I tried using the Flatpak version of Bitwig Studio, but a downloaded CLAP plugin, Satordist2, would not load its interface. Bitwig reported: `libm.so.6: version GLIBC_2.43 not found (required by /home/nick/.clap/satordist2.clap)`. My CachyOS system has glibc 2.44, but the Flatpak appears to be using the older glibc provided by its runtime instead of the one installed on the host. I enabled broad filesystem access in Flatseal, including access to system files, but that did not change anything. The plugin works when I use Bitwig installed from the AUR, although I would prefer to keep using the officially supported Flatpak if possible. What is the proper way to handle plugins that require a newer glibc than the Flatpak runtime, and is using the native package generally the better choice for a DAW?
1 Answer
Filesystem permissions will not solve this. Flatpaks intentionally use the libraries from their runtime, so allowing access to host files does not make the application use the host system's glibc. The plugin needs to be built against a glibc version that is available inside Bitwig's Flatpak runtime. If the plugin is open source, rebuilding it in a compatible environment can work. Otherwise, a precompiled plugin that requires newer glibc may simply be incompatible with that Flatpak runtime. Updating Bitwig and its runtime is worth trying, but you generally should not replace or inject glibc inside the Flatpak container.
That is also a problem with precompiled plugins such as Soundshed Guitar, which cannot be rebuilt easily. In that situation, using the native Bitwig package is a reasonable workaround, since it can use the host libraries. The Flatpak is not necessarily the best option for every audio setup if your plugins target newer system libraries.