ref: 4217a5ba824dc927a0f9e3e3cb3a73c7dcdc35ca
dir: neindaw/README.md
# neindaw
Some kind of DAW for 9front? An ongoing effort. Each instrument and filter is
a filesystem. On top of that idea a DAW is supposed to be built, the UI is
optional and based on the files exposed by each instrument or filter.
Besides the usual C interfaces, neindaw uses [Faust](https://faust.grame.fr)
to build instruments. Here, watch this:
 → 
Wow.
## Installing
Clone the repo, run `mk install`, check out `ls /bin/daw`.
## Testing
One can use [ORCΛ](https://git.sr.ht/~ft/orca) coupled with neindaw as a
live-coding environment under Plan 9, see [piper](piper/README.md).
Here a basic example of using neindaw
manually is shown.
So far two instruments are provided, which is a kick drum synth and AY-3-8910.
```
daw/kick_drum -m /n/kick
cd /n/kick
```
Allocate one instance.
```
cd `{cat clone}
cd K*
```
Check the A oscillator frequency, the order is `type value initial min max step`.
It's different for different UI elements.
```
cat A/Frequency/ctl
vslider 100 100 10 200 5
```
Raise frequency to 160Hz.
```
echo 160 > A/F*/ctl
```
Pipe sound to /dev/audio in background.
```
audio/pcmconv -i f32c1r44100 < ../data > /dev/audio &
```
Set B oscillator parameters and enable it.
```
echo 400 > B/Frequency/ctl
echo 0.001 > B/Attack/ctl
echo 1 > B/Enable/ctl
```
Do a kick.
```
echo clear > ../ctl
echo 1 > Control/Gate/ctl
```
Run `cfg` to configure the kick drum in a GUI.
```
daw/cfg /n/kick
```
## TODO and random notes
* add input proccessing
* buffer computated data if `data` is opened more than once so every reader
gets the same data at its own pace?
* use llvm-generated object or asm instead of C? that would be having to
add Plan 9 target to llc I guess, or some kind of conversion tool for asm
* renaming/removal of instance IDs and controls via Twstat and Tremove
* `<fs>/watch` to watch the changes, add frame offset as well to know when
it actually changed
* optional frame offsets for all commands, running and stopping computations
at specific offsets will make it possible to apply changes correctly
* `reset` command for groups
* writable `metadata`: allow adding new key/values to `metadata`
* add some way to read and write the whole configuration of an instance
in an easy way, so instances can be cloned, or configs saved to disk
as presets
* make all of that compile and run on OpenBSD as well?
* "sampler" that can be used to buffer generated audio in memory/files
to be reused without running computations every single time
* slicer
* `<id>/from` and `<id>/to` to connect all the objects together, should
be controllable through daw/cfg.
* mixerfs with channels
* full MIDI support
* OSC support
* changes of controls can be monitored through a 2D plot in GUI
* every control can be used as an input of another control