VST Audio

Vst Audio is a plugin for Unreal Engine 5 that imports, loads and runs Steinberg VST3 audio  plugins in C++, Blueprints and Metasounds.

VST3 Plugins Hosting In UE5

It provides a real-time VST3 host integrated into the engine, making VST processing available in:

  • C++

  • Blueprints

  • MetaSounds

  • The Unreal Editor

  • Packaged / shipped builds

This enables Unreal Engine projects to use the same professional audio processing tools found in Digital Audio Workstations (DAWs), but fully embedded in interactive applications, games, simulations, and virtual production workflows.

In short: Unreal Engine becomes a VST3 host.

Download VST Audio

What This Plugin Does

VST Audio embeds a complete VST3 hosting layer inside Unreal Engine, allowing the engine to:

  • Discover VST3 plugins

  • Load and instantiate them at runtime

  • Process audio through them in real time

  • Control parameters programmatically

  • Integrate processing into Unreal’s audio pipeline

This allows Unreal Engine to function similarly to a DAW in terms of plugin hosting, but with full access to gameplay systems, procedural audio, and runtime interaction.

Why Use VST Plugins in Unreal Engine?

VST plugins are the industry standard for audio processing and synthesis. They provide:

  • Professional audio effects (EQ, compression, reverb, etc.)

  • Virtual instruments and synthesizers

  • Spatial audio processors

  • Mastering tools

  • Real-time sound design systems

By hosting VST plugins directly in Unreal, you can use existing audio production tools inside real-time interactive environments without rewriting DSP code.

Key Features

Native VST3 Hosting

  • Loads standard Steinberg VST3 plugins

  • Runtime instantiation and management

  • Full audio processing support

Engine Integration

  • Works in Unreal Editor and packaged builds

  • Accessible from C++, Blueprints, and MetaSounds

  • Compatible with Unreal’s audio rendering pipeline

Real-Time Parameter Control

  • Automate plugin parameters from gameplay systems

  • Drive audio processing using game logic or user input

  • Blueprint-accessible parameter control

MetaSound Integration

  • Route audio through VST plugins inside MetaSound graphs

  • Combine procedural audio with external DSP processing

  • Extend MetaSounds with professional audio effects and instruments

Runtime Plugin Loading

  • Dynamically load plugins while the application runs

  • Configure processing chains programmatically

  • Support interactive audio systems

Use Cases

Game Audio Processing

Apply professional effects directly to in-game audio:

  • Dynamic reverb environments

  • Real-time mastering

  • Character voice processing

  • Adaptive music effects

Sound Design Directly In The Editor

Do your sound design directly in the editor without hopping between DAWs to edit VST parameters.

Virtual Instruments in Real Time

Trigger VST synthesizers or samplers from gameplay systems or user interaction.

Virtual Production & XR

Use studio-grade audio processing in:

  • Virtual sets

  • Live simulation environments

  • Interactive installations

Procedural Audio Systems

Combine Unreal’s procedural audio generation with advanced DSP from VST plugins.

Audio Tools & Applications

Build audio software inside Unreal Engine:

  • Interactive audio workstations

  • Real-time performance systems

  • Audio visualization tools

Frequently Asked Questions

Licensing & Usage

Sound designers can load and use any VST3 plugins installed on their system directly inside Unreal Engine for:

  • sound design

  • audio processing

  • rendering Sound Waves

  • MetaSound workflows

  • content production

This is equivalent to using those plugins in a DAW.

No redistribution license is required when using VST plugins purely as production tools inside the editor.

If you are using plugins to create audio assets (for example rendering Sound Waves), you are not distributing the plugin — only the audio result.

No.

If you are using VST plugins in the Unreal Editor as part of your sound design workflow, you only need whatever normal license the plugin requires for standard use on your machine.

This is the same as using the plugin in:

  • a DAW

  • an audio editor

  • a production pipeline

Unreal Engine simply becomes another host.

Licensing matters when you redistribute the plugin itself.

Examples where redistribution may occur:

  • shipping a game that includes the plugin binary

  • bundling plugins with your application installer

  • embedding plugins for automatic loading on user machines

Each VST plugin developer defines whether redistribution is allowed.

Some allow it.
Some require special agreements.
Many prohibit it entirely.

VST Audio does not change or override those licenses.

Yes — depending on how the plugin is used.

There are two common models:

1. Bundling the plugin with your game

Allowed only if the plugin license permits redistribution.

You must follow the plugin vendor’s licensing terms.

2. End users load their own installed plugins

This is fully valid and typically has no licensing issues.

If the end user installs and licenses the plugin on their own system, your application is simply hosting it — exactly like a DAW.

In this model:

  • you are not redistributing the plugin

  • the user controls licensing

  • responsibility remains with the plugin owner

This is often the simplest and safest distribution approach.

Yes.

Applications can allow users to load VST3 plugins installed on their own systems.

As long as the user has legally obtained and licensed the plugin, there are generally no redistribution concerns because nothing is being distributed by the game developer.

VST Audio is currently:

  • Free for Unreal Editor use (development and sound design workflows)

  • Requires a license for runtime use in packaged applications

If you ship a game or application that includes VST Audio runtime functionality, a runtime license is required.

There are no royalties or revenue sharing, but distribution requires a valid runtime license.

Performance

Performance depends primarily on the VST plugin itself.

This is exactly the same behaviour seen in Digital Audio Workstations.

Some plugins are lightweight and highly optimized.
Some are CPU intensive.
Some may even outperform equivalent Unreal processing depending on implementation.

There is no universal performance profile — it is plugin dependent.

Minimal.

VST Audio hosts plugins using standard VST processing callbacks and integrates with Unreal’s audio pipeline. Runtime cost is dominated by the plugin DSP, not the host layer.

In practice, performance characteristics are similar to running the same plugin in a DAW under comparable buffer settings.

Yes.

VST plugins can process audio in real time during runtime and in packaged builds.

Runtime & Distribution

Yes.

VST plugins can be loaded and processed at runtime in shipped applications.

Yes.

IE Applications can load, instantiate, and control plugins while running.