Here’s what I’ve done to get it working.
Requires ssh access.
Installed from the base image here
https://os.zynthian.org/test/2024-05-22-zynthianos-bookworm-aarch64-oram-2405.zip
Updated the OS from a terminal. Updated Zynthian from the webconf interface.
Got it booting from an NVMe drive.
Installed all the plugin versions of the Osiris instrument, but have only been able to get the VST3 version working.
(“zynthian-ising” the LV2 version looks to require all the patches as ttl text files?
(If there’s a way to grab them from sysex exports, that should be possible?)
Copy the Instrument ROM file to the same directory as the plugin - /usr/local/lib/vst3/
Install Carla as the vst host
apt install -y carla
To get a a workable interface, what I’ve done is start up a vncserver session on remote display #2.
The reasoning for this is that:
a) If you start carla from an ssh session, you’ll get the Carla UI showing up over the Zynthian UI, without “window decorators”, so you can’t move or resize the windows. Then if you open up the instrument preferences, you can’t move that dialog to close it again!
b) If you have ZynAddSubFX instantiated, that starts it’s own vnc session on display #1
How I did this is based on something I set up for my home primary NAS - this has a secondary vncserver running as the same user as I would log into the desktop with, but using a different window manager as otherwise Nautilus (on Ubuntu) gets confused about multiple sessions.
Here, we have to run this extra vnc session as the root user (the default for Zynthian) as Carla needs to connect to the same Jackd instance, to be able to ‘plug in’ to the signal routing.
mkdir /root/.vnc
vim /root/.vnc/xstartup
press i to enter insert mode
NOTE: This will need changing to make it more user-friendly and not require typing in termal commands. Instead starting carla automatically
paste what is in the code box
#!/bin/sh -x
PS1='\u@\h:\w\$ '
[ -r $HOME/.Xresources ] && xrdb $HOME/.Xresources
xsetroot -solid blue
xterm -geometry 80x24+10+10 -ls -title "$VNCDESKTOP Desktop Clara" &
export DISPLAY=:2
/bin/sh /etc/X11/Xtigervnc-session
x-window-manager&
/usr/bin/xfce4-panel --display=:2&
# wmaker -display :2
/usr/bin/carla
save and exit the above - press escape, then :wq
make executable
chmod +x /root/.vnc/xstartup
To start the vncserver (more easily):
vim /usr/local/bin/startvnc
press i again to enter insert mode. paste what is in the box below
#!/bin/sh
vncserver -geometry 1920x1080 -depth 16 -localhost no :2
press escape then :wq
to save and exit.
then
chmod +x /usr/local/bin/startvnc
to make it executable
execute that script to start the vncserver on display #2
/usr/local/bin/startvnc
This will probably prompt you to set a password, so do that.
Connect from another machine using your vnc client
zynthian.local:2
Hopefully, this should bring up a remote desktop with a terminal already started.
The following will be made automatic when I’ve got a bit more time to figure out how Zynthian is built differently from a desktop linux install.
in that terminal, type
export DISPLAY=:2
carla
This should then start the clara session.
Ensure the engine is started (press F5?)
Scan plugins
plugin menu > Add plugin ➝ refresh
Add the Osiris vst3 plugin to the ‘rack’
Make sure the power button on the ‘rack’ is green! Otherwise you won’t get any sound.
Click on the patchbay tab.
Connect up the events-in block to whatever channel you want on the “ZynMidiRouter”.
Connect up the Osiris outputs to either “ZynMixer” or “System” to get audio out of the thing.
I’m not sure which is the ‘correct’ option here?..
Then, hopefully, with the Osiris instrument highlighted in the patchbay display, clicking on the keyboard at the bottom of he screen should get you some sounds!
If you go back to the ‘Rack’ tab, clicking on the cog icon gets you the Instrument GUI.
Clicking on the spanner icon there will bring up the Edit/Parameters dialog. This will allow you to set up midi controller assignments.
Don’t forget to save this as a Carla setup file, as then later you can use that as a parameter to auto-load it when starting the application.
That’s pretty much it.
If there’s a more “official” way to get Carla running or to integrate VST instruments, I’d be happy to listen.
Good luck!
