Free Audio Plugin Development Tools

JBM NameGlancer

JBM NameGlancer is a free development tool plugin developed by JoBroMedia. Compatible OS(s): Windows .

So you’re working hard on a nice software, but you’re unsure if that name you worked so hard to conger up has already been taken. Then this tool is for you. Simply specify the name of your plugin, and hit one of the 3 buttons. This will get you some information if the name has been taken:

Search on KnowMe to find out if any blog / social media uses that name.

Quick google for that name.

Search on KVR for keywords related to that name.

Find domain names.

Future plans:

Find specific what kind of plugin you’re after.

More information: See the forum topic about it.

http://www.m4um.net/jbmvst/

Impromptu

Impromptu is a free development tool plugin developed by Impromptu. Compatible OS(s): macOS.

Impromptu is a Mac OS X programming environment for composers, sound artists, VJs and graphic artists with an interest in live or interactive programming. Impromptu is a Scheme language environment, a member of the Lisp family of languages.

Time plays a major role in the Impromptu environment allowing accurate real-time scheduling of events and code. Impromptu is a dynamic environment designed for the creation and manipulation of running programs in live performance.

Impromptu is a programmable AudioUnit host. A powerful environment for creating AudioUnit graphs of arbitrary complexity with precise programmatic control over individual AU nodes. Musical material can be precisely scheduled for performance by any AudioUnit instrument node and parameters, program changes and presets can be programmatically changed on-the-fly as well as directly via the AU’s user interface.

Graphics routines can be applied with the same temporal accuracy as audio material allowing artists to tightly integrate audio and visual components. OpenGL, live video processing, vector drawing routines, image rendering, CoreImage filters, text rendering and quicktime movie support are a few of the graphics features available for artists to play with.

Impromptu also includes a bidirectional ObjC-Bridge allowing Scheme to instantiate and call ObjC objects and ObjC objects to call back into the Scheme interpreter. For those times when only C will do.

http://impromptu.moso.com.au/

HISE – Hart Instruments Sampler Engine

HISE – Hart Instruments Sampler Engine is a free development tool VST, Audio Unit plugin developed by Hart Instruments. Compatible OS(s): Windows 64b, macOS.

HISE is a cross-platform open source audio application for building virtual instruments.

HISE emphasizes on sampling, but includes some basic synthesis features for making hybrid instruments. You can build patches, design a custom interface and compile them as a VST / AU plug-in or iOS app.

HISE is available as Standalone application or as VST / AU plugin for Mac OS X and Windows.

Highlights

Sampler engine:

fast disk streaming sampler engine using memory mapped files.

Import SFZ files, Mach5 files or AIFFs with metadata from Keymap Pro.

File name parser for automapping samples.

multi mic sample support (with purging of single mic channels).

looping with crossfades.

sample start modulation.

crossfade between samples for dynamic sustain samples.

customizable voice start behaviour.

regex parser for mapping samples.

custom monolith file format for faster loading times.

switch sample mappings dynamically.

Modulation:

complex modulation architecture for nested modulation of common parameters.

includes the most common modulators (LFO, envelopes).

Audio Effects:

fast convolution reverb.

filters / eq.

phaser / chorus.

delay / reverb.

JavaScript interpreter:

superset of JavaScript built for real time usage (no allocations, low overhead function calls).

write MIDI processing scripts.

change voice properties (volume & pitch).

create plugin interfaces with a WYSIWYG editor.

built in IDE features (autocomplete / API reference, variable watch, console debugging).

combine DSP routines for custom effects.

C / C++ compiler:

embedded C JIT compiler for fast prototyping of DSP routines (based on TinyCC).

API for adding DSP modules via dynamic libraries.

one click C++ build system for building VST / AU / AAX plugins (based on JUCE) from within HISE (using msbuild / xcodebuild).

License:

GPL v3 or a commercial licence for closed source usage.

HISE is based on JUCE, which must be separately licensed.

http://hise.audio

Fmod Ex

Fmod Ex is a free development tool plugin developed by Firelight Technologies. Compatible OS(s): Windows 64b, macOS, Linux.

