Linux support for Legend HZ – the time has come

[Zebaztian]

I've read the thread here that has been asking for Linux support for years. I have to agree – the time has come to actually make the move.

Here's what's happening right now:

- U-he and TAL Software already make all their plugins native for Linux.
- TDR has started releasing their entire plugin suite for Linux.
- Xfer Records just released Serum 2 as a native Linux beta.
- I've also been in contact with Devious Machines, and they are now testing an experimental Linux build of Duck.

On top of this, I've created a Facebook group for music producers who want professional, paid native Linux plugins. We are ready to pay for quality software.

I already own a license for Legend HZ, and I love it. But I don't want to go back to Windows or spend time tweaking Wine and Yabridge to make it work. If I had to, I could even pay twice as much to have Legend HZ running natively on Linux – it's that good.

To be clear: There is a small group of Linux musicians who prefer free software and expect everything to be free because the OS is free. But they are not the majority. They are the loudest, but not the largest. When I ask for plugin recommendations, they point me to The Linux Studio Plugins Project – which has a terrible GUI and is not suitable for professional work.

The real demand is for professional, polished, paid plugins – just like Legend HZ. I use Deepin OS with Bitwig Studio and Pipewire, and it's stable, fast, and sounds better than Windows.

Please consider releasing a native Linux version of Legend HZ. I would be happy to beta-test it and give detailed feedback. The market is ready – and we are waiting.

[Teksonik]

Allow me to give my perspective as someone who owns three Linux systems and has tried a dozen or more distros over the years.

To be clear: There is a small group of Linux musicians who prefer free software and expect everything to be free because the OS is free. But they are not the majority. They are the loudest, but not the largest.

Do you have proof to back up that statement? Can you guarantee there will sufficient additional sales to justify the man hours needed?

sounds better than Windows.

That makes no sense whatsoever. Windows doesn't make sound and neither does Linux.

I'm not opposed to Linux versions but they have to make sense for the developer, especially in this economy. From what I've read Linux only holds about 7% of the audio market and that's at the top end of the estimate with the low end around 4%. Keep in mind releasing Linux versions will also create more need for support and since there are hundreds of different Distro and Desktop Environment combinations that's not a trivial matter.

The bottom line for me is until 100% of the hundreds of plugins and all the DAWs I own are Linux native (and my audio devices are supported and stable) there's no sense for me to even try switching for music production.

I have no love for Windows or Microsoft and I'd love to see Linux be the go to OS for the entire music production market but it's years away from even getting close.

[Zebaztian]

Linux with Pipewire is technically superior to Windows in audio management. I have lower latency, lower jitter, and I can run multiple audio sources at the same time without any problems – something that is problematic on Windows without having to mess with drivers. Mac is too expensive and locks you into the Apple ecosystem. Linux is the future of music production – and I am ready to pay for plugins that work natively.

About your question "Do you have proof to back up that statement? Can you guarantee there will sufficient additional sales to justify the man hours needed?"

Why do TDR, Xfer Records and Devious Machines say they are serious about Linux.

This is from my dialogue with Scott Wade, one of the developers at Devious Machines: "Hi Jan,

Thank you for the feedback! It is really helpful and great to know it didn't immediately crash, that's a relief.

We are definitely serious about porting Linux so if you can please keep us posted if anything at all comes up when you're using Duck for now. I ​will be testing myself but I can overlook things sometimes.

If we can get Duck set up nicely then the plan would be to expand to the other plugins too, but it would take a bit more tinkering with the code in order to get them ready to build.

cheers,
Scott Wade"

If they can be serious, why couldn't Synapse put in man hours? UHE and TAL Software already have all their software for Linux. So the market is there. And Devious Machines, TDR, U-he, TAL and Xfer Records see that the Linux market growing and they want to be there from the start. Those who wait until the market is big enough will be too late."

[Teksonik]

Linux with Pipewire is technically superior to Windows in audio management. I have lower latency, lower jitter, and I can run multiple audio sources at the same time without any problems – something that is problematic on Windows without having to mess with drivers.

That does nothing to substantiate your claim that "Linux sounds better than Windows". It may be more efficient and in my experience it is for general duties but again the OS does not make sound, your audio device does (if it's supported by your OS).

