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Dplug for Developing VST Plugins on Linux

67 points by p0nce 9y ago

hashmal 9y ago
I don't use D (I make my audio stuff using Rust) but it's always good to see new audio libraries/tools. Slightly off-topic, I'd love to see an open project for audio plugin specs. VST and AU are managed by private companies and have a history of extremely poor documentation. For anyone who tried to code audio stuff at least once, it's a real pain. Audio is already hard in itself. (Don't even get me started on the bugs around AUv3…)
- p0nce 9y ago
  I'm curious about what do you use for audio with Rust?
  - hashmal 9y ago
    I'm afraid my answer is disappointing: just Rust, with the necessary boilerplate to wrap the code in AU or to the audio interface...
  - rvense 9y ago
    There's a github org here: https://github.com/rustaudio https://github.com/rustaudio
- microcolonel 9y ago
  I hear you on that. It is especially embarrassing that despite the callbacks being essentially the same since the '90s, there are still ~5 APIs to do the same thing, and all of them are this ugly. I wonder how LADSPA and LV2 look... LV2 at least has units, so you don't need to use some arbitrary rule to convert your Hz, dB, octave, and other units to a 1.0f > float > 0.0f and then that float maybe into an integer. Putting aside plugin/processor APIs for a moment, I think platform APIs are even worse. I mean, PortAudio, whose namesake is portable audio, does not include a functioning PulseAudio sink, and doesn't function correctly on most GNU/Linux systems of the last decade.
- jcelerier 9y ago
  > Slightly off-topic, I'd love to see an open project for audio plugin specs. It already exists and is called LV2: http://lv2plug.in/ http://lv2plug.in/ ; you may be interested in http://lv2plug.in/gmpi.html http://lv2plug.in/gmpi.html
- deleted 9y ago
  [deleted]
squarefoot 9y ago
After testing the native Reaper build for Linux it really looks like something big is happening over here, but if I recall correctly, in the past Steinberg (the company behind the VST standard) has been extremely hostile to any Open Source implementation of their libraries etc. I admit having been under a rock for some time in this field, so could anyone summarize what changed and if there are any caveats/traps for developers willing to write native VST plugins for Linux?
- p0nce 9y ago
  You still need to agree to the VST SDK terms to use this. Note that there exist other bindings for VST in Rust, Java, .NET, Delphi... you _have_ to translate part of the SDK to be able to use it from another language that C++. In essence this is not different than jVSTwRapper or VST.NET, both of which still exist.
  - Ace17 9y ago
    IIRC the VST SDK terms forbid the redistribution of the SDK itself ; which is partly what makes it GPL-incompatible. Whether this restriction applies on translated versions is legally grey.
    - jcelerier 9y ago
      Actually last year Steinberg dual-licensed the VST SDK under GPLv3 : https://sdk.steinberg.net/viewtopic.php?t=282 https://sdk.steinberg.net/viewtopic.php?t=282
      - Ace17 9y ago
        Yeah, but as dspig mentioned above, this only applies to v3 of VST, which is almost nobody uses. We're all using v2.3/v2.4.
        p0nce 9y ago
        We are currently working on a resolution to this issue. Thanks for bringing this out.
FigBug 9y ago
Just a note that JUCE is now free for indie developers if your yearly revenue is less than $50K per year. It just adds a JUCE logo for a few seconds the first time your plugin window opens. If you don't like that, GPL is still an option.
- abaga129 9y ago
  Ah I wasn't aware of that. It has been a year or so since I last used JUCE. Thanks for that info.
- shams93 9y ago
  Yeah I'm working with Juce myself, it's used in other amazing tools for Linux audio that are open source.
- widdershins 9y ago
  Cool! JUCE is actually a very impressive framework and it makes developing for all the different platforms & APIs surprisingly easy.
- simonvdv 9y ago
  Or as an alternative DPF https://github.com/DISTRHO/DPF https://github.com/DISTRHO/DPF which at least supports JACK and LV2 (the pull request for it for JUCE has gone unmerged for years :( and no additional license restrictions
- SyneRyder 9y ago
  Also, it looks like JUCE is available for a one-off fee, if you don't like the monthly subscription. $700 once on an annual revenue of $200K seems reasonable, especially since there's the free-with-splashscreen tier to help you earn that first $700. https://www.juce.com/get-juce https://www.juce.com/get-juce
tux1968 9y ago
If anyone else is scratching their heads wondering what VST refers to: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Virtual_Studio_Technology https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Virtual_Studio_Technology

