Open Steinberg: VST3 and ASIO SDKs now have open source licenses

Open licensing for proprietary audio and plug-in standards could enable the entire industry to move forward on some critical work. So it’s great news that Steinberg this month announced not one but two big licensing announcements: first, a dual-licensing model for their ASIO audio driver protocol for Windows (including an OBS collaboration), and now a permissive MIT license for the mighty VST3 plug-in spec.

plugdata 0.9.2 is huge update for this free sound exploration powerhouse

plugdata, the visual programming environment for sound and media based on Pure Data (Pd), is becoming its own scene. It’s a great place to start patching your own sonic experiments, and if you haven’t already done that, you should. But it’s also becoming a treasure trove of free and paid tools and toys for musicians even if you never touch the wires inside. v.0.9.2 makes that better for developers and users alike. And did I mention it’s free, on Mac, Windows, Linux, and iOS/iPad?

Peter Kirn - September 24, 2025

This site is promoting Linux plug-ins with resources for developers and users

A musician-led initiative is aiming to bring more plug-ins to Linux. That includes promoting developers (both proprietary and libre/open source), featuring software for users, and answering developer questions. Linux Audio Plugin Development (LAPD) is already worth a look; you’re likely to discover some plug-in or information you hadn’t before.

Peter Kirn - May 4, 2025

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