Linux Audio Development (LAD)
TheWaveWarden
Linux Audio developer interview with Frederik Siepe from TheWaveWarden
This interview was conducted by Amadeus Paulussen in 2025.
Dear Frederik, would you say that you have become well known for your work on Odin?
The project has certainly gotten me more attention than I had anticipated initially. I don't know if I would consider myself well known. (Edit: I just asked a rather popular chatbot, and it didn't know me, so I have to go with no :D)
How did you come to develop Odin?
Through my college years, I became increasingly interested in music production and those weird and wonderful machines called synthesizers. I always wondered how they worked on the inside, and read a lot about C++ and DSP online. Having a little experience with programming, I decided decided to just give it a go. I bought a book about creating synths in C++ (the one by Will Pirkle) and just went for it.
Odin 1 in 2015 was basically my attempt at learning C++ by coding a "real" project, but only for Windows back then. This gave me the experience to get hired in the robotics industry as a C++ developer. From there, the Odin project was put on hold for a few years until I decided it was time to give it a proper version 2 with new experience. I went back and created what was the first version of Odin 2 over the next years. This time, I used the JUCE framework and released it on all major desktop OSs.
Unlike Odin, you didn't release your latest synthesizer, Spline, as Open Source. What are the reasons for this?
Basically monetary reasons. Coding Odin 2 was easily the biggest project I did up to that point. While I love providing free tools for everyone, I also thought it would be nice to earn some bucks from the software I make. It didn't feel right for me to capitalize on the success of Odin 2 directly by making it into some sort of freemium product, though. While it is possible to make software both Open Source and commercial at the same time (see Vital), having it closed source comes with fewer hurdles. So, I just went for new projects which were closed source.
You also work at sonible. Could you explain why sonible plugins aren't available for Linux, yet you offer Odin and Spline for Linux?
It's about the tradeoff: in time to develop for Linux vs. how many people actually use Linux audio setups. While the base framework JUCE is portable to begin with, software layers and libraries added on top over the years need to be adjusted or alternatives found. In contrast, TheWaveWarden plugins are developed on Linux first, so it's a given to also release them there.
What do you think are the biggest challenges in developing plugins?
These days, I would say, coming up with an idea that is unique, interesting and that provides something new for music producers. The market is pretty saturated at this point, and you'll need to find a new angle to provide value.
You chose to use pixel graphics to render Spline's UI. Why not SVG?
I am a big fan of skeuomorphic UI design. Perhaps a preference, which I got from my early productions in Propellerhead's Reason DAW and it's lovely devices. Skeuomorphic designs can also be achieved with SVG based assets, but prerendered 3D graphics are where it really shines. Thankfully, unlike other areas of modern software, audio plugins still support this kind of style. It also comes with a lot of downsides (file size, stretched or blurry assets, and more) which have to be worked around, but the results are worth it, I think. Both the Spline UI assets, as well as the updated Odin 2.4 UI were created by team Voger Design from Ukraine who really did a wonderful job.
Do you use JUCE to develop Odin and Spline?
Yes, thank God. I couldn't imagine doing this without all the convenience layers provided by JUCE.
What are your thoughts on CLAP?
I hope it will continue to grow and become the industry standard at some point. Unlike the other competing plugin formats (AU, AAX), it actually has some genuinely new and nice features both for developers and users alike, compared to the current standard of VST3. However, the biggest advantage in my book is that it is Open Source and has a permissive license, which is not the case with VST. You will notice that none of my plugins are available as VST2. The reason for this is that Steinberg just stopped licensing contracts a few years back. No one joining the scene could deploy VST2 after 2018, which was still the dominant plugin format at the time. Having such a powerful decision be made for the entire industry due to some internal corporate politics of one party is rather problematic, and potentially puts entire careers at risk. I'd much rather have CLAP take over and not sign contracts with corporations to start deploying software.
What are your thoughts on copy protection mechanisms for plugins?
I recently had some backlash against my copy-protection which uses the challenge-response system. It requires an internet connection and my servers to unlock the software. The servers might not be reachable in case if I go bankrupt, die, if the internet is down, or after the apocalypse. I can see that a better system would not require this reliance on my well-being. From what I hear, u-he use a better system which allows to activate the plugin, even if offline. That being said, this part of plugin development can be really time consuming (I see this for TheWaveWarden and sonible) and is really a different kind of expertise to what's needed for DSP and audio. So sometimes it will be the quickest solution to get something going. I'd much rather spend my time adding cool plugin features.
Do you use Odin or Spline for your own music production?
Yeah, I'd say most of the time, I use the two. Creating these machines was always about the question, "What do I want in a synth?", so they fit my workflow pretty well.
What recommendations would you make to vendors who want to offer their plugins on Linux?
Just go for it! It has the benefit of being the least saturated market, and therefore, your product will have a bigger impact in relative terms. Beware of the differences in user machine set-ups though. There's a ton of different distributions, and lots of ways to deploy software with package managers, Flatpak, and such. Someone will run into problems, but Linux users usually are the ones who know their way to a working solution.
In your opinion, are there any reasons not to support one of the major platforms (Linux, macOS, Windows, iOS/iPadOS, Android, etc.)?
No, I don't see a reason to ditch an entire OS. That's not to say that I agree with the hoops some of those major companies make developers jump through. We could, for example, very well remove the AU format, which solely exists because Apple forces it onto the Logic DAW.
How important do you think plugin design is?
It's good to have a strong vision where your project is going before you start, and I'd even say it is crucial when working in a team. However, things are always shifting during the development process as you realize which things are working and which are not. I've added major features wayyy after the start of a project. So I'd say have a vision, but leave room for adjustments along the way. And don't forget to stop adding features at some point ;).
How important is the marketing strategy for a plugin in today's crowded music production market?
Very important I'd say. As you mention, the market is crowded and plugins exist for every niche, both free and paid. If you don't create some buzz, somebody else will. I feel it's a bit more relaxed on Linux though as mentioned before. Fewer competitors means your product will get more attention automatically.
Do you think it's unrealistic to expect competing developers to help each other with issues they encounter when developing or porting plugins for Linux?
Not at all. I guess most people in the JUCE forum are competing against one another in some way, yet the community is very helpful and friendly. My feeling is that secrecy is usually reserved for the "real secrets", like processing algorithms, and less about how to develop plugins in general.
Can you make any predictions about the future of Linux Audio?
Not a prediction, but an observation of positive trends: One of the things keeping Windows afloat has always been gaming. Interestingly, this sector has seen a lot of users switch to Linux at the moment due to Valve's support for their Steam Deck. There's also a lot going on with translation layers, like WINE. What we would need, however, is some of the big DAWs shifting over to Linux, and providing native builds. The other solutions can feel a bit hacky, and therefore off-putting, to users who just want it to work.
Can you share something about your future plans?
I'd love to, but beyond some updates to the existing products, I'm figuring that out myself right now.
Is there anything else you'd like to add?
Shout-out to everyone making cool music on their favorite OS, keep it coming!