Audio Plug-In Developer Program
The Avid Audio Plug-In Developer Program offers you a full range of materials to develop compatible, high-quality effect and virtual instrument plug-ins. As a member, you’ll receive:- Detailed documentation including an SDK, technical notes and code examples to get you started quickly
- Access to a dedicated staff of developer support engineers to support your work
- Access to a variety of print, event and web-based co-marketing services to market your products to our mutual customers
- Guidelines to test your product with Pro Tools systems to enhance their quality and compatibility
- Discounts on the purchase of Avid products
- Invitations to Development Partners Conferences and other community events
As you decide whether to create an audio plug-in for the Avid platform, here are some important things to know:
- If you join the program, you must execute a license that includes a confidentiality agreement and some restrictions on how Avid’s developer materials are used.
- You must be willing to make your product available for retail sale to end-users. We don’t offer our developer materials or services for academic use, experimentation, or “just to check them out.”
- The only third party plug-ins that we allow through this program are software based effects and virtual instruments. If you have an idea for a different type of product, please have a look at our other programs, particularly the Audio Workflow Solutions program.
- You need to be familiar with C++ object-oriented programming, and in the case of TDM plug-ins, Motorola 56K DSP assembly language. Familiarity with the Avid product you are targeting for plug-in development is also important.
- There are three types of plug-ins that are compatible with Avid products:
- TDM: A real-time audio processing specification to support effects and software-based instruments running on the Motorola 56K DSP platform
- RTAS: A host-based real-time audio processing specification for effects and software-based instruments
- AudioSuite (AS):A file-based (non-real-time) audio processing specification for effects, including time-domain effects like time compression and expansion).
- These three major Avid product lines support audio plug-ins:
- Pro Tools: The world-leading digital audio production platform developed by Avid (TDM, RTAS, AudioSuite)
- VENUE: Avid's state-of-the-art live sound production platform (TDM)
- Media Composer: Avid’s industry-standard line of video editing solutions (AudioSuite)
Here is an overview of what types of audio plug-ins operating on each major Avid product line:
| Avid Product Line | Plug-in Type | Operating System | Product Type | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| TDM | RTAS | AS | OS X | Win XP | Win Vista | Effects | Instruments | |
| Pro Tools | ● | ● | ● | ● | ● | ● | ● | ● |
| Venue | ● | ● | ● | |||||
| Media Composer | ● | ● | ● | ● | ● | |||
We truly appreciate your interest in the Avid Audio Plug-In Developer Program and we look forward to working with you.