Plugin architecture best pick

Installation & Configuration Linux
#1

Hi all,

I’m on Linux. If a plugin comes in LV2, VST and VST3, which one would you pick and why?

Best regards,
Robert

#2
  • Ignore VST2 - that format was never officially supported on Linux and VST2 is end-of-life. Ardour’s VST2 support is also the weakest.

This leaves VST3 and LV2.

In Ardour LV2 has a slight edge, but things to consider are:

  • Do you plan to load the session on a different system with different OS?
    Are LV2 or VST3 variants of the plugin available there?
  • Are provided VST3 and LV2 variants of the same quality?
    In some cases plugin developers test one more than the other, and we’ve seen some buggy LV2s where VST3 variant worked and vice versa.
  • Does one variant offer features that the other doesn’t?
    e.g. LV2 inline displays for LSP, x42 plugins.
  • Do you have plans to customize or hack some plugins?
    LV2 meta-data can be changed without recompilation.
    LV2 plugins don’t require explicit scans…

–
The main reason why vendors offer different versions is because many DAWs only support one (e.g. Bitwig cannot load LV2, Ardour does not load CLAP,…)

2 Likes
#3

Thanks, Robin!
I didn’t know about VST2 not being “officially” supported on Linux.
Okay, so I think, I will go with VST3 then. Assuming that if I ever switch to a macOs-based computer, I will be able to load my projects there with the plugins being carried forward.