Audio plugins are software components that add a specific feature to an existing computer program, thus enabling customization. Plugins are self-contained pieces of code that you can plug in to digital audio workstations (DAWs) to improve their functionality. They can enhance any computer software by adding sound synthesis or digital signal processing. Plus, they add audio-related richness using their own interface. This interface involves GUI widgets that allow control and visualization of the plugin parameters. Moreover, the software to load audio plugins is the plugin host.
Plugins and GUI Widgets
A GUI widget is a graphical control in a graphical user interface that works as an element of interaction. These widgets display either as buttons or scroll bars. They are software components that allow interaction through direct manipulation of the hardware. Its aim is to read and edit essential application data.
Each widget helps with a specific type of user-hardware interaction. Many widgets allow interaction with the user. When the user interface has widget toolkits, producers can reuse different codes for similar tasks, maintaining consistency and offering a common language between users.
Plugins: Categories
Plugins can fall into different categories, including audio signal processing, analysis, and sound synthesis. To be more specific, plugins can be classified into those that create new audio samples, those that transform existing audio samples, and those that analyze existing audio samples. New audio samples emerge from a sound synthesis process.
The most common types of plugins are effects units, audio monitoring tools, as well as instruments.
Conclusions
Plugins are quite helpful, but not essential, when trying to create a good mix. Professional producers agree that there are three main things to have in mind when creating music. The first one is the quality of the input audio. The second one, the quality of the hardware. Last but not least, the skills of the user. To achieve a higher audio quality, it is essential to create a good mix with the adequate tempo and notations, with the correct microphone, and with high-quality audio interfaces. High-quality hardware is also necessary for editing and recording. And those user skills? Well, one builds them over time!
