Building for Windows

iPlug2 supports building Windows audio plugins using Visual Studio 2019 or 2022, targeting both x64 and ARM64EC architectures.

Prerequisites

Install Visual Studio 2019 or 2022

Download from visualstudio.microsoft.comRequired workload:

Desktop development with C++

Install ARM64EC build tools (optional)

For ARM64 Windows support:

Open Visual Studio Installer
Click Modify on your installation
Go to Individual Components
Search for “ARM64EC” and install:
- MSVC v143 - VS 2022 C++ ARM64EC build tools (Latest)

Download SDKs (optional)

If building VST3, AAX, or other formats:

cd iPlug2\Dependencies
download-iplug-sdks.sh  # Requires Git Bash or WSL

Supported Architectures

x64

Standard 64-bit Intel/AMD processorsDefault architecture for Windows plugins

ARM64EC

ARM64 with x64 emulation compatibilityNative ARM64 performance, compatible with x64 hosts

ARM64EC allows ARM64 plugins to run natively on ARM64 Windows devices while remaining compatible with x64 DAWs running under emulation.

Project Structure

Each plugin has a Visual Studio solution (.sln) containing multiple projects:

MyPlugin/
├── MyPlugin.sln                    # Main solution file
├── config/
│   └── MyPlugin-win.props         # Shared build properties
└── projects/
    ├── MyPlugin-app.vcxproj       # Standalone app
    ├── MyPlugin-vst3.vcxproj      # VST3 plugin
    ├── MyPlugin-vst2.vcxproj      # VST2 plugin (deprecated)
    ├── MyPlugin-clap.vcxproj      # CLAP plugin
    └── MyPlugin-aax.vcxproj       # AAX plugin (requires SDK)

Building with Visual Studio

Opening the Project

Open the solution

Double-click MyPlugin.sln or:

start MyPlugin.sln

Select configuration

Choose from the toolbar:

Debug - Development with full debug symbols
Release - Optimized for distribution
Tracer - Performance profiling

Select platform

Choose architecture:

x64 - Standard 64-bit
ARM64EC - ARM64 with x64 compatibility

Build

Build > Build Solution or press Ctrl+Shift+B

Building from Command Line

MSBuild
Developer Command Prompt

# Build entire solution (x64, Release)
msbuild MyPlugin.sln /p:Configuration=Release /p:Platform=x64

# Build specific project
msbuild MyPlugin.sln /t:MyPlugin-vst3 /p:Configuration=Release /p:Platform=x64

# Build ARM64EC
msbuild MyPlugin.sln /p:Configuration=Release /p:Platform=ARM64EC

# Parallel build (faster)
msbuild MyPlugin.sln /p:Configuration=Release /p:Platform=x64 /m

Use Developer Command Prompt for VS 2022:

# Initialize ARM64EC cross-compilation environment
call "C:\Program Files\Microsoft Visual Studio\2022\Professional\VC\Auxiliary\Build\vcvarsall.bat" amd64_arm64

# Then build
msbuild MyPlugin.sln /p:Configuration=Release /p:Platform=ARM64EC

Build Output

Built plugins are placed in build-win/ with platform-specific naming:

x64 Output

MyPlugin/build-win/
├── MyPlugin_x64.exe               # Standalone app
├── MyPlugin_x64.dll               # VST2
├── MyPlugin.vst3/
│   └── Contents/
│       └── x86_64-win/
│           └── MyPlugin.vst3      # VST3
├── MyPlugin.clap                  # CLAP
└── MyPlugin.aaxplugin/
    └── Contents/
        └── x64/
            └── MyPlugin.aaxplugin # AAX

ARM64EC Output

MyPlugin/build-win/
├── MyPlugin_ARM64EC.exe
├── MyPlugin_ARM64EC.dll
├── MyPlugin.vst3/
│   └── Contents/
│       └── arm64ec-win/
│           └── MyPlugin.vst3
├── MyPlugin.clap
└── MyPlugin.aaxplugin/
    └── Contents/
        └── ARM64EC/
            └── MyPlugin.aaxplugin

VST3 bundles can contain both x64 and ARM64EC binaries in a single .vst3 folder.

Deployment Paths

Plugins are automatically copied to standard locations after building:

Format	Default Path	Notes
VST3	`%LOCALAPPDATA%\Programs\Common\VST3`	Per-user, no admin required
VST2	`%PROGRAMFILES%\VstPlugins`	System-wide
CLAP	`%LOCALAPPDATA%\Programs\Common\CLAP`	Per-user, no admin required
AAX	`%COMMONPROGRAMFILES%\Avid\Audio\Plug-Ins`	System-wide

Per-user paths (%LOCALAPPDATA%) don’t require administrator privileges and are recommended for development.

Customizing Deployment

Edit common-win.props to change deployment paths:

<VST3_X64_PATH>C:\MyCustomPath\VST3</VST3_X64_PATH>
<VST3_ARM64EC_PATH>C:\MyCustomPath\VST3</VST3_ARM64EC_PATH>

Debugging

Setting Up Debugger

The debugger is automatically configured to launch a host application.

Configure debug host

Edit common-win.props:

<VST3_X64_HOST_PATH>C:\Program Files\REAPER (x64)\reaper.exe</VST3_X64_HOST_PATH>
<CLAP_X64_HOST_PATH>C:\Program Files\Bitwig Studio\Bitwig Studio.exe</CLAP_X64_HOST_PATH>

Start debugging

Press F5 or Debug > Start DebuggingVisual Studio will:

Build the plugin
Copy it to the deployment path
Launch your DAW
Attach the debugger

Load the plugin

In your DAW, load the plugin on a trackBreakpoints in Visual Studio will now trigger

Ensure your plugin is built with Debug configuration. Release builds have limited debug symbols.

