The History of Plug'n Script

To understand what to expect from Plug'n Script (PnS), let's explore its development history.

Initial Release

The first version of Plug'n Script was released in 2014. Although it could not generate standalone plugins, its core functionality remains largely unchanged to this day. It was a plugin capable of loading scripts written in AngelScript, which could process audio or MIDI.

The advantage of this approach is that AngelScript is compiled and reloaded on the fly. In comparison, when writing plugins in C++, you had to usually close and restart your host (DAW) every time you build your plugin. Additionally, C++ programs are prone to crashing in the event of bugs. Setting up an external compiler or installing Visual Studio is also required.

With AngelScript, you can write a few lines of code, click "reload," and immediately see how it affects your audio or MIDI directly within your DAW while your track is playing. If you make a mistake, it rarely crashes; instead, it displays an error message. AngelScript's syntax is very similar to C++, making it easy to learn for anyone familiar with general programming languages. You don't need to worry about memory management, string formats, heap or stack allocation, or other complexities of C++. All you need to focus on is the algorithm itself.

Since AngelScript is compiled on the fly, you can write your script on Windows and run it on Mac without any changes! However, the drawback of using AngelScript is its performance, which is approximately five times slower than native C++ code. This difference matters for plugins that perform intensive processing and are used multiple times in a project. For MIDI-processing plugins or basic audio processing, AngelScript's speed is perfectly adequate.

Another significant advantage is that you don't need to worry about the user interface: the GUI is generated automatically based on the parameters you add to your DSP script. If desired, you can customize it or even create your own GUI from scratch.

These features already made Plug'n Script v1 quite compelling, but there was more to come.

Plug'n Script Version 2

Plug'n Script version 2 was released in 2015, introducing a significant improvement: you could now write DSP code in C++, enabling it to run as fast as regular plugins. While AngelScript remained ideal for prototyping, you could quickly port your script to C++ using the same API. (Of course, compiling C++ code requires Visual Studio or XCode, and you must compile separately for Windows and Mac.) C++ also allows you to use external libraries and leverage all the benefits of the language.

PnS 2 introduced a new version of the KUIML language for GUIs, which now supported scripting within the GUI. This opened up many new possibilities for creating dynamic interfaces.

Third Version

When Plug'n Script version 3 was released in 2017, it marked a major milestone: you could now export your scripts as standalone plugins! This meant you could create a plugin and share it with friends, distribute it online, or even sell it. These standalone plugins do not require the client to have Plug'n Script—they are completely independent.

Version 3 also introduced numerous GUI improvements and new features with the updated KUIML.

Since 2017, several updates have been released: PnS 3.1 in 2018, 3.2 in 2019, 3.3 in 2020, and multiple minor updates and fixes from 2021 to 2025, culminating in version 3.5+ which added an option for exporting standalone audio apps. Each update brought new features, such as support for additional plugin formats, enhanced DSP-to-GUI communication, encryption for exported AngelScript code, new versions of the AngelScript engine, private output parameters, and expanded capabilities for GUI/KUIML.

As of June 2025, Plug'n Script has firmly established itself as one of the most convenient, user-friendly, and powerful tools for audio and MIDI plugin development.