Building Plugins with YUP

July 3, 2026 · View on GitHub

This guide explains how to create audio plugins using the YUP framework. YUP supports multiple plugin formats including CLAP, VST3, and more.

Basic Plugin Structure

A basic YUP plugin consists of the following components:

  1. A processor class that handles audio processing
  2. An editor class for the plugin's user interface
  3. Plugin format-specific wrapper code

Here's a minimal example of a plugin:

#include <yup_audio_plugin_client/yup_audio_plugin_client.h>

class MyPluginProcessor : public yup::AudioProcessor
{
public:
    MyPluginProcessor()
    {
        // Add parameters
        addParameter (gainParameter = yup::AudioParameterBuilder{}
            .withID ("gain")
            .withName ("Gain")
            .withRange (0.0f, 1.0f)
            .withDefault (0.5f)
            .build());
    }

    void prepareToPlay (double sampleRate, int samplesPerBlock) override
    {
        // Initialize processing resources

        gain = yup::AudioParameterHandle (*gainParameter, sampleRate);
    }

    void releaseResources() override
    {
        // Clean up resources
    }

    void processBlock (yup::AudioBuffer<float>& audioBuffer, yup::MidiBuffer& midiMessages) override
    {
        if (gain.updateNextAudioBlock())
        {
            float currentGain = gain.getCurrentValue();
            float destinationGain = gain.skip (audioBuffer.getNumSamples());

            audioBuffer.applyGainRamp (0, audioBuffer.getNumSamples(), currentGain, destinationGain);
        }
        else
        {
            audioBuffer.applyGain (gain.getCurrentValue());
        }
    }

    bool hasEditor() const override { return true; }
    yup::AudioProcessorEditor* createEditor() override;

private:
    yup::AudioParameter::Ptr gainParameter;
    yup::AudioParameterHandle gain;
};

class MyPluginEditor : public yup::AudioProcessorEditor
{
public:
    MyPluginEditor (MyPluginProcessor& p)
        : AudioProcessorEditor (&p)
        , processor (p)
    {
        setSize (400, 300);
    }

    void paint (yup::Graphics& g) override
    {
        g.fillAll (findColour (yup::ResizableWindow::backgroundColourId));
    }

private:
    MyPluginProcessor& processor;
};

yup::AudioProcessorEditor* MyPluginProcessor::createEditor() override
{
    return new MyPluginEditor (*this);
}

// Plugin entry point
extern "C" yup::AudioProcessor* createPluginProcessor()
{
    return new MyPluginProcessor();
}

Building with CMake

Create a CMakeLists.txt file for your plugin:

cmake_minimum_required (VERSION 3.31)

set (target_name my_plugin)
set (target_version "0.0.1")
project (${target_name} VERSION ${target_version})

include (FetchContent)

FetchContent_Declare(
  yup
  GIT_REPOSITORY https://github.com/kunitoki/yup.git
  GIT_TAG        main)

set (YUP_BUILD_EXAMPLES OFF)
set (YUP_BUILD_TESTS OFF)
FetchContent_MakeAvailable(yup)

# Create the plugin target
yup_audio_plugin (
    TARGET_NAME ${target_name}
    TARGET_VERSION ${target_version}
    TARGET_IDE_GROUP "MyPlugin"
    TARGET_APP_ID "com.mycompany.${target_name}"
    TARGET_APP_NAMESPACE "com.mycompany"
    TARGET_CXX_STANDARD 20
    PLUGIN_ID "com.mycompany.MyPlugin"
    PLUGIN_NAME "MyPlugin"
    PLUGIN_VENDOR "com.mycompany"
    PLUGIN_EMAIL "support@mycompany.com"
    PLUGIN_VERSION "${target_version}"
    PLUGIN_DESCRIPTION "The best audio plugin ever."
    PLUGIN_URL "https://www.mycompany.com"
    PLUGIN_IS_SYNTH OFF
    PLUGIN_IS_MONO OFF
    PLUGIN_CREATE_CLAP ON
    PLUGIN_CREATE_VST3 ON
    PLUGIN_CREATE_AU ON
    PLUGIN_CREATE_STANDALONE ON
    MODULES
        yup::yup_gui
        yup::yup_audio_processors)

# Add source files
file (GLOB sources "${CMAKE_CURRENT_LIST_DIR}/*.cpp")
source_group (TREE ${CMAKE_CURRENT_LIST_DIR}/ FILES ${sources})
target_sources (${target_name}_shared PUBLIC ${sources})

Building for Different Platforms

macOS

cmake -G "Xcode" . -B build -DYUP_ENABLE_TESTS=OFF -DYUP_ENABLE_EXAMPLES=OFF
cmake --build build --config Release

Windows

cmake -G "Visual Studio 17 2022" -A x64 . -B build -DYUP_ENABLE_TESTS=OFF -DYUP_ENABLE_EXAMPLES=OFF
cmake --build build --config Release

Linux

cmake -G "Ninja" . -B build -DYUP_ENABLE_TESTS=OFF -DYUP_ENABLE_EXAMPLES=OFF
cmake --build build --config Release

Plugin Installation

macOS

  • VST3: ~/Library/Audio/Plug-Ins/VST3/
  • AU: ~/Library/Audio/Plug-Ins/Components/
  • AUv3: ~/Library/Audio/Plug-Ins/AppExtensions/
  • CLAP: ~/Library/Audio/Plug-Ins/CLAP/
  • AAX: ~/Application Support/Avid/Audio/Plug-Ins/

Windows

  • VST3: C:\Program Files\Common Files\VST3\
  • CLAP: C:\Program Files\Common Files\CLAP\

Linux

  • VST3: ~/.vst3/
  • CLAP: ~/.clap/

Best Practices

  1. Parameter Management

    • Use addParameter() in the processor constructor
    • Handle parameter changes in processBlock()

  2. Editor Design

    • Keep the editor lightweight
    • Handle resizing appropriately

  3. Resource Management

    • Initialize resources in prepareToPlay()
    • Clean up in releaseResources()
    • Use RAII for resource management

  4. Performance

    • Minimize allocations in the audio thread
    • Use SIMD operations when possible
    • Profile your plugin for CPU usage

  5. Testing

    • Test your plugin in different DAWs
    • Verify parameter automation
    • Check for memory leaks
    • Test different sample rates and buffer sizes

Common Issues and Solutions

  1. Plugin Not Showing Up

    • Verify installation path
    • Check plugin format compatibility
    • Ensure proper permissions

  2. Audio Issues

    • Verify buffer sizes
    • Check for denormal numbers
    • Monitor CPU usage

  3. UI Problems

    • Handle window resizing
    • Manage component lifetimes
    • Test different DPI settings

Additional Resources