Creating Your First Audio Plug-in w/ Matthijs Hollemans (Indie Audio Developer) | Ep 25

Matthijs Hollemans discusses his newly released book aimed at aspiring audio developers who want to create their first plugin. The book addresses a long-standing challenge in the audio development community: there has never been a single comprehensive resource for complete beginners that covers everything from choosing an operating system to building and debugging a finished plugin. Written for people with no prior programming experience, the 500-page guide takes a step-by-step tutorial approach, teaching C++, the JUCE framework, and digital signal processing simultaneously while building a complete delay plugin. Unlike reference materials that assume foundational knowledge, this book explains every detail along the way, including how to set up development environments on both Mac and Windows, implement features like tempo sync, create custom user interfaces, and prepare plugins for distribution.

The conversation emphasizes that audio programming requires learning to think like an engineer, breaking down complex problems into manageable pieces, and persevering through the inevitable frustrations of learning something entirely new. Both authors stress that while the journey can be challenging, especially for those coming from creative backgrounds, the book serves as a printed mentor that guides readers through the unavoidable knowledge needed to release professional plugins. They encourage learners to view this as a recreational pursuit driven by passion rather than purely career goals, reminding the audience that the audio development community has become increasingly welcoming and supportive. The discussion concludes by noting this is an exciting time for independent audio developers, with more resources and experimental workflows emerging than ever before.

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