7 Aug
2012
7 Aug
'12
11:50 p.m.
On Wed, Aug 08, 2012 at 09:28:39AM +1200, Jeff McClintock wrote:
I think I good experiment is to imagine you have to
write both an LV2 host
and 100 LV2 plugins, and you have to write MIDI-binding code. Do you put it
in the plugin OR the host?
-If a feature consumes 100 kB RAM and disk space, and it's implemented on
the host side - that's 100 kB.
-If it's implemented on the plugins side, that's 100,000 kB.
Which choice is more 'bloated'?
If the MIDI-binding code is in a shared library (and it probably should
be) then there's little difference between these two. Code is shared.
Per-instance data isn't, in the first case the host would allocate it
if it loads a plugin and in the second case the plugin would do it, but
again the total size would be the same.
A very real scenario is you write this MIDI-binding
support, ship 50
plugins, then 6 months later discover a bug. Now if that feature is in the
host - that's one fix and everyone is happy. If that bug is in the 50
plugins, already shipped to 1000 customers. Then you have a much bigger
problem.
Again if the code is an a shared library that is the only thing that
will need to be updated.
It's not a question of 'bloat' YES/NO. The
code has to go *somewhere*, there
is only a tradeoff - HOST vs PLUGIN.
Yes, and the choice should IMHO be made based on *operational*
requirements.
Does a MIDI controller control
1. a GUI element (e.g. a fader) which in turn controls a
parameter, or
2. does it control the parameter, updating the GUI as a
side effect.
In case (1) the midi controller can use the mapping (e.g. linear
or logarithmic) of the GUI element, which may be a desirable
feature.
Also imagine that the plugin GUI and DSP code (and host) run on
separate machines. For example the host is some complex rendering
engine placed in a technical room while the plugin GUI runs on
your on-stage laptop. To which one would you want the MIDI controller
connected ?
Ciao,
--
FA
A world of exhaustive, reliable metadata would be an utopia.
It's also a pipe-dream, founded on self-delusion, nerd hubris
and hysterically inflated market opportunities. (Cory Doctorow)