I am interested in collaborating with a friend on a song using Ardour as a common DAW. My question is this, I use Windows and he uses Linux. Is it possible to share / work on project files if the folder structure for the project is the same? (i.e. the VST subfolder, sample folder, project folder etc.)
The session folders will be identical. There are no “VST subfolders”. If you want portability you will need to be very careful about using VST plugins, since the vast majority of them are not available for Linux.
Should be no problem, basically, except for possible “I don’t have that plugin”.
Thanks! We’d have to use ones that are available in both environments. By VST folder, I just meant “structure” or path, where my copies would be in the same location as his, a subfolder created somewhere inside the project structure.
Very much appreciate your reply!
Hope you don’t mind my tagging onto this question.
I’m working with a partner on a project. Currently he does everything with ProTools and other mac-based tools, and I work exclusively on Linux, but I see us collaborating directly on something in the near future.
What plugins should I use / avoid to stay cross-platform?
This is not a good scenario. There are very, very, very few plugins that your ProTools/MacOS friend can use that you can use on Linux. The number is not zero, but it’s not far from it.
Sorry, I wasn’t clear - in this scenario we would both be using Ardour. Are there plugins that are specific to each platform in that case?
the first plugins that come to my mind are the X42 and the U-he plugins
that would work on Win and Linux!
“Are there plugins that are specific to each platform in that case?”
yes most plugins are platform specific
If you’re both using Ardour, then use LV2 format plugins that are available on both platforms. Problem with this … not many LV2 plugins are available in ready-to-run form for MacOS. They can be built there and then used, but that’s a whole separate step you’d have to take.
If you or your collaborator use any AudioUnit format plugins on MacOS, you’re instantly out of luck - none of those plugins are available on any other platform.