Free Plugins

Vivid hosts CLAP and VST3 plugins. To keep onboarding honest, the beginner path depends on exactly one free plugin, and every required plugin is verified (download, format, architecture, install path, and missing-plugin recovery) before a tutorial is allowed to require it.

Required for the first tutorial

Surge XT

• Formats: CLAP, VST3, AU
• Role: the required beginner instrument
• Install path Vivid expects (macOS): /Library/Audio/Plug-Ins/CLAP/Surge XT.clap
• Get it: surge-synthesizer.github.io — or brew install --cask surge-xt

Surge XT is free, open source, cross-platform, audible out of the box, and ships a large preset library. The first tutorial loads the CLAP bundle directly, so your project never depends on a paid DAW or plugin.

Optional next installs

These are for later tutorials and the showcase demos — not needed to start.

Surge XT Effects

• Formats: CLAP, VST3, AU
• Role: tutorial-friendly delay / reverb / filter effects
• Install path (macOS): /Library/Audio/Plug-Ins/CLAP/Surge XT Effects.clap
• Usually installs alongside Surge XT — it keeps the early stack inside one free plugin family.

BPB Cassette Drums

• Format: VST3
• Role: the free drum machine used by the Pulse, Neon and Mirror showcases
• Install Cassette Drums.vst3 and its Cassette Drums.instruments folder together into ~/Library/Audio/Plug-Ins/VST3/.

Vital (Basic)

• Formats: VST3, AU
• Role: optional wavetable synth for later sound-design tutorials
• Get it: vital.audio — the free Basic tier includes the full synth engine.