67 points by p0nce 9y ago

I don't use D (I make my audio stuff using Rust) but it's always good to see new audio libraries/tools. Slightly off-topic, I'd love to see an open project for audio plugin specs. VST and AU are managed by private companies and have a history of extremely poor documentation. For anyone who tried to code audio stuff at least once, it's a real pain. Audio is already hard in itself. (Don't even get me started on the bugs around AUv3…)

p0nce 9y ago
I'm curious about what do you use for audio with Rust?
- hashmal 9y ago
  I'm afraid my answer is disappointing: just Rust, with the necessary boilerplate to wrap the code in AU or to the audio interface...
- rvense 9y ago
  There's a github org here: https://github.com/rustaudio https://github.com/rustaudio
microcolonel 9y ago
I hear you on that. It is especially embarrassing that despite the callbacks being essentially the same since the '90s, there are still ~5 APIs to do the same thing, and all of them are this ugly. I wonder how LADSPA and LV2 look... LV2 at least has units, so you don't need to use some arbitrary rule to convert your Hz, dB, octave, and other units to a 1.0f > float > 0.0f and then that float maybe into an integer. Putting aside plugin/processor APIs for a moment, I think platform APIs are even worse. I mean, PortAudio, whose namesake is portable audio, does not include a functioning PulseAudio sink, and doesn't function correctly on most GNU/Linux systems of the last decade.
jcelerier 9y ago
> Slightly off-topic, I'd love to see an open project for audio plugin specs. It already exists and is called LV2: http://lv2plug.in/ http://lv2plug.in/ ; you may be interested in http://lv2plug.in/gmpi.html http://lv2plug.in/gmpi.html
deleted 9y ago
[deleted]

squarefoot 9y ago

After testing the native Reaper build for Linux it really looks like something big is happening over here, but if I recall correctly, in the past Steinberg (the company behind the VST standard) has been extremely hostile to any Open Source implementation of their libraries etc. I admit having been under a rock for some time in this field, so could anyone summarize what changed and if there are any caveats/traps for developers willing to write native VST plugins for Linux?

p0nce 9y ago
You still need to agree to the VST SDK terms to use this. Note that there exist other bindings for VST in Rust, Java, .NET, Delphi... you _have_ to translate part of the SDK to be able to use it from another language that C++. In essence this is not different than jVSTwRapper or VST.NET, both of which still exist.
- Ace17 9y ago
  IIRC the VST SDK terms forbid the redistribution of the SDK itself ; which is partly what makes it GPL-incompatible. Whether this restriction applies on translated versions is legally grey.
  - jcelerier 9y ago
    Actually last year Steinberg dual-licensed the VST SDK under GPLv3 : https://sdk.steinberg.net/viewtopic.php?t=282 https://sdk.steinberg.net/viewtopic.php?t=282
    - Ace17 9y ago
      Yeah, but as dspig mentioned above, this only applies to v3 of VST, which is almost nobody uses. We're all using v2.3/v2.4.
      - p0nce 9y ago
        We are currently working on a resolution to this issue. Thanks for bringing this out.

FigBug 9y ago

Just a note that JUCE is now free for indie developers if your yearly revenue is less than $50K per year. It just adds a JUCE logo for a few seconds the first time your plugin window opens. If you don't like that, GPL is still an option.

abaga129 9y ago
Ah I wasn't aware of that. It has been a year or so since I last used JUCE. Thanks for that info.
shams93 9y ago
Yeah I'm working with Juce myself, it's used in other amazing tools for Linux audio that are open source.
widdershins 9y ago
Cool! JUCE is actually a very impressive framework and it makes developing for all the different platforms & APIs surprisingly easy.
simonvdv 9y ago
Or as an alternative DPF https://github.com/DISTRHO/DPF https://github.com/DISTRHO/DPF which at least supports JACK and LV2 (the pull request for it for JUCE has gone unmerged for years :( and no additional license restrictions
SyneRyder 9y ago
Also, it looks like JUCE is available for a one-off fee, if you don't like the monthly subscription. $700 once on an annual revenue of $200K seems reasonable, especially since there's the free-with-splashscreen tier to help you earn that first $700. https://www.juce.com/get-juce https://www.juce.com/get-juce

tux1968 9y ago

If anyone else is scratching their heads wondering what VST refers to: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Virtual_Studio_Technology https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Virtual_Studio_Technology