27 Feb
2007
27 Feb
'07
8:38 a.m.
Hi Sampo
Yeah, it might work, cool - but do we need native VST's? You can do
everything a VST or VSTi do with an LV2. Just look at the AZR-3 VSTi
Hammond simulator which has been very successfully ported to LV2 by Lars
Luthman - even before LV2 has been "officially" released.
Ther is a big difference, maybe hard to see but clear for musicans:
VST is existing, LV2 is an idea, far away from coming real. Like the
midisequencer for ardour.
How many LV2 plugins in one year? one
How many VST plugins for Linux in 3 mounths? over 50
Are you aware of the licensing problems with VST? If Steinberg does not
make it's SDK license compatible with the GPL you will never get VST
software, not even linux-VST software, included in distributions. Ever. You
will not be able to distribute your software in binary form if you want to
use GPL. Ever. Every one of your users will need to build your software by
themselves, they need to navigate Steinbergs' website jungle to get the
SDK. The picture is not pretty.
This is partly a self made problem: to release VST aware software under GPL is
a kick against the users, against the musicans who want to use Linux as a all
in one OS solution.
Thats why Chris Cannam decided to release dssi-vst under a lesser GPL.
To make the Steinberg VST-SDK licencing issues responsible for this, is not
the fine art of politics. The main problem is the restrictive GPL.
Now, what would really be cool would be an alternative SDK for VST which
would turn existing VST sources into LV2 plugin sources, including the GUI.
This would probably make a lot more of the DSP in the existing VST plugins
(we're really interested in the DSP, right, not VST itself?) available for
the Linux users. But even then it's a question licensing, licensing,
licensing... Not many VST developers are interested in open source ideals.
Yes I hope in ten years LV2 for Linux is something like VST was in 2000.
But with opensource ideals we can't make a single note on a computer -
creating music did not need ideologys. The freedom is to have the choice to
use closed VST plugins on Linux.
When i was started on linux, i thought "this is an open platform with creative
developers" now i start to realise that some devs using linux as a weapon
against the windmills named closed source.
If audiolinux shall reach the musicans, VST must be integrated. Otherwise
audiolinux will always be a niche for some geeks like me.
Regards,
Michael
my 0,01
Sampo
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