Linux is the future of music

Define future. Next year? Next decade? I'd love for it to be right now but that's simply not going to happen, it's not realistic.

Why do TDR, Xfer Records and Devious Machines say they are serious about Linux.

Why do I have hundreds of plugins from dozens of developers that don't support Linux? Could it be there is no financial incentive to do so at this time? You've named three developers. That's hardly a consensus. Even if Synapse released Linux versions of all their plugins today I still couldn't switch because there would still be hundreds of plugins I use that aren't native Linux.

It is really helpful and great to know it didn't immediately crash, that's a relief.
the plan would be to expand to the other plugins too, but it would take a bit more tinkering with the code in order to get them ready to build.

You're kind of making my argument for me. "A bit more tinkering" just to get it working on one Distro running one DE for what increase in sales? You're willing to pay so that's one person. See where I'm going with this.....

If they can be serious, why couldn't Synapse put in man hours?

I don't know, you'll have to ask them. The fact that they haven't responded so far may be a clue that they don't find it worth the effort at this present time. I've seen a couple of people ask them for Linux versions over the years so that's not a significant number compared to Windows and Mac users. It's likely that if they spent the time on making a new plugin they would gain far more financial return than making Linux versions of existing plugins but again you'll have to ask them.

UHE and TAL Software already have all their software for Linux.

Again that's a fraction of the available plugins on the market. What percentage of their sales are Linux only?

So the market is there.

The question is how big is that market as of August 2026? You've failed to answer that question.

Look, I love Linux as a hobby OS. It's fun to tinker with but as someone who uses Windows for making music I'd rather developers spend time on new or updated Windows plugins than spend that time making Linux versions that may generate a few more sales.

The most important question remains do Linux versions generate enough sales to justify the effort (and the increased support load)? You haven't answered that question but to be fair unless you have access to the spreadsheets of every developer who supports Linux you can't say for sure that it would be a good business move for Synapse Audio to support Linux at this time.

I admire your passion but you have to be practical as well.

[Zebaztian]

I don't know how to handle the quotes so I will not reply like you do who have written over 4000 posts here.

But let's look at what's actually happening right now.

The snowball effect has started. When major players like U-he, TAL Software, TDR (Tokyo Dawn Labs), Xfer Records (with the Serum 2 beta) and most recently Devious Machines are investing in native support, it shows a clear trend. It's no longer an isolated curiosity, but a strategic move to capture a growing market early.

The professional segment is growing. It's true that there is an older culture of "everything should be free" within Linux, but they are not the ones who buy heavy, commercial synths for almost 200 euros like The Legend HZ. The ones who are asking for these plugins are professional musicians and sound designers who want the same tools as on Windows/Mac, but without being locked into an operating system they dislike.

Modern frameworks for plugin development mean that the step of compiling for Linux is not the black hole of obscure code that it used to be. It's more about priorities than about prohibitive mountains of "man hours" for an established company. This is because of technical standardization with JUCE and others.

No one is asking Synapse to stop developing Windows plugins. But dismissing Linux as "there's no money to be made" ignores the fact that the market is being redrawn. Those developers who establish themselves there strongly now will have a huge advantage as the ecosystem continues to mature. It's not about forcing change overnight, it's about future-proofing.

You wrote that the OS doesn't make sound, it's my sound card that does. And you are right about that. I should have been clear about that when I wrote that Linux sounds better. I mean that Pipewire handles sound more stably and efficiently. It's lower latency, lower jitter, and I have the ability to run multiple audio sources simultaneously. That's a technical difference, not a sound quality difference.

You ask me to define the future, if it's next year, next decade. I mean that the future is now for developers who are already porting. I already mendioned TDR, Xfer, Devious Machines, U-he, TAL, and all of these are currently betting on Linux. This is not a vision it's a reality.

You wrote that I've only mentioned three developers. I gave you some more now. And the list is growing. But these three I mentioned (TDR, Xfer, Devious Machines) are not small names, they're heavyweights in their niches. If they see potential, why wouldn't Synapse do it?

So why hasn't Synapse responded yet? Maybe they are too busy developing and just need enough pressure to realize that the market is there. Marcin said back in 2025: "We are considering it for the future." It is not a no – it is a "not right now".

