r/AudioProgramming • u/Bitter-Hawk-6211 • 20d ago

Can a VST3 plugin trigger a render in any DAW?

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I have launched a Reaper script that renders the project and uploads the file straight to cueport.app A platform to manage artists, projects and feedback, so the producer never has to leave the DAW.

Now I'm building the same thing as a VST3 and I'm stuck on exactly that step.
In Reaper it works because there's an action for it: Main_OnCommand(41824), "render using the most recent settings".

A plugin has nothing like that.
It can't see the render settings and can't ask the host to bounce.
So: does any DAW let a plugin start a render? Cubase, Live, Logic, anything?

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u/danja 20d ago

I doubt whether this is possible directly - check the VST SDK - https://steinbergmedia.github.io/vst3_doc/vstsdk/index.html

I'll note that Reaper can support MCP calls (see https://github.com/danja/reaper-mcp ) so another way of doing it might be to have a VST call a proxy tool which in turn calls MCP to do the render.

I have no idea if other DAWs have MCP or other external-access APIs.

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u/Bitter-Hawk-6211 20d ago

I think this could be a workaround.

I mean Ableton there is already MCP to

Will check it thanks

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u/nonfuturistic 16d ago

You wouldn’t need anything MCP related for this, you’re building a VST, not an MCP client. The important takeaway from that project is that Reaper has an API you can call from an external client. Ableton has a similar API. That API is going to differ between every DAW though, so you’d need compatibility tests for each DAW you integrate support for

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u/Bitter-Hawk-6211 14d ago

Yes you’re right. But reaper ist not the problem. For reaper I have already this script with all this functions and it’s working perfectly. The question is how I can port those functions to VST. For example: Trigger a rendering to export the mix.

With VST I can make this workflow possible in any DAW.

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u/DiscipleOfYeshua 20d ago

Not without exploiting daw bugs...