[linux-audio-dev] All things LADSPA, your input please

[Thorsten Wilms]

On Mon, Jun 27, 2005 at 12:06:10PM +0200, Tim Goetze wrote:
> 
> So, I'd love to hear from you: what do you write or use (hosts and 
> plugins, realtime or offline, a shameless plug for your efforts is 
> welcome too!), any issues you take with it, LADSPA vs. VST, the DSSI 
> expansion etc etc; in short, anything you find worth noting is 
> appreciated.

I use the great modular synth Om (http://www.nongnu.org/om-synth/) that 
comes with a small numer of internal modules for i/o, but realies on 
ladspa and dssi plugins for everything else.
Currentyl it's all about sound synthesis for me, but later on I might 
try doing modular effects. For simple things like just a reverb I prefer 
to use a fx slot in MusE.

Using Om as engine, there's Lachlan 'Loki' Davison's Smack drum 
synthesizer (http://smack.berlios.de/). He's working on LADSPAs for 
physical modeling handdrums. I guess you don't find something like that 
as VST.

Having installed almost all plugins I could get, plugin selection 
dialogs tend to be bothersome to use becuase of the long lists.
So I worked with Dave Robillard on the conception of a better 
selection dialog, which he has implemented in part by now. But the  
most important feature is present: incremental filtering of the 
plugin list for a string in the name, type (ladspa, dssi, internal)
library or label. So for example, i start typing and with each letter 
the list shortens, until "prod" result in 3 entries for Signal 
Product with its variants. Every host developer should take a look 
at and consider to copy this functionality.


In the context of modular synthesis, it's a bit bothersome to have  
the same plugins in different versions for being equipped with  
audio or control rate ports. It would be so great to just switch 
between the rates.

With oscillators one never knows before trying, if an audio 
frequency port works with v/oct or not.

With DSSi the only problem coming to my mind now is the GUIs taking 
ages to appear on screen.

While ladspa control dialogs tend to be ugly, and things like having 
sliders for boolean values sucks, I can't say i miss plugin GUIs like 
I got to know while using Cubase VST much. Inconsistent eye-candy 
nonsense and useless big marketing labels everywhere ... 


Cheers,
Thorsten Wilms