You wrote that U-he and TAL are a fraction of the market, and asked what percentage of their sales is Linux. That's a relevant question, but it can only be answered by the developers themselves. The fact is that U-he and TAL are still developing for Linux, means they see enough sales to continue.

You ask me if Linux versions can generate enough sales. I didn't answer because no one can guarantee sales. But the risk is low with JUCE and porting is cheap. And the potential is high, especially with 400 million Win10 users facing an OS choice.

You wrote that you love Linux as a hobby, but want developers to focus on Windows plugins. That is honest, but it is also subjective. Other users want Linux support. Your preference for Windows is not an argument against Linux. It’s a personal opinion. And this is the point you make where I see you have a strict personal opionion against Synapse going for Linux: "Even if Synapse released Linux versions of all their plugins today I still couldn't switch because there would still be hundreds of plugins I use that aren't native Linux." And that's because YOU then have to make a choice. It's convenient for you if you don't have to let go of many plugins. I made the decision to leave Windows because it's constant updates, hight latency, high jitter and other stuff. And because of that I can't use plugins and synths that I bought for several thousands of Euros. So when I say that I would buy The Legend HZ again even if I have the license, I mean it. And if you think that you and me are the only ones thinking about these things in this small world of this forum, it's maybe correct because of the Synapse products, but absolutely not when it comes to music production on Linux in general.

I understand that you personally don't want to switch to Linux, and I fully respect that. But your resistance to Linux support seems to be based on the fact that you yourself don't want to end up in a position where you have to opt out of hundreds of plugins. That's an honest and understandable sentiment, but it's not a business argument against Linux support. It's a personal preference, just as my preference for Linux is personal.

[Richard]

We dabbled a bit with Linux support, and we got as far as porting the engines of some of our plug-ins to Linux, without a user interface, pretty quickly. Note that the effort to port the UI is almost certainly magnitudes higher than porting the engine core, unfortunately (we do not use JUCE in any of our current plug-ins, btw, which may explain why some developers can make the ports with less effort). There is other potential issues as well, different Linux distributions, some users on systems other than Intel/x86, etc. So at this point I cannot say when or if it'll happen.

[Zebaztian]

Hi Richard,

Thanks for your honest and open response, it's really appreciated!
So I've been reflecting a bit on the challenge of UI for Legend HZ, and I thought I'd share some observations that might be useful.

In terms of platform strategy, Bitwig, one of the most used DAWs for professionals on Linux, offers its Linux versions as .deb and Flatpak, but not RPM. This is a clear signal that their target audience (serious music producers) mainly use Debian-based systems such as Ubuntu, Deepin and Linux Mint. Arch users are often more technically minded and tend to use free/open-source synths, and are not the primary target audience for paid plugins like Legend HZ.

U-he and TAL Software ship all their Linux plugins as VST3 and CLAP – two standardized formats that work across all distros. This means that they have solved the UI porting and that the plugin's graphical interface works regardless of the Linux distro the user is running.
Then I understand the concern about support costs. But I think a pragmatic solution could be to officially support Ubuntu LTS (and then those based on Debian will be included) and offer Flatpak as an option for those who want a containerized version. Other distros get community support. This is exactly what Bitwig does, and it works. This is what Bitwig's system requirements are:

Mac: An Apple silicon CPU or 64-bit Intel with AVX2 support
Windows PC: AMD or Intel CPU with AVX2 support
Linux: 64-bit x86 CPU with AVX2 support

And if you get to a point where you have a UI for Legend HZ to test, even if it's raw, I'd be happy to volunteer as a tester. I am running Deepin (Debian based) on x86 and can provide feedback.

I really hope for a future where Legend HZ is available on Linux and that you continue to explore the possibilities.

Sincerely,
Jan (Zebaztian)

[bones]

I have lower latency, lower jitter, and I can run multiple audio sources at the same time without any problems – something that is problematic on Windows without having to mess with drivers.

That is absolute rubbish. Simply by installing the drivers that came with my audio I/O device, I can run comfortably with a 64 sample buffer and I can have as many applications as I like accessing the device at once without any problems, without ever having had to even think about the drivers or do any tweaking. Windows just works.

