---
layout: default
-title: Working with Plugins
+title: Working With Plugins
---
-
- <p>Plugins are bits of software that get loaded by Ardour in order to:</p>
+
+<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>
+ <li>Create various audio or MIDI effects
+ </li>
+ <li>Generate audio by functioning as "software instruments"
+ </li>
</ul>
-<p>Plugins are written by 3rd parties, and Ardour supports a variety of different plugin standards:</p>
+
+<p>Ardour does not come with any built-in signal processors of its own
+(other than volume faders) and it also generally doesn't ship with any
+plugins. They are written by 3rd parties, though we do provide <a href="/working-with-plugins/getting-plugins/">some
+ information on how to get them</a>.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Ardour supports a variety of different plugin standards:
+</p>
<dl class="narrower-table">
-<dt>LADSPA</dt>
-<dd>An early, simple, lightweight plugin API, audio effects only, plugins have no editors/GUI of their own</dd>
-<dt>LV2</dt>
-<dd>An extensible, full-featured plugin API, audio and MIDI, plugins can provide their own editors/GUIs</dd>
-<dt>AudioUnit</dt>
-<dd>OS X only, full featured, audio and MIDI, plugins can provide their own GUI</dd>
-<dt>Linux VST</dt>
-<dd>Plugins using Steinberg's VST plugin standard but compiled specifically for Linux</dd>
-<dt>Windows VST</dt>
-<dd>Plugins using Steinberg's VST plugin standard but compiled for Windows. <em>Support for this plugin format is not available in regular builds of Ardour. <a href="/working-with-plugins/windows-vst-support">Read more...</a></em>
-</dd>
-</dl>
-<h2>Adding/Removing/Copying Plugins</h2>
-<p>Within Ardour, plugins are just another type of <code>Processor</code> and so the techniques for adding/removing/copying/moving processors apply to plugins as well. These techniques are covered on the <a href="/working-with-plugins/the-processor-box">Processor Box</a> page.</p>
-
+ <dt><abbr title="Linux Audio Developers' Simple Plugin API">LADSPA</abbr></dt>
+ <dd>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).</dd>
+ <dt><abbr title="LADSPA Version 2">LV2</abbr></dt>
+ <dd>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</dd>
+ <dt><abbr title="Audio Unit">AU</abbr></dt>
+ <dd>OS X only, full featured, audio and MIDI, plugins can provide their own GUI</dd>
+
+ <dt><abbr title="Virtual Studio Technology">VST</abbr></dt>
+ <dd>Plugins using Steinberg's VST plugin standard. Varies by platform:
+ <dl>
+ <dt>on Linux</dt><dd>(native) Linux VST plugins fully supported (VST2.4)</dd>
+ <dt>on Windows</dt><dd>(native) Windows VST plugins fully supported (VST2.4)</dd>
+ <dt>on OS X</dt><dd>Not supported, unless you use a VST<>AU
+ bridge plugin. Similar to Apple's Logic DAW.</dd>
+ </dl>
+ </dd>
+ <dt>Windows VST Plugins on Linux</dt>
+ <dd>VST plugins for Windows, but being used on Linux. <em>Not
+ supported by normal builds of Ardour. <a href="/working-with-plugins/windows-vst-support">Read
+ more...</a></em>
+ </dd>
+</dl>
+<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="/working-with-plugins/processor-box">Processor
+Box</a> page.</p>
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projects / ardour-manual / blobdiff