Software
There are a wide range of VST hosts available, including:
- Ableton Live
- ACID Pro
- Adobe Audition
- Adobe Premiere Elements
- Adobe Premiere Pro
- Ardour (open source)
- Audacity (only the Beta version (now Audacity 2.x) displays full VST graphical interfaces) (open source, Windows and Mac platforms only)
- AudioMulch
- Bidule
- DarkWave Studio
- Deckadance
- Digital Performer (version 8 or higher)
- Steinberg Cubase
- Steinberg Nuendo
- Steinberg Wavelab
- FL Studio
- Giada - Your Hardcore Loopmachine
- Kore
- LMMS (open source)
- Max MSP
- MadTracker 2
- Acoustica Mixcraft
- ModPlug Tracker
- MU.LAB
- Musagi
- NOTION
- Orion
- Podium
- PreSonus Studio One
- REAPER
- Renoise
- Samplitude
- Usine
- SSL Soundscape
- Sonar
- Vienna Ensemble Pro
- WavePad Sound Editor
- SADiE 6
- Turbo Play
- PowerDirector WaveEditor
- Mitov Software's AudioLab
There are also stand-alone "dedicated hosts" whose sole purpose is to serve as a host for the VST plugins rather than as an extension of their sequencing or audio capabilities. These are usually optimized for live performance use, with features like fast song configuration switching. Examples of popular dedicated VST host software include:
- Cantabile
- Brainspawn Forte
- Chainer
- eLektra Performance System (for 4 or 5 string electric violin only)
- LiveProfessor
- SAVIHost
- Tobybear MiniHost
- Vienna Ensemble Pro
- VSTHost
- Turbo Play
VST plugins can be hosted in incompatible environments using a translation layer, or shim. For example, FL Studio fundamentally supports only its own internal plugin architecture, but a native "wrapper" plugin exists that can, in turn, load VST plugins, among others. As another example, FXpansion offers a VST to RTAS (Real Time AudioSuite) wrapper (allowing VST plugins to be hosted in the popular Pro Tools digital audio workstation), and a VST to Audio Units wrapper (allowing VST plugins to be hosted in Apple Logic Pro Digital Audio Workstation).
Read more about this topic: Virtual Studio Technology