"VST"-plugins for IOS, Android, WinPhone...?

[golemus]

Now that there is music appications for IOS, Android and maybe even Windows Phone 7, is there yet any plugin standard for ARM architecture mobile devices or any way to get VST plugins to work?

My guess is that VST plugins will not work because of a different processor achitecture. My guess is also that Steinberg is not interested about the mobile platform (at least not in the near future), so do you think a mobile plugin standard will emerge from somewhere else?

I mean there is Nanostudio, now FL Studio mobile, and I am pretty certain that there is a mobile version of Ableton Live in the works too.

Or do the companies trust that no plugin format is needed because musicians would anyway do the real work in a workstation and use tablet/phone only for scetching?

[kuniklo]

At least on the iOS side, there's no provision for distributing and installing plugins at all. There's no problem with the hardware, but you can not share code between apps on iOS.

[SingleCell]

At least on the iOS side, there's no provision for distributing and installing plugins at all. There's no problem with the hardware, but you can not share code between apps on iOS.

On Android, nothing really stops you from installing plugins so in THEORY this is possible. You're right though that manufacturers would have to compile their VSTs for ARM and possibly with a different interface than VST if steinberg doesn't want to lead... my main concern is that most of the VST and VSTis written in the last few years would just not run well on ARM chips, you'd probably have some luck with older ones, but no company wants their flagship VST running like a dog on ANY platform.

That's my guess, I've though about creating a VST 1.0-like interface for Caustic to make things easier for me to expand in the future with effects and instruments, but I doubt it's something that'll take off on Android. Given the state of the market, if Apple's app framework won't allow it, I doubt we'll see VST at all on mobile for a while.

[kuniklo]

I think the other issue is that you have much less effective screen space to work with on a touch device so UI designs have to be very disciplined and consistent to be usable. With a bunch of plugins from third parties I suspect the experience would be too chaotic to be much fun.

I may be in the minority in this, but I'm not interested in trying to replace my DAW with a tablet. Tablets have a lot of potential to give us new kinds of instruments, like SampleWiz, for instance, and can be very expressive as performance tools. But I think trying to cram all the features of a DAW with pluggable components into a 10" touch screen is not going to result in a satisfying experience.