Subject: Re: [linux-audio-dev] Re: ladspa plugin GUI proposal
From: Iain Sandoe (iain_AT_sandoe.co.uk)
Date: Thu May 25 2000 - 19:44:51 EEST
My 0.02...
I kinda started out thinking that the VST way is pretty good. It *is* for
my studio - but I also want to do scientific & engineering DSP and, for
that, although it can be made to work - it is a bit clunky.
---However clever a DSP algorithm is, its utility to non-experts is likely to be directly related to the quality of its UI. I'm in full agreement with the several writers that say that Linux should have glossy & functional front panels - this is essential in gaining acceptance of the musicians. Perhaps it might be nice if some of the commercial boys put their apps onto Linux too?.
It is equally true that the look-and-feel of the racks in my studio is dictated by several manufacturers - and that this doesn't detract from the usefulness of the equipment. So we don't need to impose a single method.
There are also many cases (in my instrumentation pursuits) where I can see that a DSP "plug" might be used in isolation from a UI.
SO:
What about...
The DSP portion is the "plug" - its interaction with control parameters and audio data is defined in such a way that the "Plug" has no concept of whether these come from a UI, midi device or a file. (this is what we have no?)
Any UI becomes a separate process - this gets round the icky-ness of dealing with a single X-server - and allows for transparent adoption of multiple screens etc (we are going to need them once we get so many open panels).
If a "host" (i.e. something that shows a single face to a user in managing the connectivity and addition of components) wishes to simplify the task for a user (necessary for non-experts) then a mechanism for launching the UI *process* and connecting it to each instance of a DSP "plug" would be defined. Someone might be going to say that achieving sync is a nightmare...
From the POV of efficiency it seems likely that a single audio engine will be the limit for the near future. Multiple synchronised cards would be nice however ;).
If there is not a sufficiently robust and RT inter-app mechanism to support this - then this seems to me to be a smaller difficulty to resolve than trying to solve the UI problem...
Hmm.. it seems very difficult to create a short e-mail on this topic. Iain.
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