squz.sh: See if plugins use the JUCE Framework

[Darryl Ramm]

For folks interested in vendors porting plugins to Apple native silicon, and discussions around that.

I wrote a Mac command line utility (it's just a shell script) that prints out info on AAX plugins installed on a Macintosh. It reports if the plugin appears to have been built using the JUCE development framework as well as (if you use the -v for verbose option) what architectures (arm64, x86_64, or i386) the plugin supports natively, the manufacturers name, and the version info. Much of that info is available in better/fancier tools (especially Pete Gates' PT Prefs 2) but this combines that with info on whether the plugins were built using JUCE.

You can download the script here: http://www.darrylramm.com/squz (sorry a quick and dirty static/google cloud, non-encrypted website).

Here is some example verbose output. I greatly shortened the output to show just a range of plugins/manufacturers.

$ ./squz.sh -v
Plugin                                   Juce arm64 x86_64 i386 Manufacturer       Short Version          Version
---------------------------------------- ---- ----- ------ ---- ------------------ ---------------------- ----------------------
SPL Free Ranger                                     x86_64      plugin-alliance    1.17.1                 1.17.1
BC Phaser 3 AAX(Mono)                         arm64 x86_64      bluecataudio       3.42                   3.42
SignalGenerator                          juce arm64 x86_64      avid               22.12.0.326            22.12.0d326
ProSubharmonic                           juce arm64 x86_64      avid               22.12.0.7              22.12.0d7
Vacuum                                              x86_64      wizoo              1.2.1.18823            1.2.1.18823
Eleven MKII                              juce arm64 x86_64      avid               22.12.0.7              22.12.0d7
bx_console SSL 4000 G                               x86_64      plugin-alliance    1.6.2                  1.6.2
Superior Drummer 3                       juce       x86_64      toontrack          3.3.5                  35000
BC PatchWork Synth AAX                        arm64 x86_64      bluecataudio       2.61                   2.61
WaveShell1-AAX 14.0                           arm64 x86_64      wavesaudio         14.0.155               14.0.155.156
BC Gain 3 AAX(Stereo)                         arm64 x86_64      bluecataudio       3.44                   3.44
Precision Time Delay                     juce arm64 x86_64      eventide           3.7.13                 3.7.13
BC PatchWork AAX                              arm64 x86_64      bluecataudio       2.61                   2.61
elysia niveau filter                                x86_64      plugin-alliance    1.15.1                 1.15.1
Melodyne                                      arm64 x86_64      celemony           5.3.0                  5.3.0.011
BC FreqAnalyst 2 AAX(Mono)                    arm64 x86_64      bluecataudio       2.42                   2.42
MiniGrand                                juce       x86_64      wizoo              1.2.10.82e5fd3         1.2.10.82e5fd3
Newfangled EQuivocate                    juce       x86_64      newfangledaudio    1.10.1                 1.10.1
BIAS AMP 2                               juce       x86_64      positivegrid       2.2.11                 2.2.11.1472.Release
Invert-Duplicate                              arm64 x86_64      digidesign         22.12.0.326            22.12.0d326
---------------------------------------- ---- ----- ------ ---- ------------------ ---------------------- ----------------------
91 JUCE plugins out of 147 (61%)
---------------------------------------- ---- ----- ------ ---- ------------------ ---------------------- ----------------------

You can also save CSV and tab separated data to load in a spreadsheet.

All this relies on the stupidly simple premise that the JUCE framework leaves strings containing 'JUCE' thought these plugins.

Many of us are interested in what is going on with plugin vendor delivery of Apple silicon native plugins. There was some discussion on DUC recently about the engineering work vendors need to go through to for Apple Silicon native ports. And if vendors using the JUCE plugin framework might have an easier job porting plugins to Apple silicon. I would sure expect vendors who have already ported their AU and/or VST versions of these plugins to native silicon and who also use JUCE to be in the best position.

I built this because I was curious and wanted to look at who was using JUCE. I am not sure how interesting this is to others. I'm sure it has bugs, has only been tested by me on a few systems. Please reply here with any issues.

And you can see pretty quickly that the acquisition of JUCE by Pace looks a pretty smart move. Blue Cat who is already here with Apple Silicon native AAX plugins is one notable non-JUCE user, and amongst all the innovative other stuff they do they also have a kind of competitor to JUCE with their their Plug 'n Script system. And yes Blue Cat Plug n' Script leaves signs of use in plugins as well... so when I get time I'll probably update this script to report on users of Plug n' Script as well, looks equally simple to do.

[unkJE]

I first read about JUCE and Spectrasonics:
https://forum.juce.com/t/vst3-create...eirdness/50927

Also Googled:
"List of audio plug-ins built using JUCE platform"
https://juce.com/discover/made-with-juce

JUCE and PACE:
https://juce.com/discover/stories/ju...sition-by-pace

[bluecataudio]

Nice script!

Regarding our plug-ins, they are not strictly based on Plug'n Script but share the same framework, called "Kitty" . Angelscript is not ours, so you may actually find other plug-ins (maybe!) that may use this third party scripting engine.

To identify plug-ins that use the Kitty framework, looking for multiple instance of "Kitty" (case sensitive) should do the job. And to identify Plug'n Script plug-ins among those, you can search for "plugnscript" (case insensitive).

[Darryl Ramm]

Originally Posted by bluecataudio

Nice script!

Regarding our plug-ins, they are not strictly based on Plug'n Script but share the same framework, called "Kitty" . Angelscript is not ours, so you may actually find other plug-ins (maybe!) that may use this third party scripting engine.

To identify plug-ins that use the Kitty framework, looking for multiple instance of "Kitty" (case sensitive) should do the job. And to identify Plug'n Script plug-ins among those, you can search for "plugnscript" (case insensitive).

Hey thanks for helping clear stuff up there, I had just stumbled across Plug 'N Script and was fascinated. I'll clean that script up.

Thanks for all the Blue Cat magic you folks provide, including Patchwork, and native support for Apple Silicon AAX in your plugins.

[unkJE]

Originally Posted by Darryl Ramm

Thanks for all the Blue Cat magic you folks provide, including Patchwork ....

Echoing that!
Great plug-ins, great Manuals, videos & tutorials ...

Inspirational "forward-thinking" - using one DAW's Instruments and plug-ins in another:
https://www.bluecataudio.com/Doc/Product_Connector/



Meanwhile, back on the JUCE:

https://juce.com/

Companies Using JUCE
A few of the many companies using JUCE

Adobe
AMS-Neve
Antares
Arturia
Audio Modeling
AudioKinetic
Avid
Bytedance
Corsair
Cycling74
Dolby Laboratories
Eventide
Fender
Focusrite
Genelec
Google
Harman
InMusic
Izotope
Korg
Krotos
LANDR
MathWorks
Meta
Metric Halo
Moog
Music Tribe
Naughtydog
Netflix
Pioneer DJ
reFX Audio Software
Roland
ROLI
Sennheiser (Schweiz) AG
Serato
Sonnox
Sony
SoundRadix
Spitfire
Splice
SSL
Steinberg
Syng
THX
Tracktion
Universal Audio
UVI
Valhalla DSP
Waves
Wolfram Research, Inc.
Yamaha


More JUCE:
https://docs.juce.com/master/tutoria...ic_plugin.html