Carla plugin host: New sound generator for Linux
A Wonderful Noise
© Lead Image © vska, 123RF.com
Thanks to the Carla plugin host, you can now integrate plugins in any format into any audio application. Carla also comes with a universal toolkit for modular sound generators.
Linux has several sophisticated applications that give musicians excellent options for recording, editing, and mixing sounds. Numerous autonomous synthesizers and effect devices also are available for generating the corresponding sounds. However for this purpose, many musicians prefer to use software that they can integrate directly into their production environment as a plugin.
One problem that musicians contend with is the five very different formats that plugins for Linux use. Many applications only support two or three of them, and Murphy's Law states that your favorite module is not going to work with your favorite application, because the formats don't match.
Portuguese developer Filipe Coelho (a.k.a. falkTX) has been working on eliminating this issue. His plugin host, called Carla, supports virtually any plugin capable of running on Linux and can be used itself as a plugin in two popular formats, LV2 and VST. A host software of this kind can load plugin modules, display their graphical interfaces, and integrate their processing capabilities into the host environment's data stream.
[...]
Buy this article as PDF
(incl. VAT)
Buy Linux Magazine
US / Canada
UK / Australia
Subscribe to our Linux Newsletters
Find Linux and Open Source Jobs
Subscribe to our ADMIN Newsletters
Support Our Work
Linux Magazine content is made possible with support from readers like you. Please consider contributing when you’ve found an article to be beneficial.
News
-
KDE Linux Alpha Available for Daring Users
It's official, KDE Linux has arrived, but it's not quite ready for prime time.
-
AMD Initiates Graphics Driver Updates for Linux Kernel 6.18
This new AMD update focuses on power management, display handling, and hardware support for Radeon GPUs.
-
AerynOS Alpha Release Available
With a choice of several desktop environments, AerynOS 2025.08 is almost ready to be your next operating system.
-
AUR Repository Still Under DDoS Attack
Arch User Repository continues to be under a DDoS attack that has been going on for more than two weeks.
-
RingReaper Malware Poses Danger to Linux Systems
A new kind of malware exploits modern Linux kernels for I/O operations.
-
Happy Birthday, Linux
On August 25, Linux officially turns 34.
-
VirtualBox 7.2 Has Arrived
With early support for Linux kernel 6.17 and other new additions, VirtualBox 7.2 is a must-update for users.
-
Linux Mint 22.2 Beta Available for Testing
Some interesting new additions and improvements are coming to Linux Mint. Check out the Linux Mint 22.2 Beta to give it a test run.
-
Debian 13.0 Officially Released
After two years of development, the latest iteration of Debian is now available with plenty of under-the-hood improvements.
-
Upcoming Changes for MXLinux
MXLinux 25 has plenty in store to please all types of users.