jbisgrove / gen-plugin-export

Build audio applications and plugins with gen~

gen~ Plugin Export

This is an example project that should help you get started with building your own VST3 plugins and iOS applications with the help of the code-export feature of gen~, part of Max 8 made by Cycling '74.

It is based on the JUCE Framework. Please be aware that the JUCE has its own license terms (mostly GPL with the availability of commercial licenses). See their website for further details.

File structure

Most of the code is located within the misc/ directory. So that the launch patcher is available from the Extras dropdown in Max, it lives in the extras/ directory.

Some notable files/directories:

Location	Explanation
extras/GenPluginExport.maxpat	main Max patcher to automate building plugins
misc/exported-code/	the folder where gen~ will export C++ code
misc/CoreAudioUtilityClasses/	required for building Audio Units
misc/Source-App/	Source for iOS Application - feel free to edit (includes sample UI)
misc/Source-Plugin/	Source for Audio Plugins - feel free to edit
misc/JUCE/	The JUCE framework - do not edit these

Build locations

Location	Explanation
misc/build/App-Builds/	iOS projects
misc/build/AU-Builds/	AudioIUnit projects
misc/build/VST3-Builds/	VST3 projects

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Prerequisites

• Download and install CMake. Version 3.18 or higher is required.
• (MacOS) Download and install Xcode. We have tested using Xcode 12.
• (Windows) Download and install Visual Studio 2019. Community Edition is enough!

How to use

Everything you need to build a plugin is outlined in GenPluginExport.maxpat.

In short here are the steps:

1. Begin with a gen~ patcher. In the inspector, change the export name attribute to C74_GENPLUGIN.
2. Export the C++ code from gen~ using the codeexport message. Export to the misc/exported-code directory of this package. You should eventually see
   • misc/exported-code/gen_dsp/
   • misc/exported-code/C74_GENPLUGIN.cpp
   • misc/exported-code/C74_GENPLUGIN.h
3. Open a Terminal (MacOS) or PowerShell (Windows) window. Run following command to move to the misc/build directory:
   • cd && cd "Documents/Max 8/Packages/gen~ Plugin Export/misc/build
   • (This assumes that this package is installed at Documents/Max 8/Packages/gen~ Plugin Export/)
4. In the same Terminal/PowerShell window, generate the CMake project with cmake ..
5. Again, in the same window, build the plugin with cmake --build --config Release .

Customization

Plugin building is based on the JUCE Framework. Please refer to tutorials from JUCE on building UIs, for instance.

Enjoy!