Your little table suggests that you don't need drivers for Pipewire which, if you think about it, is true of graphics cards but, as we all know, when you use the hardware vendor's graphics drivers and not the generic Windows driver, you get way better performance. The same will be true for many audio I/O devices. My Audient Evo 8, for example, has a mixer application which allows me to access the features of the device. Using a generic driver would result in a worse user experience.

Why do TDR, Xfer Records and Devious Machines say they are serious about Linux.

Two companies I've never heard of and one I've never done any business with. And to be clear, I have instrument plugins from 50 different vendors and probably 20-30 more unique effects plugin vendors.

When major players like U-he, TAL Software, TDR (Tokyo Dawn Labs), Xfer Records (with the Serum 2 beta) and most recently Devious Machines are investing in native support, it shows a clear trend. It's no longer an isolated curiosity, but a strategic move to capture a growing market early.

Early? It's been around for 30+ years, FFS, and for more than half that time I've been hearing the same garbage about "it's time has come". It hasn't and it's not going to any time soon.

Modern frameworks for plugin development mean that the step of compiling for Linux is not the black hole of obscure code that it used to be. It's more about priorities than about prohibitive mountains of "man hours" for an established company. This is because of technical standardization with JUCE and others.

It's not about development, it's about support. Synapse is just two people, if they had to support Linux I reckon you could expect the pace of development to drop by 50%.

It's not about forcing change overnight, it's about future-proofing.

No, when resources are finite, it's about robbing Peter to pay Paul. Every man-hour that goes into Linux isn't available for Windows or macOS.

I mean that Pipewire handles sound more stably and efficiently. It's lower latency, lower jitter, and I have the ability to run multiple audio sources simultaneously. That's a technical difference, not a sound quality difference.

It's not a "technical difference", it's bullsh!t.

You ask me to define the future, if it's next year, next decade. I mean that the future is now for developers who are already porting. I already mendioned TDR, Xfer, Devious Machines, U-he, TAL, and all of these are currently betting on Linux. This is not a vision it's a reality.

It's also something like 1% of vendors overall. Hardly an avalanche.

In terms of platform strategy, Bitwig, one of the most used DAWs for professionals on Linux, offers its Linux versions as .deb and Flatpak, but not RPM. This is a clear signal that their target audience (serious music producers) mainly use Debian-based systems such as Ubuntu, Deepin and Linux Mint.

I doubt it. If you were a real professional, you'd want a distro made for professionals, with full support for your business, which would be Red Hat which, of course, is what the "R" in RPM stands for.

[Zebaztian]

Hi Bones,

Thank you for your reply. You raise several interesting points.

It's great that Windows is working for you! I have nothing against Windows, I used it myself for many years. But my experience and that of many others is that Windows can be unstable, especially with ASIO drivers and Windows updates. Pipewire gives me lower latency and higher stability on my hardware. It is not a universal truth. That is my experience. And you're right that Pipewire isn't a driver. The point is that Pipewire works directly with most sound cards without the need to install proprietary drivers. That's an advantage, not a disadvantage. And I can run multiple audio sources at the same time without conflicts, something that is more complicated on Windows.

That you've never heard of TDR/Xfer/Devious Machines is surprising, as TDR is the standard in mastering, Xfer Records (Serum 2) is one of the biggest synth developers, and Devious Machines is well known for creative effects. That you don't know them says more about your familiarity with the market than the size of the market. They are heavyweights in their niches. You then write that Linux has been around for 30+ years and that nothing has happened. And it's true that Linux audio has been a long time coming. But in recent years, something has actually happened: Pipewire, Flatpak, and native plugins from U-he, TAL, TDR, Xfer, and Devious Machines. It is not a vision, but a reality. Then you write that it is about support and not development, which is a relevant point. But I have proposed a pragmatic solution: to provide official support for Ubuntu LTS (deb packages) + Flatpak and let the rest be community support. That's exactly what Bitwig does, and it works.

But where you are absolutely wrong is when you write that Red Hat is for professionals and that Ubuntu is not, then you are wrong. Red Hat is an excellent server distribution, but for music production, Ubuntu/Debian is the default, because that's where the users are. Bitwig, U-he and TAL focus on Ubuntu/Debian because that's where the market is. Claiming that "real professionals" use Red Hat for music production is not grounded in reality.