Debug Host Variables

Variable	Description	Example
`VST3_X64_HOST_PATH`	VST3 debug host (x64)	REAPER, Ableton Live
`VST3_ARM64EC_HOST_PATH`	VST3 debug host (ARM64EC)	REAPER (ARM64)
`CLAP_X64_HOST_PATH`	CLAP debug host (x64)	Bitwig Studio
`CLAP_ARM64EC_HOST_PATH`	CLAP debug host (ARM64EC)	Bitwig (ARM64)

If REAPER is installed at the default path, it’s automatically set as the debug host.

Common Build Configurations

Runtime Library

All iPlug2 projects use static runtime to avoid DLL dependencies:

Release: /MT (Multi-threaded)
Debug: /MTd (Multi-threaded Debug)

Static runtime means plugins don’t require redistributable packages (e.g., vcredist_x64.exe).

Preprocessor Defines

Common defines (from common-win.props):

WIN32                    // Windows platform
NOMINMAX                 // Disable min/max macros
_CRT_SECURE_NO_DEPRECATE // Disable secure CRT warnings

// Format-specific
VST3_API                 // VST3 plugin
CLAP_API                 // CLAP plugin
AAX_API                  // AAX plugin
APP_API                  // Standalone app

// IPlug defines
IPLUG_EDITOR=1           // Has UI
IPLUG_DSP=1              // Has DSP

Include Paths

Automatically configured from common-win.props:

$(WDL_PATH)                      # WDL library
$(IPLUG_PATH)                    # IPlug core
$(IGRAPHICS_PATH)                # IGraphics
$(VST3_SDK)                      # VST3 SDK
$(CLAP_SDK)\include              # CLAP SDK
$(AAX_SDK)\Interfaces            # AAX SDK

ARM64EC Support

What is ARM64EC?

ARM64EC (ARM64 Emulation Compatible) allows:

Native ARM64 performance on Windows ARM devices
Compatibility with x64 hosts running under emulation
Gradual migration from x64 to ARM64

Native Speed

ARM64EC code runs at full native speed on ARM64 processors

x64 Compatible

Can be loaded by x64 DAWs running under emulation

Building ARM64EC

Verify ARM64EC tools

& "${env:ProgramFiles(x86)}\Microsoft Visual Studio\Installer\vswhere.exe" `
  -latest -requires Microsoft.VisualStudio.Component.VC.Tools.ARM64EC `
  -property installationPath

Build with ARM64EC platform

msbuild MyPlugin.sln /p:Configuration=Release /p:Platform=ARM64EC

Deploy to ARM64 paths

Plugins are automatically copied to ARM64EC-specific paths

Limitations

Skia graphics: Not yet supported for ARM64EC (use NanoVG)
Testing: Requires ARM64 Windows hardware (cannot run on x64 machines)
AAX: ARM64EC support depends on Avid’s SDK

Troubleshooting

Link errors: unresolved external symbols

Cause: Missing SDK or librarySolution:

Verify SDKs are downloaded: Dependencies\IPlug\VST3_SDK, etc.
Check include paths in common-win.props
Ensure all projects use the same runtime library (/MT vs /MD)

Plugin not loading in DAW

Cause: Architecture mismatch or missing dependenciesSolution:

Ensure DAW architecture matches plugin (x64 DAW needs x64 plugin)
Check plugin is copied to correct path
Use Dependency Walker to check for missing DLLs

Debugger not attaching

Cause: Incorrect debug host path or permissionsSolution:

Verify VST3_X64_HOST_PATH points to valid executable
Run Visual Studio as Administrator if needed
Check Windows Defender isn’t blocking the debugger

ARM64EC build fails

Cause: ARM64EC build tools not installedSolution:

Install ARM64EC build tools via Visual Studio Installer
Verify installation with vswhere command above
Note: Skia graphics not supported for ARM64EC

Build Scripts

Example batch script for automated builds:

build.bat

@echo off
setlocal

set SOLUTION=MyPlugin.sln
set CONFIG=Release

echo Building x64...
msbuild %SOLUTION% /p:Configuration=%CONFIG% /p:Platform=x64 /m

echo Building ARM64EC...
msbuild %SOLUTION% /p:Configuration=%CONFIG% /p:Platform=ARM64EC /m

echo Build complete!
pause

Next Steps

Code Signing

Sign plugins for distribution

Installer Creation

Create Windows installers

CMake Build

Alternative build system

Debugging Guide

Advanced debugging techniques

​Prerequisites

​Supported Architectures

x64

ARM64EC

​Project Structure

​Building with Visual Studio

​Opening the Project

​Building from Command Line

​Build Output

​x64 Output

​ARM64EC Output

​Deployment Paths

​Customizing Deployment

​Debugging

​Setting Up Debugger

​Debug Host Variables

​Common Build Configurations

​Runtime Library

​Preprocessor Defines

​Include Paths

​ARM64EC Support

​What is ARM64EC?

Native Speed

x64 Compatible

​Building ARM64EC

​Limitations

​Troubleshooting

​Build Scripts

​Next Steps

Code Signing

Installer Creation

CMake Build

Debugging Guide

Prerequisites

Supported Architectures

Project Structure

Building with Visual Studio

Opening the Project

Building from Command Line

Build Output

x64 Output

ARM64EC Output

Deployment Paths

Customizing Deployment

Debugging

Setting Up Debugger

Debug Host Variables

Common Build Configurations

Runtime Library

Preprocessor Defines

Include Paths

ARM64EC Support

What is ARM64EC?

Building ARM64EC

Limitations

Troubleshooting

Build Scripts

Next Steps