View Issue Details

IDProjectCategoryView StatusLast Update
0009145ardourbugspublic2023-12-12 20:34
ReporterGMaq Assigned Tox42  
PrioritynormalSeverityminorReproducibilityalways
Status closedResolutionwon't fix 
PlatformDebian GNUOSLinuxOS Version(any)
Product Version7.1 
Summary0009145: ~/.vst should be a default PATH for Linux VST 2 Plugins
DescriptionAll other Plugin types (LV2, VST3, CLAP) have a corresponding folder in the Users home that Ardour scans on first run by default Linux VST2 should be too. Most 3rd Party Vendors (Uhe as an example) install to ~/.vst.. Yabridge by default places it's shared object files for Windows VST 2 Plugins in ~/.vst/yabridge. It is accepted common practice. Ardour's convention of an LXVST path has not gained universal acceptance and even Repository Packages of LinuxVST Packages are a muddle of /usr/lib/vst and /usr/lib/lxvst with the majority favouring the more universal /usr/lib/vst.
TagsNo tags attached.

Activities

GMaq

2022-12-05 17:00

reporter   ~0026983

I had to post the above quickly before a timeout killed it again... Further to that the missing default ~/.vst path is a pretty significant hiccup for new Users trying Ardour for the first time with their own LinuxVST2 Plugins installed and getting missed while all other Plugin formats in the same location get detected.

paul

2022-12-05 21:56

administrator   ~0026985

VST2 does not have any default installation location - Steinberg left it unspecified. As you note, packaged LXVST2 plugins end up in various other system folders.

GMaq

2022-12-06 16:13

reporter   ~0026987

Soooo, since it's unspecified and ~./vst is known to work in daily use in real world situations, what would be the harm in adding it? While I would agree that Repository packages favour system-wide destinations that are in Ardour's default scan locations most other sources of common 3rd party Plugin either install to ~/.vst or recommend that as the install target. Distributions are quickly losing the ability to keep up with the sheer volume of new Audio Plugins for Linux and there are more and more commercial choices that will never be included in a Repository system and will be placed in the home folder. While ~/.vst is not 'specified' neither is ~/.lxvst or any of the other system-wide locations, yet they work anyway as ~/.vst does. Its really more about where the DAW will look than what the Plugin standard specifies in this case anyway so what's the harm in adding another common location when none of them are technically specified.

GMaq

2022-12-09 22:27

reporter   ~0027007

*Added note, with recent holiday Plugin sales I purchased Apisonic Speedrum and AudioThing's Bubble Thing and Dials, both of these are crossplatform VST2, VST3 (and CLAP) Plugins and just as an example for 2 random Plugins I happened to come across this week AudioThings's included installer script installs to ~/.vst, .vst3, and .clap and Speedrum also expects to be copied to ~/.vst and/or .vst3. If you want more examples than U-he, Apisonic, AudioThing I can easily find them and am happy to provide them Whether within the specification or not ~/.vst is a valid and indeed expected location for LinuxVST2 Plugins to be placed, for Ardour to overlook this is a source for potential confusion.. On the other hand Reaper ONLY looks in ~/.vst and .vst3 and does not search system-wide folders without modification, even they use it as their only valid location to search.. In both cases lxvst is not a thing that is mentioned anywhere other than in Ardour and a small number of Plugin developers that use or test with Ardour.

Daniele1971

2022-12-10 22:00

reporter   ~0027011

I agree with GMaq, even if not in the vst2 spec, it's a de facto standard for third parts plugins.

Issue History

Date Modified Username Field Change
2022-12-05 16:51 GMaq New Issue
2022-12-05 17:00 GMaq Note Added: 0026983
2022-12-05 21:56 paul Note Added: 0026985
2022-12-06 16:13 GMaq Note Added: 0026987
2022-12-09 22:27 GMaq Note Added: 0027007
2022-12-10 22:00 Daniele1971 Note Added: 0027011
2023-12-12 20:34 x42 Assigned To => x42
2023-12-12 20:34 x42 Status new => closed
2023-12-12 20:34 x42 Resolution open => won't fix