Re: [linux-audio-dev] All things LADSPA, your input please

From: Thorsten Wilms <t_w_@email-addr-hidden>
Date: Mon Jun 27 2005 - 14:23:39 EEST

On Mon, Jun 27, 2005 at 12:06:10PM +0200, Tim Goetze wrote:
>
> So, I'd love to hear from you: what do you write or use (hosts and
> plugins, realtime or offline, a shameless plug for your efforts is
> welcome too!), any issues you take with it, LADSPA vs. VST, the DSSI
> expansion etc etc; in short, anything you find worth noting is
> appreciated.

I use the great modular synth Om (http://www.nongnu.org/om-synth/) that
comes with a small numer of internal modules for i/o, but realies on
ladspa and dssi plugins for everything else.
Currentyl it's all about sound synthesis for me, but later on I might
try doing modular effects. For simple things like just a reverb I prefer
to use a fx slot in MusE.

Using Om as engine, there's Lachlan 'Loki' Davison's Smack drum
synthesizer (http://smack.berlios.de/). He's working on LADSPAs for
physical modeling handdrums. I guess you don't find something like that
as VST.

Having installed almost all plugins I could get, plugin selection
dialogs tend to be bothersome to use becuase of the long lists.
So I worked with Dave Robillard on the conception of a better
selection dialog, which he has implemented in part by now. But the
most important feature is present: incremental filtering of the
plugin list for a string in the name, type (ladspa, dssi, internal)
library or label. So for example, i start typing and with each letter
the list shortens, until "prod" result in 3 entries for Signal
Product with its variants. Every host developer should take a look
at and consider to copy this functionality.

In the context of modular synthesis, it's a bit bothersome to have
the same plugins in different versions for being equipped with
audio or control rate ports. It would be so great to just switch
between the rates.

With oscillators one never knows before trying, if an audio
frequency port works with v/oct or not.

With DSSi the only problem coming to my mind now is the GUIs taking
ages to appear on screen.

While ladspa control dialogs tend to be ugly, and things like having
sliders for boolean values sucks, I can't say i miss plugin GUIs like
I got to know while using Cubase VST much. Inconsistent eye-candy
nonsense and useless big marketing labels everywhere ...

Cheers,
Thorsten Wilms
Received on Thu Jul 7 16:15:29 2005

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