be used if possible.

Instructions should be provided in a README.md file for setting up the development environment and acquiring relevant SDK files.

Usage

Each HelloDAW project attempts to obtain a low-level starting point using each plugin's SDK.

This is great for forking and writing your own plugin if you prefer simple and low-level over complex and convenient.

The goal of HelloDAW is to work out of the box. If the build breaks for you, create an issue with all relevant information.

License

All code and documentation in this repository is released into the public domain (CC0). No credit is needed, but it would be nice to hear if you've released a plugin with help from this project.

However, note that plugin SDKs typically have more restrictive licenses, but they are not included in this repository.