studiorack-template-iplug

Audio plugin starter template using iPlug framework to build binaries using:

• Bash
• CMake 3.4.x
• iPlug 2.0.x

Installation

Install CMake and Xcode using:

brew install cmake
xcode-select --install

Check you have the correct dependencies installed:

cmake -version
xcodebuild -version

Ensure all git submodules are initialized:

git submodule update --init --recursive

Install iPlug dependencies:

cp -v ./src/CMakeLists.txt ./iplugsdk/Examples/IPlugInstrument
cp -v ./src/download-iplug-sdks.sh ./iplugsdk/Dependencies/IPlug
cp -v ./iplugsdk/Examples/IPlugInstrument/resources/fonts/Roboto-Regular.ttf ./iplugsdk/Examples/IPlugInstrument/resources
cd ./iplugsdk/Dependencies/IPlug &&  ./download-iplug-sdks.sh && cd ../../..
cd ./iplugsdk/Dependencies &&  ./download-prebuilt-libs.sh && cd ../..

Usage

Make all your plugin development changes in the source folder at:

./src

Ensure you also update the preview image and audio files:

./src/assets/name.png
./src/assets/name.wav

Testing your plugin

Todo

Build (manual)

Depending on the the operating system you are on/building for, swap the generator string in the build commands:

• Linux: "Unix Makefiles"
• MacOS: "Xcode"
• Windows: "Visual Studio 16 2019"

Compile a development version of the plugin using:

cmake \
  -G "Xcode" \
  -DCMAKE_BUILD_TYPE=Debug \
  -S ./iplugsdk/Examples/IPlugInstrument \
  -B ./build
cmake --build ./build --config Debug --target VST3

View the built plugin files at:

./iplugsdk/Examples/IPlugInstrument/build

Build the final plugin binaries using:

cmake \
  -G "Xcode" \
  -DCMAKE_BUILD_TYPE=Release \
  -S ./iplugsdk/Examples/IPlugInstrument \
  -B ./build
cmake --build ./build --config Release --target VST3

Rename file if it contains invalid characters/spaces:

mv "./build/Release/IPlugInstrument.vst3" "./build/Release/ipluginstrument.vst3"

Copy any additional files:

cp -v ./src/assets/* ./build/Release
echo -n "BNDL????" > ./build/Release/ipluginstrument.vst3/Contents/PkgInfo

For metadata generation as json use the studiorack-cli:

npm install @studiorack/cli -g

Validate your plugin:

studiorack validate "./build/Release/**/*.{vst,vst3}"

Convert and enrich validator report metadata into json:

studiorack validate "./build/Release/**/*.{vst,vst3}" --json

Build (automatic)

Release a plugin version on GitHub by simply creating a version tag:

git tag v0.0.1
git push && git push origin --tags

This will run an automated build and release process on GitHub Actions:

.github/workflows/release.yml

Resources & guides

• iPlug framework source code and examples
• Official iPlug guide to creating VST audio plugins

Contact

For more information please contact kmturley