[linux-audio-dev] Plugin APIs (again)

[David Olofson]

On Saturday 07 December 2002 21.17, Steve Harris wrote:
> > > The intention is that these things would (on the whole) be
> > > sound generators, right? To me plugin implies inline
> > > processing.
> >
> > This API is not purely instrumental.  It can certainly be for
> > effects and sinks, too.  That said, we're spending a lot of time
> > on the instrumental part because it's the new ground wrt LADSPA.
>
> Its not purely aimed at instruments, but its heavily focused that
> way, it probably wouldn't make sense to use this API for something
> LADSPA can do well (eg. audio+control -> audio+control). If you
> need timestamps or polyphony then this would be the way to go, but
> realisticly that means intruments and a few other odd cases.

I disagree. I still think the VST folks are right when they say it's 
a bad think of effects and instruments as two different kinds of 
plugins. There are just too many technical similarities to motivate a 
separation, and there are too many "weird things" plugin authors want 
to do that needs features from both "classes".

Are we going to have LADSPA, and soon OAPI (or whatever it'll be) - 
and in a year or two, another API, effectively merging LADSPA and 
OAPI?

Why? What is it that LADSPA does that would be so complicated that an 
instrument API must not support it?


//David Olofson - Programmer, Composer, Open Source Advocate

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