Audio Unit (AU)

An Audio Unit (AU) is a software component used on macOS to create, process, and manipulate audio. Think of it as a plugin that can add effects like reverb, change sounds, or generate audio within digital music applications. AUs allow musicians and audio engineers to customize their sound environment by easily adding new features or effects without changing the main software. They are part of the system’s digital audio infrastructure, enabling flexible and high-quality audio processing in a streamlined way.