The FMOD Ex Programmer’s API and Designer are a library and toolkit for the creation and playback of interactive audio. FMOD products are widely used in the games industry and have gained a strong reputation for its ease of use, powerful software-mixed architecture and comprehensive cross-platform support.

FMOD supports many hardware platforms – including the latest ‘next gen’ consoles. FMOD is actively developed, with regular releases of new features. Many new requested features have been provided to customers in a very short turnaround – if you want a new feature, just ask.

The FMOD Ex sound system is an audio engine for game developers, multimedia developers, sound designers, musicians and audio engineers. FMOD Ex is intended to push the creative boundaries of audio implementation for games and the like, whilst using minimal resources and being fully scalable.

DSP Software Architecture

The FMOD mixing architecture starts with an audio engine that uses floating point calculations with full 32-bit interpolation to provide maximum sound quality and headroom when summing signals. Using a node based architecture, FMOD Ex provides flexible routing, sub-mixing and output channel choices to the programmer. Input channels can be mapped to any output channel through a simple 2D matrix. Output to mono, stereo, 5.1, 7.1 and Dolby Pro Logic or Pro Logic 2 with ease.

Included with the API is a whole suite of 14 DSP effects, such as echo, chorus, reverb, etc. which can be applied throughout the DSP mixing network.

Advanced Compressed Sample and Streaming Support

FMOD Ex includes advanced support for compressed sample formats such as mp2, mp3, ADPCM and XMA. Compressed samples can be looped or sequenced with other samples, without gaps, clicks or other artifacts. Developers do not have to worry about anything to do with the destination format, FMOD’s encoder will just handle it perfectly for you every time.

Advanced streaming engine supports low CPU overhead, multiple stream support, over-ridable file callbacks and more.

File Format Support

FMOD supports a huge range of audio file formats including: wav, midi, mp3, XMA, ogg and mod just to name a few. You can even add your own codecs via FMOD Ex’s plug-in support. FMOD Ex can play audio files with up to 16 channels.

Create realistic soundscapes

Supply 3D positions for the sound source and listener and FMOD Ex will automatically apply volume, filtering, surround panning and Doppler effect to mono, stereo and even multichannel samples. Transition between calculated positioning and sound designer defined positioning using 2D/3D pan morphing. For even greater audio realism use FMOD Ex’s:

Choice between linear, logarithmic and custom rolloff curves.

Custom geometry engine to add polygon scenes (FMOD Ex will factor in obstruction/occlusion).

3D reverbs to blend transitions between environments with different ambience.

The software mixer even has a ‘HRTF’ (Head-Related Transfer Function) mode to provide 3D realism through headphones.

Virtual Voices

Virtual voices to allow a game to play thousands of sounds at once on limited hardware without worrying about handling the logic to switch sounds off and on. FMOD Ex provides voice management using 3D distance and priority properties.

Platform Support

FMOD Ex has a large range of supported hardware, including:

Windows (32-bit and 64-bit).

Macintosh (PPC and x86).

Linux (32-bit and 64-bit).

Sony PS2, PS3 and PSP.

Microsoft Xbox and Xbox 360.

Nintendo Gamecube and Wii.

Solaris.

Feature List:

3D Sound Enhancements.

Advanced Mixing Engine.

API Support.

Built-in DSP Effects Suite.

Channel groups, and sub-mixing.

Digital CD Playback.

Enhanced Callback Support.

Enhanced Internet Features.

Enhanced Sample Format Support.

Enhanced Streaming Engine.

File Format Support.

FMOD Designer Tool and API Integration.

Interactive Music.

Low Latency Recording Support.

Memory and File System Overrides.

MIDI Support.

Multi-Channel Sound Support.

Multi-Speaker Output Support.

Multiple Simultaneous Soundcard Support.

Network Auditioning.

Plug-in System: VST and Winamp DSP plug-in support for effects is included.

Profiling Tools.

Sample Accurate Seeking and Looping.

Stitching / Sentencing.

Unified API.

User Delay On Sound Playback.

Virtual Channels.

Wav Writer output.

http://www.fmod.org/

EyesWeb Open Platform

EyesWeb Open Platform is a free development tool plugin developed by InfoMus Lab. Compatible OS(s): Windows 64b.

