manual/include/working-with-plugins.html

<p>
  <dfn>Plugins</dfn> are bits of software that get loaded by Ardour in order to:</p>
<ul>
  <li>Create various audio or MIDI effects</li>
  <li>Generate audio by functioning as "software instruments"</li>
</ul>

<p>
  They are usually written by 3rd parties, though a few
  <a href="@@bundled-plugins">come bundled with Ardour</a> (some are only
  available in official builds distributed from ardour.org). The sources for
  plugins are many and varied; see <a href="@@getting-more-plugins">here</a>
  for some information on how to get them.
</p>

<p>
  Ardour supports a variety of different plugin standards:
</p>

<table class="dl">
  <tr>
    <th><abbr title="Linux Audio Developers' Simple Plugin API">LADSPA</abbr></th>
    <td>
      An early, simple, lightweight plugin <abbr title="Application
      Programming Interface">API</abbr>, audio effects only, plugins have no
      editors/GUI of their own (Ardour provides one, however).</td>
  </tr>
  <tr>
    <th><abbr title="LADSPA Version 2">LV2</abbr></th>
    <td>
      An extensible, full-featured plugin API, audio and <abbr
      title="Musical Instrument Digital Interface">MIDI</abbr>, plugins can
      provide their own  <abbr title="Graphical User Interface">GUI</abbr>s but
      may use the one Ardour provides instead.
    </td>
  </tr>
  <tr>
    <th><abbr title="Audio Unit">AU</abbr></th>
    <td>
      OS X only, full featured, audio and MIDI, plugins can provide their own
      GUI
    </td>
  </tr>
  <tr>
    <th><abbr title="Virtual Studio Technology">VST</abbr></th>
    <td>
      Plugins using Steinberg's VST2 and VST3 plugin standard.
    </td>
  </tr>
</table>

<h2>Adding/Removing/Copying Plugins</h2>

<p>
  Within Ardour, plugins are just another type of <dfn>Processor</dfn> and so
  the techniques for adding/removing/copying/moving processors apply to plugins
  as well. These techniques are covered on the
  <a href="@@processor-box">Processor Box</a> page.
</p>