How to Contribute a New Open-Source Audio Project to OpenAudio

Updated

OpenAudio accepts new project links through its GitHub issue template. Fill out the template at https://github.com/webprofusion/OpenAudio/issues, and the change is prepared automatically and reviewed by an editor before it appears on the site. This applies to open-source audio apps, plugins (VSTs and similar), libraries, and other resources — the catalog's stated intent is to list projects that are either fully featured or useful as examples with non-trivial features.

What OpenAudio accepts

The list is organized into these sections, so your submission should fit one of them:

Section What belongs there
Audio Plugins Effects, instruments, and other plugin formats (e.g. VST, AU, CLAP)
Collections Grouped or bundled project sets
Audio Apps Stand-alone audio applications
Software Development Libraries Libraries and APIs for audio development
Code Samples Example implementations
Open Data Resources Open audio data

The existing plugin entries show the level of detail expected: a name, a short description, a type (Effect, Instrument, Misc), and a framework (for example JUCE, GTK, Rust VST, or N/A). Entries like Ambience, ANATOMY, and ÆLAPSE each carry a one-line description of what the plugin does and what it is built on, so matching that format makes review faster.

Steps to submit a link

  1. Go to the OpenAudio GitHub issues page: https://github.com/webprofusion/OpenAudio/issues.
  2. Open the issue template for contributing links. The site states that filling out this template is the way to contribute new links.
  3. Provide the project details in the same shape as existing entries — at minimum a name, a description, and its category (plugin, app, library, collection, code sample, or open data resource). For plugins, include the type and framework if known.
  4. Submit the issue. The change is prepared automatically from your submission and then reviewed by an editor.

What happens after you submit

Your submission is not published directly. OpenAudio's process converts the issue into a prepared change, which an editor reviews before it goes live. Expect the entry to be checked for fit with the list's criteria — that it is open source and either fully featured or a useful non-trivial example.

If you are the project author

The site explicitly invites you to "open source your own plugins" and contribute them. Submitting your own project through the same issue template is the intended path; there is no separate author submission channel described on the page.

Common snags

  • Wrong section. A plugin submitted under Apps, or a library under Plugins, will need to be reclassified during review. Check the table above first.
  • Thin descriptions. Entries in the catalog describe what the software actually does (for example, "a delay and reverb plugin" with the delay based on tape-delay mechanisms). A bare link with no description is harder to place.
  • Not open source. The list is specifically for open-source audio software, so closed-source or freeware-only projects fall outside its scope.
  • Missing framework or type. These fields appear throughout the plugin table; supplying them reduces back-and-forth with the editor.