The EyesWeb open platform was originally conceived for supporting research on multi-modal expressive interfaces and multimedia interactive systems. EyesWeb has also been widely employed for designing and developing real-time dance, music, and multimedia applications.

It supports the user in experimenting computational models of non-verbal expressive communication and in mapping gestures from different modalities (e.g., human full-body movement, music) onto multimedia output (e.g., sound, music, visual media). It allows fast development and experiment cycles of interactive performance set-ups by including a visual programming language allowing mapping, at different levels, of movement and audio into integrated music, visual, and mobile scenery.

EyesWeb has been designed with a special focus on the analysis and processing of expressive gesture in movement, MIDI, audio, and music signals.

EyesWeb consists of a number of integrated hardware and software modules which can be easily interconnected and extended. The EyesWeb software includes a development environment and a set of libraries of reusable software components (blocks) which can be assembled by the user in a visual language to build patches as in common computer music languages inspired to analog synthesizers. A patch can be used as a module in a higher-level patch.

EyesWeb includes a software Wizard enabling users to extend the system with new modules, data types, and libraries.

The software runs on Windows and is based on the Microsoft COM/DCOM standard. It supports Steinberg VST and ASIO, OSC (Open SoundControl), and FreeFrame plugins.

Automation support is provided. This let developers invoke EyesWeb from other languages, such as Microsoft Visual Basic. The execution of a patch can be controlled from external applications. Any scripting language that supports automation can be used for this purpose (e.g., Python, VBScript, JavaScript, etc.).

Modules include passive modules (e.g., filters) and active modules, e.g., sources and modules with an internal dynamics (i.e., modules which receive inputs as any other module but may send outputs asynchronously with respect to their inputs).

EyesWeb libraries include:

Input: support for frame grabbers (from webcams to professional videocameras), wireless on-body sensors (e.g., accelerometers), audio and MIDI input, serial, network, keyboard, mouse.

Math and filters (e.g., operations with scalars and matrices).

Imaging (processing and conversions of images).

Sound and MIDI Libraries.

Communication (e.g., MIDI, OSC, TCP/IP, serial, DCOM).

Motion Analysis: motion trackers (e.g., feature tracking, tracking of multiple colored blobs), modules for extraction of global features from movement (e.g. amount of detected motion), analysis of the use of the space.

Mapping of extracted features in real-time generation of audio and visual outputs.

Output: visual, audio, MIDI, serial, network.

http://www.infomus.dist.unige.it/

Elias Engine

Elias Engine is a free development tool plugin developed by Elias Software. Compatible OS(s): Any OS.

Distributed along with your game, the Elias Engine renders dynamic music that adapts to the scenario at hand. Lightweight but powerful, flexible and adaptable, it generates a PCM audio stream that can then be fed to whatever audio playback backend the game uses.

http://www.eliassoftware.com/

Elena Spectral Modules for SynthEdit

Elena Spectral Modules for SynthEdit is a free multi fx and development tool plugin developed by Elena Design. Compatible OS(s): Windows .

A set of modern and powerful spectral processing modules opening to SynthEdit users the doors to STFT (Short Term Fourier Transform) and making of it an even more valuable platform. From pitch shifting to envelope extraction, from sound synthesis to convolution, from vocoding to voice manipulation… just check the included example projects to have a broad idea of the almost unlimited possibilities offered by this modular spectral processing framework. Everything written in highly optimized C++ code. Underlying technology entirely developed by the author based on no one else’s work.

Please browse www.elenadomain.it/listing/SE to download the latest version of Elena Spectral Modules.

http://www.elenadomain.it/listing/SE

CPS

CPS is a free development tool VST, Audio Unit plugin developed by Bonneville. Compatible OS(s): Windows 64b, macOS.

CPS is a realtime interactive programming environment for audio, MIDI and other media & I/O. Patches are built by placing objects and making wires between them. Areas of interest are sound design, algorithmic composition, DSP, electronic/computer music and education. CPS can be used in any realtime situation where sound plays a role.

