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by humanizersequel 1140 days ago
"Installing new modules on an existing Cardinal binary is not possible at run-time, but we can add new modules to the build."[1]

From the original release — being able to select 3rd-party plugins a la carte is probably Rack's most important feature, both for users and developers. Apparently there's a technical reason: "Cardinal is intentionally a fully self-contained plugin, Whatever is contained in the current build is what you can use"[2], but it seems like Rack Pro makes it work so I'm not sure why that's the case.

[1]https://kx.studio/News/?action=view&url=cardinal-2202-is-now... [2]https://github.com/DISTRHO/Cardinal/blob/main/docs/FAQ.md
2 comments
PaulDavisThe1st 1140 days ago
It's not a technical reason, it's a policy choice by Cardinal's developer.

Filipe has strong ideas on how a plugin ought to behave. You are free to disagree with him, but he puts in the work.

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bambax 1140 days ago
The reason isn't technical, it's because the author thinks a plugin shouldn't be able to modify itself on the fly.

I think he has a point. But besides, the modules included in Cardinal cover an incredible range; it's unlikely there's something one can't do with what's there.

The entirety of Surge XT has been pprted to VCV and is included in Cardinal for instance.

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