Host Compatibility Matrix¶

Tracks which DAWs Pulp plug-ins have been validated against, per format and capability. Maintained alongside planning/production-readiness/STATUS.md — when an entry moves from unvalidated to stable here, the corresponding row in STATUS can claim production_validated: true.

The point of the matrix is to prevent optimism drift: "it compiled" ≠ "it works in Cubase." Adding a row here means a human loaded a Pulp plug-in in that host and exercised the capability.

Status legend: - ✅ stable — validated on latest host release, no known issues - 🟡 usable — loads and runs; at least one known quirk documented below - 🔴 broken — loads but produces incorrect results - — unvalidated — nobody has tried yet - n/a unsupported by host or format — the DAW or plug-in format does not expose that capability

Each non-placeholder update must cite durable evidence. For manual DAW sessions, store the filled-in script and .daw-bench.json manifest under docs/validation/daw-bench/results/YYYY-MM-DD/ and run:

python3 tools/scripts/check_daw_bench_evidence.py \
    docs/validation/daw-bench/results/YYYY-MM-DD \
    --require-any
python3 tools/scripts/check_host_matrix_evidence.py
python3 tools/scripts/summarize_daw_bench_results.py \
    docs/validation/daw-bench/results \
    --require-any

The summary's missing-lane section is a backlog of scripted host/format benches that still need checked-in manifests. Do not treat those rows as validation evidence or promote matrix cells from them.

When closing the host-lab roadmap item, run the stricter completion gate:

python3 tools/scripts/summarize_daw_bench_results.py \
    docs/validation/daw-bench/results \
    --require-any \
    --require-complete-scripted-lanes

It must pass before claiming that every scripted DAW-bench lane has checked-in evidence.

If a capability stays n/a, name the host or format reason in the Notes column. If it stays —, do not infer support from adapter unit tests, pluginval, clap-validator, or a successful build.

VST3¶

Host	Version	Load	Params	MIDI	Sidechain	Multi-bus	ARA	Notes
Cubase	13	—	—	—	—	—	—	ARA validation target for 6.3
Studio One	7	—	—	—	—	—	—	ARA validation target for 6.3
Reaper	7.74	🟡	🟡	—	🟡	🟡	—	VST3 bench evidence: `docs/validation/daw-bench/results/2026-06-12/`
Live	12	—	—	—	—	—	n/a	Live doesn't support ARA
FL Studio	21	—	—	—	—	—	n/a
Bitwig	5	—	—	—	—	—	n/a	Prefers CLAP path

CLAP¶

Host	Version	Load	Params	MIDI	Sidechain	Multi-bus	ARA	Notes
Bitwig	5	—	—	—	—	—	—	Bitwig's ARA extension for CLAP is in progress
Reaper	7.74	🟡	🟡	—	🟡	—	—	CLAP bench evidence: `docs/validation/daw-bench/results/2026-06-12/`
Studio One	7	—	—	—	—	—	—	CLAP-ARA bridge available

AU (macOS)¶

Host	Version	Load	Params	MIDI	Sidechain	ARA	Notes
Logic Pro	11	—	—	—	—	—	ARA validation target for 6.4
GarageBand	10	—	—	—	—	n/a
Live	12	—	—	—	—	n/a
MainStage	3	—	—	—	—	n/a

AUv3 (iOS + iPadOS)¶

Host	Version	Load	Params	MIDI	Notes
AUM	iPadOS	—	—	—	Primary target; PR #227 example
GarageBand iOS	2.4+	—	—	—
Cubasis	3	—	—	—
Logic Pro iPad	1.1+	—	—	—

LV2 (Linux)¶

Host	Version	Load	Params	MIDI	Notes
Ardour	8	—	—	—
Carla	2.5	—	—	—
Reaper	7	—	—	—	LV2 support varies by distro

Validation recipe¶

For a (host, format, capability) row:

Build the reference plug-in with PULP_ENABLE_ARA=ON (if the capability is ARA) or the plain profile otherwise.

cmake -S . -B build -DCMAKE_BUILD_TYPE=Release -DPULP_ENABLE_ARA=ON -DPULP_ARA_SDK_DIR=$PWD/external/ara-sdk
cmake --build build --target AraPitchTracker-CLAP PulpCompressor-VST3 PulpSynth-CLAP

Install to the host's scan path (~/Library/Audio/Plug-Ins/VST3, ~/.clap, etc.).
Launch the host; confirm the plug-in appears in its browser.
For each capability column: load a project that exercises it.
Params: automate one from the host, confirm roundtrip.
MIDI: route from a MIDI track; confirm note-on reaches process().
Sidechain: activate a second bus; confirm sidechain_input() returns non-null.
Multi-bus: instantiate with multiple output buses, verify channel assignment.
ARA: for Cubase/Studio One/Logic — drop an audio clip on the plug-in's track, open the ARA editor, confirm begin_editing logs (see examples/ara-pitch-tracker/).
Update the cell in this file from — to ✅/🟡/🔴 and, if non-stable, add a "Notes" entry below.

Known quirks¶

Quirk notes must point to the durable DAW-bench result folder or to a focused adapter/runtime issue. Keep this section scoped to behavior observed in a real host session; speculative accommodations belong in the host-quirks catalog until bench evidence exists.

Current checked-in matrix state has one usable REAPER VST3 row backed by the dated DAW-bench evidence above and one usable REAPER CLAP row backed by the same dated evidence folder. Do not promote any additional row or capability cell out of — until the matching evidence manifest validates and confirms that capability.