Build-in objects allow you low-level access to audio MIDI and other I/O, and any processing in between. Objects include audio and MIDI (hardware&file) I/O, fourier analyse, filters, noise generators, envelopes, delays, LFOs, effects, and much more objects like tables which you can fill with ‘generators’ (a feature which derives directly from Csound), several network options, joystick, serialport, video processing units (through Quicktime) for layered playback of video & images, VST hosting of VST plugins/instruments, MP3 decoding, and all MPEG-4 Structured Audio opcodes (which are on their turn based on Csound). The best of as well graphic and text editing comes together inside CPS. There is a list of all objects in the manual.

CPS is not only a realtime toolkit; it is also a friendly graphical user environment. CPS has a subpatch architecture (of unlimited depth), with which you can put parts of you patch within one object. Furthermore, objects in CPS have a dynamic number of in- and outputs at runtime. Of course, it has full Undo/Redo, all objects have tooltips (including subpatches) and online help, working with subpatches does not slow down your patch, etc.

http://www.bonneville.nl/

Contra (FREE)

Contra (FREE) is a free development tool and wrapper VST, Audio Unit, AAX plugin developed by Audio Vitamins. Compatible OS(s): Windows, macOS.

A free version of the popular mixing comparison tool Contra.

Features:

Automated hands free comparison.

Compare up to 3 different plugins. (8 in paid version).

Audition lengths up to 2 bars (32 in paid version).

Internal delay compensation engine.

Automatic gain matching.

Recallable setups as presets, including 3rd party plugin parameter settings.

Low CPU and memory usage.

Ability to load AU and VST plugins into ProTools 10,11 and 12.

{See video at top of page}

https://www.audiovitamins.com

Cabbage

Cabbage is a free development tool VST, Audio Unit, Ladspa plugin developed by Cabbage Audio. Compatible OS(s): Windows, macOS, Linux.

Cabbage is a framework for audio software development. Using simple markup text and the Csound audio synthesis language users can target Windows, OS X, Linux and Android with a single piece of source code.

Cabbage Studio (Beta) is a Csound based DAW with a fully functional patching interface and development environment. Develop, prototype and test Csound based audio instruments on the fly using an integrated development solution that includes an embedded source code editor and rapid GUI designer. Cabbage Studio isn’t just for users familiar with Csound, it can load a number of different plugin formats including VST, AU, and LADSPA and comes with over 100 high end audio plugins ready to use out of the box.

Cabbage for Android will let you run any of your Cabbage plugins on an Android smart phone.

Cabbage AU (Beta) is a dedicated AudioUnit front-end for Cabbage. Unlike the Cabbage VST interface, CabbageAU is a single plugin. Once loaded into a DAW, users can open any Cabbage instruments they wish and load as many instances of CabbageAU as they want. Saving the DAW session will also save the instruments associated with each instance.

Cabbage Features:

Cross Platform: Cabbage can be run on Windows, OS X and on Linux.

Standalone Software: Cabbage instruments and effects can easily be exported and run as standalone software without the need of a host program or DAW.

VST Export: Users can export instruments and effects as fully functional plugins to be run inside your favourite host/DAW.

Share: Users can share plugins/instruments as text files to be used on Windows, OS X, Linux and Android.

Python Scripts: Custom Python scripts can be embedded directly into an instrument’s underlying source code.

Multichannel: Cabbage can be run as a multichannel software, both in standalone and in audio plugin mode.

Automate: Csound can be used to automate any of the plugin controls, and to save and load session data.

MIDI Instruments: Not into audio processing? That’s Ok, Cabbage lets you easily build MIDI only instruments.

Signal Gen: Users have up to 1300 different signal generators/modifiers available.

Control Widgets: Csound can be used to control the state and behavior of any widget. This means widgets can be programmed to move around the screen, change colour or size, morph or fade into other controls, as well as lots of other funky operations.

GUI Controls: GUI controls, include sliders/knobs/buttons, xy-pads and waveform/envelope editors, checkboxes, text editors, file browsers, etc. GUIs can be implemented directly in simple mark-up language, or via drag and drop once in Edit mode.

Theme with SVG: Customise your Widgets with Scalable Vector Graphics (.svg’s).

OSC Support: Both desktop and Android versions of Cabbage support OSC. Cabbage instruments can be built to take control of other instruments, or indeed third party software over a shared network.

For details on the Csound language please the Csound homepage.

{See video at top of page}

http://cabbageaudio.com/