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Build this Awesome Sampler Plugin | Part 5: JUCE PNG Strips for Next-Level Plugin UIs
In Part 5 of our sampler series, we build real custom knobs from an image filmstrip and a JUCE LookAndFeel, then wire them to the Decay and Reverb controls.

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Build this Awesome Sampler Plugin | Part 5: JUCE PNG Strips for Next-Level Plugin UIs
In Part 5 of our sampler series, we build real custom knobs from an image filmstrip and a JUCE LookAndFeel, then wire them to the Decay and Reverb controls.

Build this Awesome Sampler Plugin | Part 5: JUCE PNG Strips for Next-Level Plugin UIs

Build this Awesome Sampler Plugin | Part 5: JUCE PNG Strips for Next-Level Plugin UIs

Custom knobs are one of the most-asked-about parts of building a plugin, and the secret is that you don't draw them at all. In Part 5 we build real custom knobs from an image filmstrip and a JUCE LookAndFeel, then wire them to the Decay and Reverb parameters of our sampler.
Follow along on GitHub:
https://github.com/TheAudioProgrammer/JuceSamplerAudioPlugin
Timestamps:
00:00 - Introduction: why pro knobs aren't "drawn"
01:41 - Prerequisites & the GitHub branch
01:55 - Adding the PNG strip (assets + CMake)
03:05 - Getting the knob from binary data
03:50 - How JUCE LookAndFeel works
04:35 - Building the KnobLookAndFeel class
07:02 - Moving the implementation into a .cpp
08:32 - Finding & overriding drawRotarySlider
11:26 - The frame-index math (value → frame)
15:10 - Drawing the frame (and the retina trick)
17:31 - Suppressing warnings with [[maybe_unused]]
18:06 - Why we build a reusable Knob component
19:14 - Creating the Knob class
23:00 - Implementing the constructor & styling
28:08 - Layout with resized()
29:01 - Wiring the Decay knob in the editor
31:44 - Adding the Reverb knob (the payoff)
32:55 - Recap & what's next
Joshua Hodge
The Audio Programmer
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