How to Use Tracktion Engine (Without GUI) to Load VST Plugins and Generate Sound?

Tracktion Engine
1

Hi, I’m trying to use Tracktion Engine API (without any GUI) to load external VST plugins and generate sound programmatically.

Project Setup:

  • I’m building a standalone C++ console application on Windows.
  • It links against the necessary Tracktion Engine modules.
  • I call TE-related APIs directly from main() to simulate sound generation.

My current understanding of the general workflow is:

  1. Initialize the Tracktion Engine;

  2. Scan and load VST plugins from disk;

  3. Create an Edit object and set up tracks/clips according to Tracktion Engine’s structure;

  4. Regarding plugin use:

    • 3.1 For sampler-type plugins (e.g., Kontakt): I assume I should load an audio file via the API and control parameters based on what the plugin exposes?
    • 3.2 For synthesizer-type plugins (e.g., Serum, Vital): I assume I need to create a MIDI track and route it to the plugin instance to generate sound? Is there a recommended way to load a preset or patch in this case?

Main question:
How does Tracktion Engine utilize VST plugins through its API to actually produce sound? From loading the plugin, assigning it to a track, setting parameters, and triggering playback—what’s the correct or recommended way to do this in a non-GUI context?

Additional Note:
I understand that without a GUI, some plugin parameters may not be accessible or modifiable, depending on how the plugin exposes them. I’m okay with that limitation for now; my goal is to establish a working headless pipeline for basic testing.

I’d really appreciate any guidance, corrections to my assumptions, or even a minimal code example that demonstrates loading a plugin and playing back sound through it.

Thanks in advance!

2

Sorry for the delay on this. Did you look through the examples folder, in particular the “DemoRunner”?

Although that is a GUI app, you basically have to do the same steps as the “SimplePluginDemo” to load and run audio/MIDI through a plugin.