Understanding Plug-Ins

To use plug-ins, you need to run them within your digital audio workstation (DAW) software, such as Pro Tools, Logic, Digital Performer, or Cubase. Plug-ins are essentially bits of software that will process audio in various ways that expand the capabilities of your DAW. You can think of these in the same way that you think of audio processing hardware, in that each device will do something to the signal and then pass that modified signal on to the next processor and eventually to the mix bus. The order in which plug-ins occur on a given track is important because the results of the first processor will be passed on to the next one.

Unlike a hardware processor you can only use on one track, you can use a plug-in processor simultaneously on as many tracks as your computer can handle. The only limitations are based on the speed and number of CPU cores that your computer possesses. Most modern systems are capable of running dozens or even hundreds of plug-ins simultaneously.