Having many years of software design and coding experience in various industries, in 2026, I decided to learn about audio design and programming to create my own personal VST plugins for Digital Audio Workstations.
This was not an easy task, but having the will and the patience, I decided to read many available tutorials on relevant websites and ended up watching 100’s of YouTube tutorial videos to gain the understanding and the knowledge.
I discovered that JUCE C++ Framework is currently the best option, especially for beginners. The JUCE framework not only makes the process easy but also supports the concept of “one code, multiple platforms”. This meant I could write the code once and have versions compiled and available for Windows, MacOS and Linux, with minimal hassle.
After spending some six months learning, coding test projects, debugging and testing, it was time to plan my first project.
Back in 2024, I did a video on an alternative to Waves MV2 plugin. The MV2 is an upward compressor that works great, especially with vocals. I analysed the MV2’s characteristics along with another plugin named VOLA2 by Sonic Anomaly (long discontinued). Putting the two products together, I came up with VLA-One, Voice Levelling Amplifier – One.
In May 2026, I was finally able to release the VST3 plugin after much time developing and testing. The first release was well-received, even though it only included versions for Windows 10/11 and Linux as VST3. Later, I was able to compile and test under MacOS, and with further code optimisation and GUI updates, VLA-One VST3/AU is now available on all platforms.
VLA-One is the first of many VST3 plugins I plan to release in the future, covering many audio processing projects.
VLA-One is a FREE plugin. It doesn’t require a license or any registration. Simply download (links below), copy the files into the VST3 folder of your system, re-scan your DAW for new plugins and use.
Latest Version: 1.2.0 (May 2026)
DOWNLOADS:
Windows 10/11: https://studio9.short.gy/vla120win
MacOS 10 and above: https://studio9.short.gy/vla120macos