VST Tutorials
From JackLab UserWiki
Despite what many musicians initially think, it is actually possible to run many Windows VST plugins in linux using various 'wrappers'. A wrapper is an interface that allows the linux operating system and the Windows vst plugin to talk to each other which would not be normally possible. However, in order for the wrappers to work, you will need wine installed and configured. Instructions for installing wine can be found here.
Currently, there are two popular wrappers available for linux: dssi-vst and FST.
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HowTo use FST-rebuild LMMS with VST Support -rebuild Ardour with VST Support -rebuild MusE with VST Support |
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HowTo use dssi-vst |
Legal Confusion
A lot of people ask us whether we can have VST support 'out of the box' with JAD or if we can supply pre-compiled binaries. The quick answer is: dssi-vst yes, fst-host, no. The reason for this is the licences with which they are released. Fst-host is released under the Gnu Public Licence (GPL)which states that the source code of the program plus any linked libraries must be available with the GPLed program. Unfortunately, Steinberg continues to refuse to allow redistribution of the otherwise freely available VST SDK which is needed to build both fst-host and dssi-vst. Each individual user must agree to the terms and download the VST SDK from Steinberg's website. Unfortunately, Ardour makes use of fst-host to use VST plugins, so because of this GPL/Steinberg problem, we cannot distribute an ArdourVST binary, you must download the Steinberg VST SDK and compile ArdourVST yourself.
For dssi-vst this is easier. Dssi is released under the Lesser Gnu Public Licence which, like the GPL, must supply the source code for the program itself but the source code is not needed for any linked libraries, including the Steinberg VST SDK. This means that a binary for dssi-vst can be legally distributed without any licence incompatibilities between the GPL and Steinberg licences. This is good news for Rosegarden fans!
Additional Info
-VST Plugins Page
-Links
VST is a trademark of Steinberg Media AG.
