The Linux Audio Developer's Simple Plugin API (LADSPA) originates in frustration on the part of Richard Furse with the lack of consensus on a standard audio plugin API for Linux. The API is intended to describe a very light-weight plugin form that can be handled by many types of host. To achieve this simplicity various compromises are made, notably the presence of only one data type (float).
Technical documentation is contained in the ladspa.h header file. When
clashes occur between this file and external documentation then the
header file should be considered the definitive version.
The ladspa.h header file includes direct contributions
by Richard W.E. Furse, Paul Barton-Davis and Stefan Westerfeld. Many
additional contributions have been made by the members of the Linux
Audio Developer's mailing list after whom the plugin is named. Thanks
in particular to Alexander Konig.