[linux-audio-user] ANN: JOST, a simple host for native VST

[Michael Bohle]

Hello Paul,
> native VST for linux has yet to produce anything concrete at all,
> AFAICT. developers of VST plugins are *not* writing plugins for linux.
> if you wanted to make native VST on linux easier, the sensible thing to
> do is to implement VSTGUI on top of X11 and/or one or more contemporary
> toolkits.

Native VST on Linux is real! it works and needed 3 mounth (Dec, 1st was the 
first release of EnergyXT2/Linux)for around 50 plugins - Lucio is the one who 
made the first VSTgui working on Linux! See his website.

> if the "best native Linux VST plugins for testing" are the MDA plugins,
> then i would have to say that this hasn't accomplished a lot.

JOST is a fast hacked try, only for demonstrating that JACK and JUCE will work 
together well. So JOST did't support GUI'd VSTs now, and some VSTs from 
Jorgen Aase are making probs. I had recommend the mda suite for maximal 
success if someone want to try it. I'm surer later any native Linux VST will 
work there in a kind of modular environment. But for now it is only a first 
preview.


>
> really. fascinating. and just how long do you imagine this might take?
> how long do you think traktion took to create? how many people do you
> think work on Traktion at the moment?

Well Tracktion 1 and the JUCE framework was developed by one person, Julian 
Storer. He made Tracktion because he was not able to use the well known 
sequecenrs so he started to make a own one. He was also the successor of this 
sequencer. Later Mackie bought Tracktion, but Julian made sure, the framework 
he made for creating Tracktion stays opensource. A year ago I asking Julian 
about a Tracktion for Linux, he was open for this idea but like you he said 
that audio linux is crap - he didn't realise the potential of JACK.

But now we have a clear demonstration, JUCE and JACK fits and I'm sure, there 
will be more in a short time coming up from italy. Not to high expectations, 
please, but i think the JUCE make things much easier for devs. I'm sure 
Julian Storer will help activly, he do allready with his juceforum.

>
> there are already a few JACK-aware VST hosting sequencers/DAWs. there is
> already DSSI. there is already a DSSI-VST bridge. there is already a
> run-VST-plugin-as-JACK-client host. what do you actually think is gained
> by starting up yet another project to do this?

I like Ardour and work with this great piece of software everyday, but there 
is no midisequencer actually implented. And the VST- FST Wine connection is 
not really on a stable fundament. I think native VSTs are a better choice. 

So I'm still looking for a stable Audio/Midisequencer (No, the well-known 
linux sequencers are no option for me - I was giving up because of too much 
crashes midest a song I working on), so energyXT2 (stable, easy to use, 
productive, creative) goes a bit in this direction, but as i said, the 
communication with Jorgen is not so easy - so I think it is important to have 
a free host for native LinuxVST -also as a demonstration for other developers 
that native VST is works on Linux. 

>
> mike taht told me a cute story of how he spoke at a conference somewhere
> and asked everyone in the room how many of them had their own projects
> going on. Everyone in the room raised their hands. mike said that he
> didn't have to guts to ask "Does anyone ever think that maybe there are
> too many projects?". he did raise the idea that it would be really good
> for *everyone* if people would give some of their attention to other
> projects periodically. i plead guilty to not doing this, its true.

Yes the creation is strange and divine -so much different lifeforms and they 
all have a place and a home.

Regards,
Michael

-- 
.:www.jacklab.net:. 
ProAudio for openSUSE Linux