OwnVst3Host

A powerful, cross-platform C# wrapper for VST3 plugins with built-in visual editor support using Avalonia UI.

Features

• 🎹 Full VST3 Support - Load and control VST3 instruments and effects with complete API coverage
• 🖥️ Cross-Platform Editors - Display plugin UIs seamlessly on Windows, macOS, and Linux using Avalonia
• 🎛️ Parameter Control - Get, set, and monitor plugin parameters programmatically
• 🎵 MIDI Support - Send MIDI events to VST3 instruments
• 🔊 Real-Time Audio Processing - Process audio buffers with native performance
• 🚀 Native Performance - Uses optimized C++ library for minimal overhead
• 📦 Zero Configuration - Automatic platform detection and native library loading

Installation

Install via NuGet Package Manager:

dotnet add package OwnVst3Host

Or via Package Manager Console:

Install-Package OwnVst3Host

Quick Start

Basic Plugin Loading

using OwnVST3Host; // Create wrapper instance (automatic platform detection) var plugin = new OwnVst3Wrapper(); // Load a VST3 plugin plugin.LoadPlugin("/path/to/plugin.vst3"); // Initialize audio engine plugin.Initialize(sampleRate: 44100, bufferSize: 512); // Get plugin information Console.WriteLine($"Name: {plugin.Name}"); Console.WriteLine($"Vendor: {plugin.Vendor}"); Console.WriteLine($"Type: {(plugin.IsInstrument ? "Instrument" : "Effect")}"); // Clean up plugin.Dispose();

Opening Plugin Editor

using OwnVST3Host.Extensions; // Check if plugin has a visual editor if (plugin.HasEditor()) { // Open editor in a new window var editorWindow = plugin.ShowEditor(); // Check if editor is currently open bool isOpen = editorWindow.IsEditorActive; }

Working with Parameters

// Get parameter count int paramCount = plugin.GetParameterCount(); // Get parameter information var paramInfo = plugin.GetParameterInfo(0); Console.WriteLine($"{paramInfo.Name}: {paramInfo.CurrentValue}"); // Set parameter value (normalized 0.0 - 1.0) plugin.SetParameterValue(0, 0.5); // Get current parameter value double value = plugin.GetParameterValue(0);

Processing Audio

// Prepare audio buffers float[] inputBuffer = new float[512]; float[] outputBuffer = new float[512]; // Process audio plugin.ProcessAudio(inputBuffer, outputBuffer, sampleCount: 512);

Sending MIDI Events

// Send a MIDI note on message plugin.SendMidiEvent( status: 0x90, // Note On data1: 60, // Middle C data2: 100 // Velocity ); // Send a MIDI note off message plugin.SendMidiEvent( status: 0x80, // Note Off data1: 60, // Middle C data2: 0 // Velocity );

Finding VST3 Plugins

// Get default VST3 directories for current platform string[] directories = OwnVst3Wrapper.GetDefaultVst3Directories(); // Find all VST3 plugins in default locations List<string> plugins = OwnVst3Wrapper.FindVst3Plugins(); foreach (string pluginPath in plugins) { Console.WriteLine($"Found: {Path.GetFileName(pluginPath)}"); } // Get diagnostic information string info = OwnVst3Wrapper.GetVst3DirectoriesInfo(); Console.WriteLine(info);

Platform Support

Platform	Supported	Architectures
Windows	✅	x64, x86
macOS	✅	x64, ARM64 (Apple Silicon)
Linux	✅	x64

Native libraries are automatically selected based on your runtime platform and architecture.

API Reference

Core Methods

Method	Description
LoadPlugin(path)	Load a VST3 plugin from the specified path
Initialize(sampleRate, bufferSize)	Initialize the audio processing engine
ProcessAudio(input, output, samples)	Process audio buffers
Dispose()	Release all resources and clean up

Editor Support

Method	Description
HasEditor()	Check if the plugin has a visual editor
ShowEditor()	Open the editor in a new window
ShowEditor(owner)	Open the editor as a child of the owner window
IsEditorActive	Check if the editor is currently open

Parameters

Method	Description
GetParameterCount()	Get the total number of parameters
GetParameterValue(index)	Get the current value of a parameter (0.0 - 1.0)
SetParameterValue(index, value)	Set a parameter value (0.0 - 1.0)
GetParameterInfo(index)	Get parameter metadata (name, units, etc.)

MIDI

Method	Description
SendMidiEvent(status, data1, data2)	Send a MIDI message to the plugin
IsInstrument	Check if the plugin is a MIDI instrument

Plugin Information

Property	Description
Name	Plugin name
Vendor	Plugin vendor/manufacturer
Version	Plugin version string
IsInstrument	Whether the plugin is an instrument
IsEffect	Whether the plugin is an effect

Requirements

• .NET 9.0 or higher
• Avalonia 11.2.3 (automatically included)

License

This project is licensed under the MIT License. See the LICENSE.txt file for details.

Support

• Issues & Questions: GitHub Issues
• Source Code: GitHub Repository
• Support the Project: Buy Me a Coffee

Acknowledgments

• Built on top of the VST3 SDK
• UI rendering powered by Avalonia UI