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.