Greetings:
My thanks to everyone who has responded to this thread. As you can
see, the issue is important to many users, and there is a desire to see
a more stabilized approach to resolving it. A few random further comments:
Regarding project persistence here's what I've gleaned from the
replies so far:
The vstserver project is defunct, and Kjetil implies that it may not
be worth pursuing.
The libfst project is still alive but development activity is
necessarily stalled. (I have this image of Paul as Dr. Henry
Frankenstein, repeating "It's alive, it's alive !". :)
DSSI and its dssi-vst bridge looks like a best choice for everyone,
although IIUC it doesn't resolve Paul's concerns for multiple plugin
instances.
Interestingly, all the developers of these neat utilities are also
heavily involved in much larger projects.
I really would like to see a coherent approach defined and organized
to study and maintain VST/VSTi compatibility under Linux. Matters to be
considered include :
Keeping current with WINE development (ongoing).
Trying to resolve licensing issues with Steinberg (if they're
willing to alter their licensing, perhaps they just need some more
prodding?).
Folding existing work into a single codebase (get Kjetil's tools
working with DSSI, resolve differences between libfst and dssi-vst).
I'm sure there are other matters I've not included. However, it
appears that maintaining VST/VSTi compatibility is a project very much
desired by the user community. Speaking for myself, I've got used to
running Crystal, Hypercanvas, and a few other VSTi plugins for which
there are no equal or better native plugins. I would also like to test
new versions of WINE without the fear of blasting compatibility (though
as I said earlier, I do understand that repairing WINE is not a LAD
priority).
So, are there any lurking newbie (or oldie) LAD coders who want to
undertake a much-desired project that is already off to a good start ?
In the beginning stages activity is likely to be a bit diverse, but
perhaps things will smooth out after deciding upon a single codebase and
creating a focused group of developers.
And to all who reminded me how small the LAD group is: Yes, I know the
numbers, and I'm trying not to pressure the original developers. What
I'd really like to see is what I've described: A new group formed to
focus on VST/VSTi plugin compatibility under Linux. Is there anyone here
who will take up the flag for this project ?
Or is there a feeling that we don't need such a group (where "group >=
1") ?
Thanks again,
dp