I understand you're skeptical and that's okay. I'm not out to convince you. I'm looking to show Synapse that there is a growing, paying market for their products on Linux. You may have missed that in North America alone, 10% now run Linux. Linux passed the 1% barrier a long time ago.

Thanks for the discussion, it's valuable.

/Zebaztian

[Teksonik]

TDR is the standard in mastering

No, it's not here. I own Nova GE and Limiter 6 GE and while they are nice plugins I almost never use them for mastering since I have other plugins which I prefer for the task.

They may be "the standard in mastering" on Linux because that's all you have. But on Windows they're just middle of the road. Perhaps your "familiarity with the market" is the issue.

The bottom line for me is a half dozen or more major developers would have to release Linux versions for dozens and dozens of plugins just to cover the ones I use the most now and that's just for effects plugins then factor in the instrument plugins I use on a daily basis.

That's simply not going to happen any time in the near future no matter how much you or I wish it to. There is a reason why big developers aren't releasing Linux plugins. It's probably because they have bean counters telling them it's not worth the effort and expense at this point in time.

Even if we accept your 10% figure, that doesn't automatically equate to a 10% increase in sales. Here's what A.I. has to say: "Broad community polls and creator hardware surveys place Linux usage around 2.7% in the broader music production community. Windows and macOS dominate the overwhelming remainder of the market".

https://www.google.com/search?client=fi ... production

Yes a handful of smaller developers are supporting Linux now but until all of them do it's pointless to even consider switching. It's the classic Catch 22, more users are not going to adopt Linux until more developers do and more developers won't adopt until more users do.

Again I admire your passion but I think it's blinding you to the current reality. I do hope one day Linux will be a viable alternative but I fear that day will be a long time coming.

[Zebaztian]

What do you say about this after I wrote an email to PACE? That's my reality and not be stuck in what is.

Hello Jan,

Thank you for your feedback.

Linux support is on our roadmap for a future release. We do not have a date available at this time as to when this support will be available.

Stay tuned to the iLok.com website for further information on our development.

Best regards,
PACE Anti-Piracy Technical Support

.....
Here's the email I wrote:
Hi PACE team,

I'm writing as a long-time JUCE licensee customer and Linux audio professional.

The opportunity for PACE is that you already own JUCE. JUCE has had stable Linux support for 10+ years. Bitwig, Tracktion, U-he, TDR (and soon Devious Machines) + many others prove that pro audio on Linux works today.

The blocker is that no major developer will port to Linux until iLok License Manager exists for Linux. Native Instruments, UVI, Softube all use iLok. Without step 1, there is no step 2.

My proposal is that you don't need to support "all of Linux". Instead do what Bitwig does and target Ubuntu 22.04+ LTS only. Ship as .deb and Flatpak. Use TPM 2.0 for machine binding. Linux has mature support. Start with iLok Cloud only. No dongle driver needed.

The ROI unlocks the entire pro plugin market for Linux. Every JUCE/iLok developer gets Linux "for free". You create a new revenue stream without supporting 50 distros.
The community is ready. Bitwig proved the DAW market exists. Now we need the licensing.
Happy to discuss technical details or beta test.

I recently started this Facebook group to gain attraction to paid native plugins for Linux: https://www.facebook.com/groups/linuxpaidaudio

[Dave]

Pace?

Anyway, it's a very ambiguous answer. No timeline.

I get the feeling a lot of devs round prefer not to support mac is, due to the frequent problems with every update, but the market is big enough to warrant the work.

I guess it's just a waiting game for linux users.

[Teksonik]

What do you say about this after I wrote an email to PACE? That's my reality and not be stuck in what is.

I say the obvious that Pace doesn't make plugins. It's just a copy protection scheme. I don't use ilok infected plugins so whether they support Linux or not is irrelevant to me.

Again it's the hundreds of plugins I own that will have to be made native Linux for me to even think about switching.

Linux support is on our roadmap for a future release. We do not have a date available at this time as to when this support will be available.

That sounds like "when there are enough Linux users to justify the work we'll add support". Again the classic Catch 22 situation.

But good luck with your crusade. Some day Linux support may become common place but I don't see that day coming any time in the near future.