[14:06] <OvenWerks> synthriffsgirl[m: a deb file will put lv2 plugins where they should go (/usr/lib/lv2/) so that ardour or whatever will know where they are. The LV2 standard has a standard place where they should be. Some packagers in debian put them in /usr/lib/<some odd dir>/lv2/ which is wrong. VST plugins have no standard placemenet at all and so packagers tend to follow the same idea (/usr/lib/*/vst/ or some 
[14:06] <OvenWerks> even do /usr/lib/*/vst3)
[14:07] <OvenWerks> The programs that use plugins tend to scan for them at startup, so if you install plugins while these programs are running you may need to restart the program so they can see the new plugin.
[14:13] <OvenWerks> For VSTs you may have to tell the application where they are. (part of the reason I perfer LV2)
[14:28] <OvenWerks> synthriffsgirl[m: we already ship zynaddsubfx, though not the fusion GUI. I do not know why the fusion GUI is not included but think it has something to do with licensing.
[14:34] <OvenWerks> we ship hexter but while I can launch standalone, it does not show up in Carla or ardour and has not been updated in decades.
[14:38] <OvenWerks> I do see Dexed here but not in the repos.
[14:42] <OvenWerks> Unlike other sw, plugins (at least LV2 plugins but any plugins should follow) are compiled with statically linked libs. This means that so long as you get a linux binary for your machine (amd64), it should work. So while we tell people to not add sw from kxstudio, they are a good place to find plugins. That may be where I got my dexed.
[14:43] <OvenWerks> I don't know why we don't have Dexed as I think it would be a great replacement for hexter.
[14:45] <OvenWerks> If you are adding zynaddsubfx from somewhere else, remember to remove the version studio comes with before installing the new one.
[14:53] <OvenWerks> interestingly, dexed website supplies vst3 only, kxstudio supplies lv2 and vst2
[15:00] <OvenWerks> the calf set of plugins are known to have issues though they are getting better. They don't crash as much anyway. I think they are getting awy from using gtk as a gui. However, their DSP code is substandard and adds artifacts to the sound. There are some artists that use calf plugins for these artifacts in artistic ways but if you are looking for a good eq, compressor, etc. maybe look elsewhere.