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soundcraft/docs/plugin-parity.md
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Brandon ThomasandClaude Opus 5.5 330a698397 Progress docs: target-app parity, gaps, alpha gate, readiness by audience (#155)
* Progress docs to the craftrules standard; full re-measure against Pro Tools 2026.4.1

Stage: alpha. Menu breadth 482/512 (94.1%, measured), feature breadth ~70%,
ready for real work ~40%; ~350-570 agent-hours to beta, ~950-1,450 to full parity,
calibrated on this repo's PR history.

- ROADMAP.md rewritten: stage banner, two numbers, dimension/feature/language tables
- docs/target-app-parity.md: authoritative assessment (area table moved from ROADMAP)
- docs/gaps.md: 22 ranked gaps with evidence and estimates
- docs/roadmap.md: milestones, current focus, beta plan
- docs/ui-, file-format-, hardware-, plugin-, localization-parity.md: new checklists
- docs/parity.md -> docs/parity-checklist.md (generated by cargo xtask parity)
- architecture.md: video, vst3-host, au-host crates; device I/O limits

Co-Authored-By: Claude Opus 5.5 <[email protected]>

* Stage: pre-alpha under the core-workflow gate

Add the alpha gate to docs/roadmap.md: interface recording at a chosen buffer
size, MIDI recording, and session interchange with Pro Tools fail, so the stage
moves from alpha to pre-alpha (~5 points and ~110-180 agent-hours to alpha).
Mark the alpha blockers in docs/gaps.md; update ROADMAP.md, target-app-parity.md
and README.

Co-Authored-By: Claude Opus 5.5 <[email protected]>

* Add mainstream-practitioner and essentials-user readiness numbers

Mainstream practitioner ~36% (weekly-area depth 50.6% x 0.90 interaction x 0.92
stability x 0.85 file exchange) and essentials user ~57% (core-feature depth
72.4% x 0.90 launch/stability x 0.90 discoverability x 0.97 files), with written
weights, discounts and GitHub user evidence. Full ready-for-real-work checked
against its written dimension weights (40.6%); unchanged at ~40%, stage unchanged.

Co-Authored-By: Claude Opus 5.5 <[email protected]>

* Readiness by audience: hours to ~95% for full, mainstream and essentials

Full ~40% / 950-1,450 h, mainstream ~36% / 380-600 h, essentials ~57% / 110-200 h,
calibrated on this repo's PR history. The full number is already an additive
weighted sum over the written dimension table; method unchanged.

Co-Authored-By: Claude Opus 5.5 <[email protected]>

---------

Co-authored-by: Claude Opus 5.5 <[email protected]>
2026-10-10 14:08:49 -04:00

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Plugin parity: built-in processors and plugin hosting

Last reviewed: 2026-10-10 · Last updated: 2026-10-10 · Change: major (first plugin checklist against Pro Tools 2026.4.1) · Target: Avid Pro Tools Ultimate 2026.4.1

Pro Tools users live in plugins: the bundled set covers everyday mixing, and third-party plugins cover the rest. This doc tracks both. Our plugins have our own names and are written from scratch (clean-room rule): Avid plugin names are not used here, only categories.

Built-in plugins and AudioSuite: breadth ~40 %, ready ~35 % (80–120 h). Third-party hosting: breadth ~70 %, ready ~45 % (40–60 h). Both estimated.

Built-in processors (measured from crates/dsp/src/plugins)

Category Pro Tools bundles (approx., by category) SoundCraft (ids) Gap
EQ 1-band and 7-band EQ, channel strip, vintage EQ models eq_1band, eq_7band, channel_strip Vintage models, linear phase, dynamic EQ; parametric UI (#139)
Dynamics compressor/limiter, expander/gate, de-esser, maximizer, vintage compressors, multiband compressor, expander_gate, de_esser, maximizer Vintage/opto models, multiband, sidechain input (no key input anywhere)
Reverb algorithmic room/plate/hall; convolution (paid tier) room_reverb, plate_reverb Hall/chamber, convolution, early-reflection editor
Delay modulated delay, tape/analog delays mod_delay Tape, ping-pong, multi-tap, tempo-sync depth
Modulation chorus, flanger, phaser, tremolo, ring/frequency shift chorus, flanger, phaser Tremolo, auto-pan, ring modulation
Harmonic lo-fi, rectifier, amp simulation, saturation, tape lofi, rectifier, saturator Amp and cabinet models, tape
Pitch and time pitch shift, varispeed effects, time shift pitch_shifter, time_shift Formant control, varispeed effect, pitch correction
Utility trim, gain, invert, DC offset, signal generator, dither, time adjuster trim, gain, invert, dc_offset_removal, signal_generator, dither Time adjuster, meter/analyzer plugins, noise shaping options
Instruments several virtual instruments (multi-sampler, piano, drum machine, organ, synths, sample player; Massive X Player added in 2026.4) subtractive_synth, drum_synth Sampler (PR #108 open), piano, organ, wavetable, content library
Total ≈ 80 processors and instruments (estimate from Avid's bundle documentation) 26 processors + 2 instruments

AudioSuite: every catalog AudioSuite leaf maps to one of our processes (AUDIOSUITE in crates/ui-egui/src/menus.rs), so the AudioSuite menu is 100 % present. Depth: no preview, handles, "clip by clip / entire selection" and multi-input modes beyond the basics; hosted plugins can't be used offline as AudioSuite yet.

Fidelity: unmeasured. Nothing compares a SoundCraft processor's frequency response, gain reduction curve or reverb tail with the Pro Tools equivalent (G-07 in gaps.md). User report #152: a saved instrument level does not reach the bounce.

Third-party plugin hosting

Feature Pro Tools SoundCraft Notes
Plugin format AAX only (Native and DSP) CLAP, VST3, Audio Units (macOS) Users' libraries mostly ship VST3/AU too. AAX (#109) needs Avid's SDK licence and PACE signing: owner decision, likely never
VST2, LV2, LADSPA — ❌ (#30) Beyond Pro Tools; VST2 SDK is no longer licensable
Scan, vendor menus, instrument picker ✅ ✅ #23
Audio, parameters, automation, latency (PDC) ✅ ✅
Notes / MIDI to instruments ✅ ✅ But no live MIDI input (G-02)
State saved in sessions, presets ✅ ✅
Create/destroy off the audio thread ✅ ✅
Editors: CLAP — 🟡 floating windows; no embedded GUI
Editors: VST3 — 🟡 macOS only (verified with a commercial pitch editor) Windows/Linux views missing
Editors: AU — ❌ Cocoa view hosting missing
Multiple editor pages ✅ 🟡 #6
macOS hardened-runtime entitlement for third-party code ✅ ❌ #153, #149 — signed builds refuse third-party VST3
Sidechain / key input ✅ ❌ All three hosts
ARA 2 (pitch/time editors in the timeline) ✅ ❌ Menu leaves Track/Clip/Window ▸ ARA still missing
Crash isolation in-process (DSP on HDX) in-process Out-of-process hosting would beat Pro Tools
Plugin delay reporting changes on the fly ✅ 🟡 Aux insert latency bug #103 (PR #133)

Revision history

Date Change Summary
2026-10-10 major Created: built-in processor inventory by category and third-party hosting checklist