VSTi

VSTi, short for Virtual Studio Technology instrument, is a class of software plug-ins that generate audio within a digital audio workstation (DAW). It is part of the VST standard, originally developed by Steinberg in 1996. The VST ecosystem distinguishes instrument plugins (VSTi) from effect plugins (VSTfx). VSTi plugins are software synthesizers, samplers, or other sound-generating tools that receive MIDI input and produce audio output that can be routed through the host’s mixer.

VSTi can emulate traditional hardware synthesizers, replicate acoustic instruments through sampling, or implement various synthesis techniques such as subtractive, FM, wavetable, granular, or physical modeling. They may offer features like multi-timbral performance, programmable envelopes, LFOs, and effects processing. They are widely used in music production, film scoring, and game audio for creating and shaping sounds.

In typical use, a DAW loads one or more VSTi plugins as instruments on tracks. The producer plays or programs notes via MIDI, while the VSTi generates the corresponding audio in real time. VSTi are supported across major operating systems, notably Windows and macOS, with varying host compatibility on other platforms. The VST framework has evolved through versions such as VST2 and VST3, with VST3 providing added capabilities and improved performance for modern hosts.