[linux-audio-dev] Concerning libfst, vstserver, and dssi-vst

Dave Phillips dlphillips at woh.rr.com
Mon Apr 11 13:14:58 UTC 2005


Greetings:

  Users are constantly wrestling with issues surrounding the software 
mentioned in the subject line, and I would like to find out what 
directions are planned for those projects. Here's what I see now:

    1. The vstserver project is functionally dead. It cannot work with 
newer versions of WINE, and it appears that Kjetil does not plan to keep 
it updated to accommodate the new versions. Alas, this also means that 
his nice vsti, ladspavst, and k_vst~ projects are also unusable. :(

    2. The libfst project is essentially unmaintained. Again, WINE 
versions wreak havoc with users who want to keep both fst and WINE 
up-to-date. Paul and/or Torben: Is the libfst project going to see any 
more activity from your end, or should it be considered an open project 
and up for grabs ?

    3. The dssi-vst bridge is still unknown to me because of issues with 
RH9, and I've not had time to test it on FC3. But is there any general 
feeling that dssi-vst is a better route to take, at least for the normal 
user ? Btw, I like the DSSI API, but it seems slow in catching on with 
developers. Is that perception correct ?

  Please understand that I'm in no way criticising the work done on 
these projects so far. In point of fact, I'm extremely happy they exist, 
but I'm also in considerable doubt whether they can continue to be 
useful without further maintenance. Users are writing to other users to 
figure out how to fix small problems (usually with libfst), but these 
repairs are not making their way back into the codebase, which seems 
rather non-optimal to me. I'm also aware that the greater problems exist 
because of WINE's inherent instability (WRT its development, not 
necessarily its usability) and that Linux audio developers can't be 
responsible for WINE fixes too. Perhaps more crosstalk between the WINE 
developers and the LAD folk (similar to the recent discussion re: the 
kernel list and LAD) would help smooth the way for a more consistent and 
more manageable VST/VSTi bridge for Linux ?

  So, any comments or useful suggestions ?

Best,

dp





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