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The built-in plugins had no ring modulator, and AudioSuite > Modulation > Sci-Fi ran the Flanger instead. Ring Modulator (`ring_mod`, Modulation category, also offline as AudioSuite) has four effects: Ring multiplies the input by a sine carrier, Frequency Mod reads the input through a delay the carrier swings by 1 ms, and Resonator + and Resonator - feed the output back after one period of the frequency with a positive or a negative sign. At full depth an LFO or sample and hold moves the frequency by up to two octaves either way, and an envelope follower raises it by up to two octaves. AudioSuite > Modulation > Sci-Fi now opens it. The Total row in docs/plugin-parity.md now counts 25 processors and 3 instruments, the entries in the built-in registry.
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Plugin parity: built-in processors and plugin hosting
Last reviewed: 2026-10-10 · Last updated: 2026-10-23 · Change: trivial (Ring Modulator; previously trivial: Sampler ping-pong loop phase (#463); previously minor: plugin editors on Windows) · Target: Avid Pro Tools Ultimate 2026.4.1
Pro Tools users live in plugins: the bundled set covers everyday mixing, and third-party plugins cover the rest. This doc tracks both. Our plugins have our own names and are written from scratch (clean-room rule): Avid plugin names are not used here, only categories.
Built-in plugins and AudioSuite: breadth ~40 %, ready ~35 % (80–120 h). Third-party hosting: breadth ~70 %, ready ~45 % (40–60 h). Both estimated.
Built-in processors (measured from crates/dsp/src/plugins)
| Category | Pro Tools bundles (approx., by category) | SoundCraft (ids) | Gap |
|---|---|---|---|
| EQ | 1-band and 7-band EQ, channel strip, vintage EQ models | eq_1band, eq_7band, channel_strip |
Vintage models, linear phase, dynamic EQ; parametric UI (#139) |
| Dynamics | compressor/limiter, expander/gate, de-esser, maximizer, vintage compressors, multiband | compressor, expander_gate, de_esser, maximizer |
Vintage/opto models, multiband, sidechain input (no key input anywhere) |
| Reverb | algorithmic room/plate/hall; convolution (paid tier) | room_reverb, plate_reverb |
Hall/chamber, convolution, early-reflection editor |
| Delay | modulated delay, tape/analog delays | mod_delay |
Tape, ping-pong, multi-tap, tempo-sync depth |
| Modulation | chorus, flanger, phaser, tremolo, ring/frequency shift | chorus, flanger, phaser, ring_mod (ring, frequency modulation, positive and negative resonators; LFO, envelope or sample-and-hold modulation) |
Tremolo, auto-pan, frequency shift |
| Harmonic | lo-fi, rectifier, amp simulation, saturation, tape | lofi, rectifier, saturator |
Amp and cabinet models, tape |
| Pitch and time | pitch shift, varispeed effects, time shift | pitch_shifter, time_shift |
Formant control, varispeed effect, pitch correction |
| Utility | trim, gain, invert, DC offset, signal generator, dither, time adjuster | trim, gain, invert, dc_offset_removal, signal_generator, dither |
Time adjuster, meter/analyzer plugins, noise shaping options |
| Instruments | several virtual instruments (multi-sampler, piano, drum machine, organ, synths, sample player; Massive X Player added in 2026.4) | subtractive_synth, drum_synth; mix.instrument takes the instrument's parameters in params and refuses unknown fields (#265). The sampler's ping-pong loop keeps its phase when a step is wider than the loop (#463). |
Sampler (PR #108 open), piano, organ, wavetable, content library |
| Total | ≈ 80 processors and instruments (estimate from Avid's bundle documentation) | 25 processors + 3 instruments |
AudioSuite: every catalog AudioSuite leaf maps to one of our processes (AUDIOSUITE in
crates/ui-egui/src/menus.rs), so the AudioSuite menu is 100 % present. Depth: no preview,
handles, "clip by clip / entire selection" and multi-input modes beyond the basics; hosted
plugins can't be used offline as AudioSuite yet.
Fidelity: unmeasured. Nothing compares a SoundCraft processor's frequency response, gain
reduction curve or reverb tail with the Pro Tools equivalent (G-07 in gaps.md).
User report #152: a saved instrument level does not reach the bounce.
Third-party plugin hosting
| Feature | Pro Tools | SoundCraft | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Plugin format | AAX only (Native and DSP) | CLAP, VST3, Audio Units (macOS) | Users' libraries mostly ship VST3/AU too. AAX (#109) needs Avid's SDK licence and PACE signing: owner decision, likely never |
| VST2, LV2, LADSPA | — | ❌ (#30) | Beyond Pro Tools; VST2 SDK is no longer licensable |
| Scan, vendor menus, instrument picker | ✅ | ✅ | #23 |
| Audio, parameters, automation, latency (PDC) | ✅ | ✅ | |
| Notes / MIDI to instruments | ✅ | ✅ | But no live MIDI input (G-02) |
| State saved in sessions, presets | ✅ | ✅ | |
| Create/destroy off the audio thread | ✅ | ✅ | |
| Editors: CLAP | — | 🟡 floating windows; embedded editors on Windows | Embedded on macOS/Linux missing |
| Editors: VST3 | — | 🟡 macOS (verified with a commercial pitch editor) and Windows (verified with a free JUCE compressor) | Linux views missing |
| Editors: AU | — | ❌ | Cocoa view hosting missing |
| Multiple editor pages | ✅ | 🟡 | #6 |
| macOS hardened-runtime entitlement for third-party code | ✅ | ❌ | #153, #149 — signed builds refuse third-party VST3 |
| Sidechain / key input | ✅ | ❌ | All three hosts |
| ARA 2 (pitch/time editors in the timeline) | ✅ | ❌ | Menu leaves Track/Clip/Window ▸ ARA still missing |
| Crash isolation | in-process (DSP on HDX) | in-process | Out-of-process hosting would beat Pro Tools |
| Plugin delay reporting changes on the fly | ✅ | 🟡 | Aux insert latency bug #103 (PR #133) |
Revision history
| Date | Change | Summary |
|---|---|---|
| 2026-10-23 | trivial | Modulation: Ring Modulator (ring_mod), also used by the AudioSuite Modulation menu |
| 2026-10-13 | trivial | Sampler ping-pong loop phase (#463) |
| 2026-10-13 | trivial | mix.instrument sets built-in instrument parameters in params (#265) |
| 2026-10-12 | minor | Editors: VST3 and embedded CLAP editors on Windows |
| 2026-10-10 | major | Created: built-in processor inventory by category and third-party hosting checklist |