Floppy drive instrument plugin by Shiru & Resonaura
A VST3 / AU / Standalone plugin that imitates the noises of a floppy disk drive playing music — a beloved gimmick of the MS-DOS era. Sample-based, with the engine controlling playback in a way that produces a realistic mechanical sound.
Original plugin and all samples recorded by Shiru.
Cross-platform JUCE rewrite, macOS AU + Standalone, keyboard interface by Resonaura.
| Platform | Formats |
|---|---|
| macOS | AU, VST3, Standalone |
| Windows | VST3, Standalone |
| Tool | macOS | Windows |
|---|---|---|
| Git | ✅ | ✅ |
| CMake | ✅ | ✅ |
| Ninja | ✅ (auto-installed via Homebrew if missing) | optional |
| Xcode CLT | ✅ | — |
| Visual Studio 2022 | — | ✅ (Ninja as fallback) |
| Node.js | optional, for npm scripts | optional, for npm scripts |
JUCE 8.0.7 is fetched automatically — either by the build scripts or via npm install.
npm install # fetches JUCE if not present
npm run build # release build (auto-detects OS)
npm run install:plugin # build + install into the system| Script | Description |
|---|---|
npm run build |
Release build (auto-detects OS) |
npm run build:debug |
Debug build |
npm run build:release |
Release build (explicit) |
npm run rebuild |
Clean release build |
npm run rebuild:debug |
Clean debug build |
npm run install:plugin |
Install into the system |
npm run reinstall |
Clean rebuild + install |
npm run clean |
Remove build/ and build-debug/ |
npm run dist |
Pack both mac + win distributable zips |
npm run dist:mac |
Pack macOS distributable zip only |
npm run dist:win |
Pack Windows distributable zip only |
npm run mac:build |
macOS release build |
npm run mac:build:debug |
macOS debug build |
npm run mac:build:release |
macOS release build (explicit) |
npm run mac:rebuild |
macOS clean release build |
npm run mac:rebuild:debug |
macOS clean debug build |
npm run mac:install |
macOS install |
npm run mac:reinstall |
macOS clean rebuild + install |
npm run win:build |
Windows release build |
npm run win:build:debug |
Windows debug build |
npm run win:build:release |
Windows release build (explicit) |
npm run win:rebuild |
Windows clean release build |
npm run win:install |
Windows install |
npm run win:reinstall |
Windows clean rebuild + install |
Build first, then pack:
npm run build # compile
npm run dist # pack both platforms into dist/
npm run dist:mac # pack macOS only → dist/Flopster-mac-v1.21.zip
npm run dist:win # pack Windows only → dist/Flopster-win-v1.21.zipEach archive contains the compiled plugin bundles plus a ready-to-run installer — the recipient needs zero dev tools installed.
macOS zip (Flopster-mac-v1.21.zip):
Flopster.vst3
Flopster.component
Flopster.app
install.sh ← double-click or run in Terminal
The macOS installer strips Gatekeeper quarantine, ad-hoc codesigns all bundles, runs spctl --add so Logic/Ableton don't block the AU, resets the Audio Unit cache, and installs the Standalone into /Applications.
Windows zip (Flopster-win-v1.21.zip):
Flopster.vst3\
Flopster.exe
install.bat ← right-click → Run as Administrator
The Windows installer auto-elevates via UAC, copies VST3 to both the system and user-local VST3 folders, installs the Standalone to %LOCALAPPDATA%\Programs\Flopster\, and creates a Desktop shortcut.
macOS:
bash build.sh # release build
bash build.sh --debug # debug build
bash build.sh --rebuild # clean rebuild
bash install.sh # build (if needed) + install
bash install.sh --rebuild # clean rebuild + installWindows:
build.bat :: release build
build.bat --debug :: debug build
build.bat --rebuild :: clean rebuild
install.bat :: build (if needed) + install
install.bat --rebuild :: clean rebuild + installmacOS:
AU ~/Library/Audio/Plug-Ins/Components/Flopster.component
VST3 ~/Library/Audio/Plug-Ins/VST3/Flopster.vst3
Standalone ~/Applications/Flopster.app
Windows:
VST3 (system) %CommonProgramFiles%\VST3\Flopster.vst3
VST3 (user) %LOCALAPPDATA%\Programs\VstPlugins\Flopster.vst3
Standalone %USERPROFILE%\Desktop\Flopster.exe
After installing, restart your DAW and trigger a plugin rescan.
All sounds are triggered by MIDI note and velocity:
| Note | Velocity | Sound |
|---|---|---|
| C6 | any | Spindle motor |
| D6 | any | Head steps in sequence |
| Below C6 | ~15 | Single head step (fixed, by note) |
| Below C6 | ~40 | Continuous steps loop |
| C3–B5 | ~60 | Head buzz — most musical, recommended |
| C3–B5 | ~90 | Head seek, resuming from last position |
| C3–B5 | ~120 | Head seek, always from initial position |
| E6 | any | Push disk into drive |
| F6 | any | Insert disk |
| G6 | any | Eject disk |
| A6 | any | Pull disk out of drive |
The pixel-art keyboard spans C3–E6. Click with the mouse, or in Standalone mode use computer keyboard keys (FL Studio layout).
Upper row (one octave up):
| Key | Q | 2 | W | 3 | E | R | 5 | T | 6 | Y | 7 | U | I | 9 | O | 0 | P |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Note | C5 | C#5 | D5 | D#5 | E5 | F5 | F#5 | G5 | G#5 | A5 | A#5 | B5 | C6 | C#6 | D6 | D#6 | E6 |
Lower row:
| Key | Z | S | X | D | C | V | G | B | H | N | J | M | , | L | . | ; | / |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Note | C4 | C#4 | D4 | D#4 | E4 | F4 | F#4 | G4 | G#4 | A4 | A#4 | B4 | C5 | C#5 | D5 | D#5 | E5 |
Keyboard velocity is ~80, which maps to head buzz mode.
You can add your own preset by placing a new folder inside samples/ prefixed with a number (e.g. 05 My Drive).
Requirements: uncompressed 44100 Hz, 16-bit, mono WAV files only.
flopster/
├── src/ # C++ plugin source
├── assets/ # UI bitmaps (back.bmp, char.bmp) and icons
├── samples/ # Sample presets (bundled into plugin on install)
├── scripts/ # Node.js helper scripts (run.js, postinstall.js)
├── JUCE/ # JUCE 8.0.7 (auto-fetched, not committed)
├── build/ # Release build output (gitignored)
├── build-debug/ # Debug build output (gitignored)
├── CMakeLists.txt
├── build.sh / build.bat
├── install.sh / install.bat
└── package.json
| Version | Date | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| v1.22 | — | Full JUCE 8 cross-platform rewrite (Resonaura): AU + VST3 + Standalone, pixel-art keyboard, FL Studio layout, CMake build system, npm scripts, Gatekeeper fix |
| v1.21 | 16.01.20 | Two more sample sets, volume balanced across sets |
| v1.2 | 13.01.20 | Sample integrity checks, three more sample sets |
| v1.1 | 28.07.19 | GUI improvements, detune, octave shift, pitch bend, second sample set |
| v1.01 | 03.06.19 | x64 support |
| v1.0 | 30.06.17 | Initial release |
WTFPL — no warranty, do whatever you want.
See wtfpl.net for details.
Shiru (original author)
🌐 shiru.untergrund.net
❤️ patreon.com/shiru8bit
Resonaura (macOS / cross-platform port)
🐙 github.com/resonaura