Plogue

Plogue Art et Technologie, commonly known as Plogue, is a Canadian software company that develops digital audio software for musicians, sound designers, and educators. Based in Montreal, it was founded in the 1990s and focuses on modular environments, virtual instruments, and sample-based plug-ins for professional and home studios.

Its best-known products include Bidule, a modular audio workstation that lets users route audio and MIDI between plug-ins and external software; Sforzando, a lightweight SFZ-format sample player; and the ARIA Engine, a scalable sound engine that underpins Plogue’s instruments. The company has also released chips-based instruments such as Chipspeech, a vocal-synthesis plug-in that emulates vintage computer-era timbres, and Chipsounds, a library that recreates classic 8- and 16-bit hardware sounds.

Plogue software runs on Windows and macOS and supports common plugin formats such as VST and AU. Bidule can operate as a standalone application as well as a host for other plug-ins, while Sforzando functions as a plugin in compatible hosts and, in some configurations, as a standalone player. The ARIA-based products emphasize modular routing and cross-platform compatibility.

The company markets its products through its website and authorized dealers; several offerings provide free versions or trial licenses, and Sforzando is distributed as a free SFZ player. Plogue’s tools are used by composers, game audio designers, and educators for music production, sound design, and learning purposes.