What is a VST plugin?
A VST plugin is a piece of software — an instrument or an effect — that loads inside a DAW using Virtual Studio Technology, the plugin standard Steinberg introduced in 1996. Veena, the free AI DAW in your browser, loads the VST3 and AU plugins you already own through its Veena Bridge helper, so what's on your hard drive plays in your browser projects.
Instruments and effects
Plugins come in two kinds. Instruments, often called VSTi, take MIDI notes in and make sound: synths, samplers, drum machines, orchestral libraries. Effects take audio in and change it: EQ, compression, reverb, delay, saturation. A DAW chains them on each part, instrument first and effects after, and saves every setting with the project.
VST3 and AU
| Format | Made by | Runs on | In Veena |
|---|---|---|---|
| VST3 | Steinberg | Windows and Mac | Mac and Windows, through Veena Bridge |
| AU (Audio Units) | Apple | Mac only | Mac, through Veena Bridge |
Plugin files live in fixed folders on your computer, and the host scans them to build its list. That's why installing a plugin is a one-time job: every host on the machine finds it there.
What is a VST plugin doing inside your DAW?
While a project plays, the DAW hands each plugin a short block of audio or MIDI, and the plugin processes it and hands it back before the next block is due. Because plugins are native programs built for your operating system, a web page can't load one on its own. A browser DAW needs a bridge: a small app on your computer that runs the plugin and streams its sound into the page.
Your plugins in Veena
Install Veena Bridge once. It's a small signed helper for Mac and Windows that runs quietly in the background and hosts your plugins on your own machine. Then open a clip's FX tab and add one from the VST slot, or give a MIDI clip a VSTi to play the part through Serum, Kontakt or any instrument you own. Plugin windows open natively. CoProducer weighs your installed plugins against Veena's built-in sounds and starts from their real presets, and in a shared session the computer that has the plugin renders its audio for collaborators who don't. Setup steps: VST and AU plugins in Veena. Related: what a DAW is and what an online DAW is. Bring your plugins to a free project.
Try this in Veena
Build a 140 BPM melodic trap beat in C# minor with punchy 808s that glide, rolling hi-hat triplets, a dark bell-like pluck melody and a wide pad, 8-bar intro into a 16-bar hook
Frequently asked questions
Can Veena load VST plugins?
Yes, through the Veena Bridge helper app: VST3 and AU plugins on a Mac, VST3 on Windows, instruments and effects alike. Veena is an AI DAW with a personal music producer built in. Describe the song you want and CoProducer builds it with you — beats, chords, melody, arrangement and mix — as real tracks you can edit, mix and export. Free, in your browser.
What's the difference between VST3 and AU?
VST3 is the current version of Steinberg's plugin standard and runs on Windows and Mac. AU (Audio Units) is Apple's format and runs only on macOS. Most plugin makers ship both in one installer. Veena Bridge hosts both on a Mac and VST3 on Windows, so the plugins you already own open inside your Veena projects.
What is a VSTi?
A VSTi is a VST instrument: a synth, sampler or drum machine that turns MIDI notes into sound, where a VST effect processes audio that already exists, like an EQ or a reverb. In Veena, a MIDI clip can play through one of your installed instruments, and any clip can run your effects, through Veena Bridge.
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Free, in your browser. Describe the song you want and CoProducer builds it with you.
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