I got tired of the back and forth with WINE for plugins (I use it for other tools, just not plugins). I want to tell you what I did. It's so simple and obvious, people will think it is cheating. As you know, there are a limited number of solutions for running Windows plugins with Linux:
- yabridge & WINE
- LinVST3 & WINE
- WINEASIO & WINE with a vst host (such as Blue Cat Audio's Patchwork) through pipewire or with Connector
- Using a Windows machine & a Linux machine with Audiogridder through a network
- Using a Windows machine and a Linux machine, and 2 audio interfaces connected together
- Possibly a Win VM with a low latency solution to Linux Pipewire
I decided to treat a tiny NUC-sized windows 11 computer with an interface as a hardware synth. I have Blue Cat Audio's Patchwork application set to run upon startup. I have the power off button configured to shut down the computer with two quick button presses. The Windows computer is headless, unless I need to troubleshoot something in the startup. I run the computer without a monitor (just like a piece of hardware). I use the RDP protocol (with audio set to not transfer), and I can access the box from my Linux machine if needed. Otherwise, I can run everything else through MIDI. A small NUC-like headless device, along with an audio interface, and it essentially IS a hardware synth. It's so simple, and avoids any problems with yabridge, LinVST, WINE, WINEASIO, etc., etc., and as an added bonus, it off loads CPU and RAM usage. 
Statistics: Posted by Audiojunkie — Fri Apr 11, 2025 6:20 pm