On: Dplug for Developing VST Plugins on Linux

[squarefoot]

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 → squarefoot]

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 → p0nce]

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 → Ace17]

Actually last year Steinberg dual-licensed the VST SDK under GPLv3 : https://sdk.steinberg.net/viewtopic.php?t=282

[Ace17 → jcelerier]

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 → Ace17]

We are currently working on a resolution to this issue. Thanks for bringing this out.

[jcelerier → p0nce]

what is your opinion on Vestige's reverse-engineered aeffectx.h ? (https://github.com/falkTX/dssi-vst/blob/master/vestige/aeffe...)

[p0nce → jcelerier]

Can't be used because it's GPL and most plugin makers sell closed-source plugins. We actually have quite a lot of R&D in some algorithms.

[jcelerier → p0nce]

Sure but for someone writing a GPL host or plug-in there's no problem to use it, right?

[p0nce → jcelerier]

The VST SDK is dual-licensed with GPL so the black room implementation is now moot.

[dspig → squarefoot]

I wouldn't say "extremely hostile", more "unbothered" that their licensing conditions don't suit open source projects. They have tried to open things up a bit, but only for VST3 not the obsolete-in-their-opinion-but-not-anyone-elses VST2 SDK.

[simonvdv → squarefoot]

This happened https://github.com/steinbergmedia/vst3sdk ;)

But still, I see no reason to use it over LV2 or even LADSPA.

[p0nce → simonvdv]

There is an obvious reason: implementing a whole new plugin format is harder than just implementing a graphics backend for VST2. LV2 or LADPSA is only useful on Linux IIRC and that's not necessarily a huge audio market.