How many modules do you put into a single plugin?
Are there reasons to create different plugins sorted by themes, e.g. a plugin with sequencer-modules, a plugin with CV-tools, a plugin with oscillators, and so on?
From my practical point of view it makes sense to use one large plugin that bundles all my modules so that I can reuse code efficiently.
On the other hand, compile time will raise with each module I add.
What are your experiences?
There is no limit to how many modules can be in a plugin.
The reason to make separate plugins is if you feel users would want separate bundles. Maybe they only want some of your modules, not all 200 of them. But there is no technical reason.
Yes, most of us use one big plugin for the reasons you mention. And it’s easier to submit just one to the plugin manager, etc…
The make file provided by VCV is incremental so build time won’t go up (much). Build time isn’t much of a problem anyway.
For open-source or freeware modules, it makes sense to put all modules by a certain maintainer/author in the same plugin. It’s easier for developers, and users won’t notice a difference in Rack v2, since the Module Browser will only show modules added to their VCV account.
For commercial modules, plugins are the “sale units” so you’ll want to divide them in the way you want to sell them.