Two Production programs

[Little BabyDoll Christine]

VST is not the only plugin format. There are two programs that use another format AS WELL as VST

Audacity Has a boeatload  of effects plugins. it is what I used to record Deadly Farce from an end-user tape (having lost my master tape and being unable to use the raw cassette I made on a Fostex X-15 at 7 ips) and then digitally mastered it and exported it to WAV and then CD (via InfraRecorder ) since Audacity exports CD-ready 44.1k 16-bit signed WAV files. It does not support instruments PDF manuals

However, never fear, need instruments and mixing capability there's DEVELOPMENT ; DEVELOPMENT and WIKIPEDIA

LMMS - Linux Multimedia studio Does not record wxternal material but can mix up to 64 tracks using 4 16-track mixers. has a separate Beat/Bassline editor and comes with some instruments and can use other VST plugins SInce they do not record they recommend Audacity PDF LMMS manual This was created by musicians and handles MIDI files. Comes with sample player, SID chip emulator, 3 oscillator synth, soundfont sf2 player and more. DEVELOPMENT & All Wikipedia articles

They could stand to upgrade their Beat+Bassline and drums from the synthesized Beat/Bass/monophonic Roland clone to full sample devices. The Yamaha RX11 was a decidedly hot '80's beater and even the RX8, which did not get much love was OK, it is what I learend on back in the 90's. Either would expand the musical capabilities immensely. VSTPlanet has some interesting machines VST drums

I would also encourage them to use SFZ as we as SF2 (Soundfont). A user can writie his on .sfz files using txt and converting to sfz or an SFZ editor

Then there are Combo V(ox Connie), Combo F(arfisa Deluxe Mini-compact) and foo-(Yamaha) yc-20 and any number of free adequite Hammond clones for real organ sounds

Since the do support MIDI and support external pllugins, you can prbably get these and plug them in

These are freeware of high quality, being made by professionals. Audacity has come a long way in about a decade. While it does not use ASIO, it DOES uses WASAPI which is said to be as good as or better than, ASIO to deal with latency. One of the reasons for their versatility is that, in addition to using many and varied VST plugins,, they also use, and come with an alternative to the Stienberg creation called LADSPA Now usable on Windows and Mac as well as Linux Audacity comes with over a hundred of these if you get the whole complement of downloads

 See and download the LADSPA plugins. Also get for Audacity the LAME  mp3 maker and the FFMPEG for Audacity The latter lets you peel off the audio from an MPEG video and export it as either a WAV or MP3 (if you have LAME). Audcity also uses, along with LADSPA and VST (but not VSTi), Nyquist plugins

I do not know if it allows chaining of effects, which would be good for creating track channel strips like Wavosaur  does. it does and you can automate