Plugin Compatibility

This page lists known compatibility information for VST/AU plugins with DawDreamer. Compatibility can vary by operating system and plugin format.

Note

This is a community-maintained list. If you’ve tested a plugin not listed here, please open an issue to share your results.

Legend

✔️ = Works
❌ = Does not work
❔ = Unknown/untested

Effect Plugins

Plugin Name	OS	Format	Support?	Preset Support	Notes
Bloom	Windows	.dll	✔️	❔
CHOWTapeModel	Windows	.dll	✔️	❔
Dimension Expander	Windows	.dll	✔️	N/A
Goodhertz	Windows	.vst3, .dll	✔️	❔
IEM Plugins	Windows	.dll	✔️	❔	.vst3 doesn’t work
IEM Plugins	Linux	❔	❌	❔	Incorrect output
RoughRider3	macOS	.vst3, .vst, .component	✔️	❔
TAL-Chorus-LX	Windows	.vst3, .dll	✔️	❔
Szechuan Saturator	Windows	.vst3	✔️	❔
Valhalla Freq Echo	macOS	.component	✔️	❔
Valhalla Freq Echo	macOS	.vst, .vst3	❌	❔	Usually outputs NaN

Instrument/Synthesizer Plugins

Plugin Name	OS	Format	Support?	Preset Type	Notes
Addictive Drums 2	❔	❔	❌	❔	Issue #67
Dexed 0.9.4	Windows	.dll	✔️	❔
Dexed 0.9.6	Windows	.vst3	❌	❔	Issue #149
Dexed	macOS	.vst3	✔️	❔
Diva	Linux	.so	✔️	❔	Issue #120
Halion	Windows	.dll	❌	❔	Issue #41
Helm	macOS	.vst3, .vst, .component	❌	❔
Kontakt	Windows	.dll	✔️	.nkm	Issue #23
LABS - Spitfire	macOS	.vst, .vst3	✔️	❔	Might need time.sleep(1) - Issue #78
LABS - Spitfire	Windows	.dll	✔️	❔	Issue #86
Repro	Linux	.so	✔️	❔	Issue #120
Serum	Windows	.dll	✔️	.fxp	Presets work
Sylenth1	Windows	.dll	✔️	.fxp	Presets work
TAL-Noisemaker	Windows	.vst3, .dll	✔️	❔
TAL-Noisemaker	macOS	.vst	✔️	❔
Upright Piano	Windows	.dll	✔️	❔

General Compatibility Notes

Format Compatibility

VST3: Generally well-supported across platforms, but some specific plugins have issues
VST2 (.dll, .vst): Widely compatible, especially on Windows
Audio Units (.component): macOS-specific format, generally works well
Linux (.so): Limited testing, but many plugins work

Common Issues

Plugin doesn’t load

Ensure plugin path is absolute
Check plugin format matches OS
Some plugins require authorization/installation before use

NaN (Not a Number) output

Known issue with some VST3 plugins (e.g., Valhalla Freq Echo .vst3)
Try VST2 or AU format if available
Report issue on GitHub with plugin details

UI-dependent plugins

Some plugins require GUI interaction for initialization
May need open_editor() before use
Can cause issues in headless environments

Preset loading fails

Check preset format matches plugin (.fxp, .nkm, .vstpreset, etc.)
Use load_state() for complete plugin state
Some plugins don’t support programmatic preset loading

Platform-Specific Notes

macOS

Audio Units (.component) generally work well
Some .vst3 plugins have issues (try .vst or .component instead)
May need to grant security permissions for unsigned plugins

Windows

Best compatibility overall
.dll (VST2) format most reliable
Some .vst3 plugins work, some don’t (test individually)

Linux

Limited plugin ecosystem compared to Windows/macOS
.so format support varies
Consider using native Faust processors as alternative

Testing Your Plugins

To test a plugin’s compatibility:

import dawdreamer as daw

engine = daw.RenderEngine(44100, 512)

try:
    plugin = engine.make_plugin_processor("test", "/path/to/plugin.dll")
    print(f"✔️ Plugin loaded successfully")
    print(f"Inputs: {plugin.get_num_input_channels()}")
    print(f"Outputs: {plugin.get_num_output_channels()}")

    # Try rendering
    engine.load_graph([(plugin, [])])
    engine.render(1.0)
    audio = engine.get_audio()

    # Check for NaN
    if np.isnan(audio).any():
        print("❌ Output contains NaN values")
    else:
        print("✔️ Rendering successful")

except Exception as e:
    print(f"❌ Error: {e}")

Contributing Compatibility Info

If you test a plugin not listed here:

Test basic loading and rendering
Test preset loading (if applicable)
Check for NaN output or other issues
Open an issue with your findings:
- Plugin name and version
- Operating system
- Plugin format (.dll, .vst3, .component, etc.)
- Whether it works (✔️ or ❌)
- Any special notes or workarounds

Alternative to VST Plugins

If you encounter plugin compatibility issues, consider:

Faust Processor: Write custom DSP code (see Faust Processor)
Built-in processors: Use DawDreamer’s native effects (see Built-In Effect Processors)
Different plugin format: Try .vst instead of .vst3, or .component on macOS