Here at Chanel Robot we build audio products in native format – that means Windows and Mac based plugins in VST3 and AU. As a result we have a number of engines that we use to deliver complex and sophisticated audio products, and some of these systems we license to audio designers and developers.
So lets start out by saying building native audio plugins is nothing like building Kontakt instruments (if that’s where you are coming from), as Kontakt is essentially “just” an audio player into which you can load your audio. Obviously the first big difference is your potential customers wont need any other software to run your new product beyond their VST3/AU compatible DAW, so your potential audience is *much* bigger. But there are a number of things that native plugins require that you can bypass with Kontakt, like code-signing and notarizing, installers, setting up the internal sample mapping etc. So as a consequence this is not a “license and forget” process for us, we will have some work to do with you on your final product.
This means a to-and-fro process something like this:
- We send you a template for the graphics – you can change anything about the graphics except their size, location and number of sprites(the format is png and is just like the layout Kontakt uses)
- You do the design and send it back to us
- You design the audio and send it to us with mapping information – if you are using Kontakt – simply send us the Kontakt instrument
- We map out the audio and the graphics and build the plugins then send them to you
- You install the product and start the preset design, when you are finished you send the presets to us
- We build the installer and the product is ready to ship
If this approach isnt for you – then you may well be better off just using Kontakt and one of the boilerplate templates for your instrument
Licensing Costs
There are usually two ways we approach this, tho’ we are pretty flexible about hearing your proposal if its different from these:
- Direct fixed fee licensing. We charge you a fee for the work we do and the license for the specific one-off product and you are in charge of everything after we send you the product
- In-Label licensing. Here the product is labelled as a Channel Robot product – we arrange its distribution, thru our distribution partners and our web site, and we split the revenue with you.
If you are interested in talking further give us a shout and we can talk it over.