VST is the most popular and supported, but Audio Units are great on macOS because they are native to the platform. Just make sure your computer supports it. What should you use? It doesn’t really matter, they all work the same and don’t sound any different. Many instrument plugins also have standalone versions that you can use outside of FL Studio or a DAW environment – this is usually an option when you install a plugin on your computer. Native – not really a format, just when a plugin is hard-wired to only work with the DAW it came with.RTAS – compatible with older Pro Tools versions.AAX (Avid Audio eXtension) – compatible with newer Pro Tools versions.AU (Audio Units) – compatible with most DAWs on macOS only.VST3 – a newer VST version compatible with some DAWs.VST (Virtual Studio Technology) – compatible with most DAWs.Here’s a full list of the most popular ones: VST is a type of plugin format, but there are a variety of others too. Plugin? VSTs? What are all these words?!Īnother word used interchangeably with ‘plugin’ is ‘VST’.īut many producers get confused here – they aren’t necessarily the same thing. What’s a VST?Īt this point, the terms can get confusing. Plugins made by third parties are something you can purchase or download separately to FL Studio, usually made by a variety of different manufacturers.
