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VST 3 Units

On this page:

• Introduction
• Unit details
• Examples

Related pages:

• Presets & Program Lists
• Complex Plug-in Structures / Multi-timbral Instruments

Introduction

A unit is a logical section of the plug-in.

For example, an EQ section can be a unit. The purposes of units are:

• To reveal the internal logical structure of the plug-in
• To organize parameters by associating them with units
• To Support program lists
• To support handling of Complex Plug-in Structures / Multi-timbral Instruments
  • Multiple program lists (associated with a unit)
  • Access to program list data
  • Associations of MIDI tracks and units
  • Synchronization of plug-in GUI and host GUI

Unit details

• The plug-in can define any number and any kind of units. The semantics of a unit is not important.

• Units are organized in a hierarchical way. Each unit can contain sub-units.

• The root unit of this hierarchy is always present (explicit or implicit) and has ID '0'. A plug-in that does not define any further units simply consist of unit '0'.

• The plug-in has to assign a unique ID to each further unit it defines and must provide a suitable name for it to be shown in the GUI (Steinberg::Vst::UnitInfo).

• Each unit can 'contain' parameters. All parameters of the plug-in are managed and published by the Steinberg::Vst::IEditController, but each parameter can be associated with a unit. (Steinberg::Vst::ParameterInfo::unitId). A host can organize the list of parameters in a tree view reflecting the unit hierarchy as nodes.

• Each unit can be associated with a program list. (See Complex Plug-in Structures / Multi-timbral Instruments)

• A unit can be associated with specific busses. There can be any kind of combination, but the VST 3 interfaces only define queries for special situations. (See Units and Tracks)

Most things of interest in regard to units are GUI related, so the access interface Steinberg::Vst::IUnitInfo needs to be implemented as extension of the edit controller.

See also Steinberg::Vst::IUnitInfo, Presets & Program Lists.

Examples

• Example of a plug-in (MultibandCompressor from Cubase pluginset) with structured parameters list that can be used by the host, here in Cubase for selecting a parameter to automate:

  

• Example of a plug-in (VST Amp Rack from Cubase pluginset) with structured parameters list visualized in the Parameters tab of the PluginTestHost application:

  

• Example of using the unit structure of HALion Sonic SE inside Cakewalk for automation selection: