(Solved now) How to use Carla and Windows VST Plugins?

[TAERSH]

Hi.

I never used Windows VST Plugins in a Linux environment.

I have Wine installed, though, Carla won't add Windows VST plugins per drag'n'drop.
It won't even find them after refreshing the list of VST plugins.

Any help available?

Thanks in advance, RSH

[sunrat]

Use LinVST - https://github.com/osxmidi/LinVst . It does a simple conversion of your Win VST plugins to make them run through WINE. Some don't work but most do (I've heard Waves ones can be temperamental). I regularly use TDR Nova and Dead Duck plugins this way.
And you just need a plugin host, Carla is fine but Ardour, Mixbus, etc. are good too.

[Toejam76]

You need a few things installed beside carla and WINE like the bridges for Windows VST (carla-bridge-win32, carla-bridge-win64)
Check the ubuntu studio ppa or for the latest carla-git kx studio ppa, don't mix both or be very carful if you do so,
because they hold some of the same software and may collide.

Set the path to the DLLs, make sure WINE can access it in winecfg.
The bridges should show up in the scan screen of carla.
It should look something like the attach pic.
It can be a little tricky but once it works, it works.

[TAERSH]

I have updated and installed everything of Carla from KX repository.
The win briges 32 and 64 are also installed.
Even though, I don't get the list of available tools like in your screenshot.
Also nothing to choose like Windows 32bit and 64bit.

All DLLs converted by linvst.
Path to the DLLs are setup in Carla, though I simply don't know how to make the DLLs accessible by wine in winecfg.

Screenshot.jpg (27.92 KiB) Viewed 14605 times

[Toejam76]

Carla hosts native Windows plugins and all the other types.
Plugins converted with Linvst can be used natively without wine.
I have one folder in the WINE folder for the DLLs where everything is installed and point carla to it in the settings.
Maybe start carla from shell and see if it complains about something missing.
Screenshot shows what I got installed and what is not. Mixing it up with both ppas can cause strange problems.
I suspect something is missing, but it's hard to tell. I had some problems myself to get it running properly.
Good luck!

[Toejam76]

One more thing: in winecfg under Drives, just make sure "Letter Z: Target folder / " is there together with the C: drive, because that where Carla loads the Windows plugin host with wine.

[TAERSH]

Thanks for the help.

When running Carla from terminal there's no output of missing stuff, so all seems to be well.
Drag'n'drop .dll or converted .so files gives error messages about initialization of plugin failed.

I'll give up on this, as I don't need it for real.
I just was curious if I could get it to work.

Don't want to waste some more time on this. It's only a few sounds that I would like to use of some Windows plugins.
I can easily record these sounds and create some .sf2 sound files from recorded samples.

Again, thanks!

[TAERSH]

Hi.

Just to let anyone know: today I downloaded a Wine AppImage (5.xx) and after installing LinVST 1.7.6 I was immediately able to use Windows VST plugins in Qtractor via Carla. It's not very stable, as Qtractor crashes very often, though I'm able to create some samples to be used from different Windows VST plugins via recording to Audacity.

Since I'm not a regular Wine user I can live with that option to create samples etc.

[glowrak guy]

That's a very old linvst, 3.21 is latest, found here:

https://github.com/osxmidi/LinVst/releases

The 12 meg Reaper has a free temporary version, and is quite stable
with linvst wrapped plugins. Tons of themes available,
with many built-in plugins of high quality. It supports portable installs
where everything goes in one folder

https://www.reaper.fm/

Cheers

[TAERSH]

I had transformed the .dll files already with 1.7.6.
Do I need to remove all the created .so files and to transform the .dll files again with 3.21?

[TAERSH]

Ok,

after installing LinVST 3.21 Carla won't load the previously created .so files of the Windows VST plugins anymore.

So, I removed all created .so files and transformed the .dll files again.
Immediately Carla loaded a plugin again.
No playing a sequence for appr. 30 minutes using Qtractor and Crisalys synthesizer plugin via Carla plugin host.
In LinVST 1.7.6 Qtractor crashed after around 5 minutes or so...
Seems to be much more stable so far...

Now I need to rebuild my OS with the new LinVST 3.21 built in and trying to compose something.

Which means, I have to register Biotek again after rebuilding my OS.

[LAM]

I had quite the opposite experience, I had always problems running Windows applications in Wine.
I just installed Carla, Wine and Carla wine bridges and everything is working fine.

[sysrqer]

Why would you need to rebuild your OS?

[TAERSH]

Why would you need to rebuild your OS?

My ArtStudio64 Operating System is stored into multiple squashfs files. It loads and runs completely into RAM.

That way I can install whatever I want to test and after rebooting everything is gone.
It boots straight up like a fresh install then - even if I would remove all .so files from e.g. /usr/lib.
The OS could be destroyed only if formatting the installation drive/partition.
I choose for each program separately to store its settings persistent or not.

The nempup_ArtStudio64_1.0.0.sfs is the base of the operating system.
Those beginning with adrv, bdrv and cdrv are used for my own developments and extensions.
The gdrv_ArtStudio64_1.0.0.sfs is used for additional Graphics programs.
The mdrv_ArtStudio64_1.0.0.sfs is used for additional Music programs.
The ndrv_ArtStudio64_1.0.0.sfs is used for new programs in testings - currently mainly for LinVST.
The vdrv_ArtStudio64_1.0.0.sfs is used for additional Video programs.
The ydrv_ArtStudio64_1.0.0.sfs contains additional Perl and Python stuff.
The zdrv_ArtStudio64_1.0.0.sfs is Kernel dependent.

All those .sfs files will load together with the nempup_ArtStudio64_1.0.0.sfs at boot.
If I would need another *drv I could easily edit the init script and add another one like idrv, jdrv etc.

Screenshot(1).jpg (53.59 KiB) Viewed 14533 times

Inside directory Module (which is German for Modules) I have multiple .sfs files that will load on demand.
All programs that I don't want to have built into the OS's squashfs files I make separate .sfs files for.

If I want to use e.g. GIMP, I browse the menu, click on the Gimp entry and the GIMP64.sfs will load automatically and the GIMP starts.
After exiting GIMP the GIMP64.sfs will unload automatically.
It won't cover up RAM anymore then.

Screenshot(2).jpg (86.11 KiB) Viewed 14533 times

Having my OS stored into all those .sfs files makes me completely safe when being online as ROOT!
I love to be ROOT as I am GOD in my OS!
I don't like to run my OS as a user, as the users files are not safe by running as user. Only the OS's files are safe then.
The OS, each OS (especially GNU/Linux ones) easily and quickly is re-installed within a few minutes.

[sysrqer]

Wow that sounds very complex!