Linux, VST3, the universe and everything

Ok so I tried converting my project from type “GUI Application” to “AudioPlugin”. I tried building the variants VST(legacy) VST3 and Standalone, each came with their unique problems:

Standalone:
Upon compilation it tells me

"You are trying to use START_JUCE_APPLICATION in an audio plug-in. Define JUCE_USE_CUSTOM_PLUGIN_STANDALONE_APP=1 if you want to use a custom standalone target app.");

If I add said flag to the preprocessor definitions, I get another error in linkage.

VST2:
The plugin builds, but the AudioPluginHost will only find ladspa plugins. My research showed me that I need to build the host with the VST2 SDK, which I cannot find on the interwebs so far.

VST3:
The makefile refuses to build anything

make: Nothing to be done for 'all'.

So right now I can’t continue development.
Note: As a finall result, I wanna build a VST2 plugin. (VST3 wraps to VST2 as well right?)

Thanks in advance,
Frederik

One of the links in VST SDK 3.6.12 - #6 by mcmartin might help.

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However, if you don’t already have the Steinberg VST2 license, you are not allowed to distribute those plugins. (The deadline was October 2018.) But if this is only for your private use, that’s of course OK.

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So, there is no way to build VSTs for linux with JUCE unless you are registered with Steinberg? :frowning:

VST3 plugins can be distributed, but I am not sure what’s the situation with VST3 supporting hosts in Linux…(Also, this is not a JUCE issue, it applies to all VST2 development done with any framework, including reverse engineered VST2 headers.)

Ok just so I get this right:

As I said, the plugin for VST2 target actually builds without me adding any SDK.
I only need the SDK to build the AudioPluginHost, which I obviously won’t distribute?

It has nothing to do with what framework, SDK or headers you use. You are not allowed to distribute VST2 plugins if you don’t have the Steinberg VST2 license. Of course if you want to make the personal decision to distribute such plugins anyway, that’s your decision to make. You may or may not get problems from Steinberg in the future.

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We’re currently looking at adding Linux VST3 support to JUCE, but it’s surprisingly difficult. It’ll take a while before it’s in a releasable state.

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@t0m sorry to bother you with this again, but:
Is VST3 for linux on the horizon or can you give a rough estimate?

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Any update? I just fell into the same situation.

Or are we doomed to use a windows virtual machine for exporting…

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Please~ oh Jucey overlords~ Let the day of enlightenment be sooner that later :slight_smile:

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Any update on VST3 on Linux?

Given that these days you can’t get a new licence for building VST2 anymore, and neither AU nor AAX are a thing on Linux, it looks like there is currently no way to build an audio plug-in with JUCE on Linux at all?

When it comes to professional DAWs on Linux, we have Bitwig, which supports VST2 and VST3 on Linux, so if you want a JUCE plug-in to work with that, VST3 is literally the only option afaics…

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I’d really like VST3 on Linux too - for all the reasons mentioned here.

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VST3 + Linux = Half Life 3

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Unreal.

It took me a couple hours just to install JUCE on Linux.

But if I am understanding this correctly, there is no way for me to actually build vst plugins ?

Hi Jgjot,

You couldn’t have come at a better time! Yesterday JUCE6 got anounced, which will feature full VST3 support on linux! It is not available right away, but will be in june. A technical preview will be released beforehand, so you’ll be able to use that as well.

In the meantime, you can still build VST2 plugins for prototyping and switch to VST3 when it’s ready!

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Linux VST3 support has been added to the juce6 preview branch:

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