Making VST plug-ins...?

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SSLtech

Well-known member
Joined
Jun 3, 2004
Messages
5,447
Location
Florida (Previously UK)
Anyone know how to start with plug-in development? -I have a few simple modular combinations that i'd like to try and have someone make plugs out of.

Is there some sort of high-level toolset for this, or does anyone know any codesmiths who dig this sort of thing?

Keith
 
Alright Keith,

you can download the VST SDK (software developer kit) from the Steinberg website for free.

I did last week but haven't got around to playing with it yet. Never done it before either.

I think Mikkel might be the man here.

You can also look at MAX/MSP if you want to create object based stuff. Friends of mine have done cool stuff with it, including an ambisonic 5.1 decoder I believe. I think you gotta pay for Max but do a search for PD (puredata), developed by the guy who started MAX. Its free and more powerful as I understand it.

I think you can wrap PD/MAX code into VST plugs.

Play with the SDK though and see what the interface is like.

PD
VST SDK

HTH
Tom
 
Steinberg has an SDK on their website. You'll need to know C++ and DSP techniques.

I believe you can also make VST plugins with MSP, which would make it relatively simpler than coding in C.

I absolutely love Max and MSP. Check out my Brownian Movement Melodic Generator (right-click and save to disk - you'll need to also have the MAX/MSP runtime from the cycling '74 website).

Peace,
Al.

EDIT: Damn! You guys are FAST!!!
 
here is a tutorial about directX plug ins
http://www.computermusic.co.uk/tutorial/diy1/1.asp

someone have experience with the steinberg sdk?
I want to begin with c++ but I don`t know if I should use microsoft or borland. I don`t write programs for years. my titulation project will be a kind of autotune.
 
Hi Keith

The easyest way to start, is to use SYNTHEDIT.
http://www.synthedit.com
It is an environment with lots of modules and you can build with it an effect or a synth like with a big analogue Moog modular synth. The great thing is that when you are ready and you like your results syntedit can create a VST plugin from what you built. Just copy the DLL into your favorite software and you can use it.
I think this is a good start for trying out things.

chrissugar
 
I've done some plug-in programming, and I have to say that the VST SDK is the way to go, if you don't want to mess with MAX/MSP. I've never seen anything as well documented as the VST SDK. Lots of examples and explanations. You need to know C++. If you don't, MAX/MSP, TCL/TK (+snack), or any other GUI/module based is the way to go.

Good luck!

/Anders
 
On the Steinberg website where you can download the vst-sdk there's a link somewhere to a vst-developers mailinglist too, there's lots of information there.

The easiest way to develop vst-plugins is just to grab one of the example projects in the sdk and then replace the processing code (watch out! there's two places you'll need to change the code, process and processreplacing) with your own (there's some other code there too to handle parameters/presets and stuff like that)

If you want to know more about dsp-programming for sound google for the music-dsp mailing list. One of the best mailinglists i've ever been on. The signal/noise ratio there is allmost as good as here :grin:
 
I just thought I'd chip in and say that you can do some unbelelievable stuff with PD.

It is very simple to learn too.
 
[quote author="SSLtech"] does anyone know any codesmiths who dig this sort of thing?

Keith[/quote]
Proper term = "code monkey" - one step up from "tape ape" (tape operator - ie. used to take the tapes off the mainframe now just check monitors and reload massive printers - not many of them around nowadays)
 
I registered with Steinberg and downloaded some stuff, but I can't find an application anywhere... -I'm confused..

All I see is:
VST_Licensing_Agreement.html
VSTLogoArtwork.sea.hqx
VSTLogoArtwork.zip
VST_Logo_Usage_Guideline.pdf
VST_Licensing_Agreement.rtf
vstsdk2.3.dmg
vstsdk2.3.sit
vstsdk2.3.zip

Keith
 
[quote author="SSLtech"]

All I see is:
VST_Licensing_Agreement.html
VSTLogoArtwork.sea.hqx
VSTLogoArtwork.zip
VST_Logo_Usage_Guideline.pdf
VST_Licensing_Agreement.rtf
vstsdk2.3.dmg
vstsdk2.3.sit
vstsdk2.3.zip

Keith[/quote]
I think vstsdk2.3.DMG/.sit/.zip is it. I downloaded and unstuffed but thats as far as I got there is no app. and I think it needs c++ programming.
 
There won't be an app... only code examples and explanations of how to code VST protocol plugins in C++. Your C++ compiler is the app.

Peace,
Al.
 
Ah. Okay. I have Borland and the book, from about 5 years ago. -I never found a way to make stuff that would actually be usefol for anything... perhaps this is the moment... carpe diem!

Keef
 
good luck if you have any dsp related questions feel free to ask.

i dont do c++ but i know dsp math ;)
 
I have found a few, there was a eq, you needed ms vc++ though,
there isn't a app per say, that you peice together things that aren't
code to make a plugin. But you could certainly cut and paste huge pieces
of others code and make the gui pieces, much like you can snag pieces of circuits. It's been about a year since I looked and then UAD came out with a eq that did >20k like that week which is what I wanted.
so I stopped that train of thinking, but it's there anybody with a reasonable knowledge of just compiling things and getting plugs to work can get demos to compile and then mod them.
 
[quote author="TomWaterman"]Ahh right that'd be it then. I thought the SDK was some form of software environment....

-T[/quote]
No - I would have thought that the SDK was just the include libraries for "the hooks" back in
Re: which compiler... simple answer is the one that generates the smallest cleanest code, has versioning and has good debugging facilities)
I don't know C++ - but I do manage and design (software architect) large complex hardware/software projects.
 
Heyyyyy, finally someone asks something I actually know a tiny bit about.

Personally, I use Max/MSP because it's so quick and painless to set most things up, especially if you want GUI's. It has internal support for Java and Javascript (for Macs it supports some variation of C, also, I believe). Making a patch (well, most of my patches anyway) into a VST plugin takes a matter of minutes once you get used to it. The plugins are "built" directly from your patch and require the Pluggo runtime (just a single install and then you can run any plugins that use it).

I think as far as audio processing goes PD and MSP are at the same level, with MSP coming with more higher-level objects (things that might take a few objects to set up in PD). I believe both support writing your own objects with a C++ SDK, but I haven't been obsessive enough for that just yet.

Random side note: PD has an object called expr~ that lets you enter equations based on individual samples for coding nonlinear filters and other things with strange behavior based on the input. You can set up processes based on differential equations and all kinds of stuff with it. MSP, for some reason, doesn't have it. I'm not sure why, but I miss it.

As far as making plugins, I definitely like Max/MSP better even if just for the GUI aspects. OpenGL support, picture based controllers, and more customizable options for the basic built-in features like sliders are very, very useful. I'm not sure how to incorporate self-made GUI objects into PD (though I know it's possible), and I'm not sure that they would work once the patch gets wrapped to a VST.

I could go on and on about Max/MSP vs. PD, but I'll stop here for now incase you're going to go a different road entirely. I think PD is a really good place to start learning general DSP, and it will let you know if you like the object-based programming or not. Personally I can't stand straight-up programming (ala C++ with the VST SDK), but for some things it can be necessary when higher level languages just aren't efficient enough.
 

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