A lightweight, tabbed VST3 / CLAP plugin host for Windows. Play synths and route FX chains, driven by any MIDI device. Fully portable: stores all settings next to the exe, touches nothing else on the system.
I always liked tools like TobyBear's MiniHost, SaviHost and Tone2's NanoHost. But wanted something that combines all of them. A quick jamming tool that can open multiple plugin formats. I aim to add support for more formats, but the main ones will most likely be tried first at least. This is a tool that doesn't yet exist elsewhere in a small package like this, at least not as one that you can use file-associations with.
| Feature | Status |
|---|---|
| VST3 x64 | ✅ Working |
| CLAP x64 | ✅ Working - May be buggy - Requires CLAP SDK — see below |
| VST2 x64 | ✅ Working - Requires Steinberg VST2 SDK — see below |
| VST2 32-bit in 64-bit host | 🔴 Needs plugin bridge — see below - planned |
| MIDI 1.0 | ✅ Working |
| MIDI 2.0 (Windows MIDI Services) | |
| Tabbed interface (Synth: parallel + FX: serial) | ✅ Working |
| Tab-order = FX routing order | ✅ Working |
| Portable settings (no AppData/registry) | ✅ Working |
| Audio/MIDI recording | 🔲 Planned |
PolyHost\ ← your project root
│
├── build.bat ← THE build script (run this)
├── CMakeLists.txt
├── README.md
│
│
├── Source\
│ ├── Main.cpp
│ ├── MainComponent.h / .cpp
│ ├── PluginTabComponent.h / .cpp
│ ├── AudioEngine.h / .cpp
│ ├── MidiEngine.h / .cpp
│ └── AppSettings.h / .cpp
│
│
├── tools\
│ ├── cmake\ ← extract cmake-3.x.x-windows-x86_64.zip HERE
│ │ └── bin\
│ │ └── cmake.exe
│ │
│ ├── vstsdk2.4\ ← drop your VST2.4 SDK here
│ │ └── pluginterfaces\
│ │ └── vst2.x\
│ │ └── aeffect.h ← CMake checks for this file
│ │
│ └── clap\ ← drop your CLAP SDK here
│ └── CMakeLists.txt
│
│
├── dist\ ← build output — PolyHostInterface.exe lands here
└── [PolyHostInterface.exe]\
└── Settings\ ← created at runtime, settings stored here
└── settings.xml
https://visualstudio.microsoft.com/vs/community/ During install tick: Desktop development with C++ You never open Visual Studio. It only provides the C++ compiler that CMake calls. But this way allows you to use whatever editor you want.
Download the Windows x64 ZIP from: https://cmake.org/download/ Extract so the result is: tools\cmake\bin\cmake.exe
Double-click build.bat from the project root. First run downloads JUCE automatically (needs internet). After that, builds are fully offline. The finished exe appears in dist\PolyHostInterface.exe
- Right-click any .vst2, .vst3 or .clap file in File Explorer
- Open with > Choose another app
- Browse to PolyHostInterface.exe
- Tick "Always use this app" if you want it permanent
If you have a copy of vstsdk2.4, place it here: {CMAKE_SOURCE_DIR}/tools/vstsdk2.4 then run build.bat.
Download clap-main here: https://github.com/free-audio/clap Install to tools/clap/CMakeLists.txt
MIDI Device
|
├── [Synth Tab 1] --+
├── [Synth Tab 2] --+ (summed)
| |
| [FX Tab 1]
| |
| [FX Tab 2]
| |
└── [Synth Tab 3] --+ (only passes through FX below, bypasses any above)
|
[FX Tab 3]
|
[Audio Out] -> Output meter
The synths always wired in parallel. FX are in series and routing can be modified by entering the Routing page. Click the Routing toolbar button and a list of all tabs appears, use Up and Down buttons to manage the processing order.