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108 lines
4.6 KiB
Markdown
108 lines
4.6 KiB
Markdown
# SM-26
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A self-contained **subtractive synthesizer** written in modern C++ on top of
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[JUCE](https://juce.com). It ships as a **VST3** on macOS and Linux plus a
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macOS **Audio Unit**, with a hand-rolled DSP core, 320 factory presets and an
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embedded 4x80 HD44780-style LCD driven by a cascaded on-screen menu.
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## Why this is (still) pretty good
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* **One real dependency, always fetchable.** JUCE is the only external thing
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this project needs, and the build fetches it automatically into `./build/`
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on the first `make`. Your source tree stays clean: no vendored JUCE, no
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submodules to go stale, no manual setup.
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* **A tiny, readable DSP core with real character.** Twelve voices, two
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oscillators with gliding, a self-oscillating state-variable filter with
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drive, an ADSR, and a tempo-synced delay - all in one focused
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`SynthEngine` with no external DSP libraries. Easy to read, easy to hack.
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* **A UI people actually look at.** A 4x80 pixel LCD renderer with a real
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menu (PRESETS / OSCILLATORS / FILTER / ENVELOPE / DELAY / SYSTEM) navigated
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with a diamond of arrow keys plus ENTER/ESC. A DAW-native plugin that wears
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its own little OS.
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* **Knobs that mean something.** Four front-panel knobs that change meaning
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per preset (`KnobView`) - every preset ships with a curated mapping and a
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sensible value range, not just raw MIDI CCs.
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* **Reproducible from a single command.** `make` = fetch JUCE → configure →
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build → you're done. `make install` even ad-hoc-signs and un-quarantines
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the macOS bundles so your DAW and `auval` accept them immediately.
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## Features
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* 12-voice polyphonic engine with voice stealing and glide
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* 320 factory presets across Bass / Lead / Pad / Keys / Pluck / String / Organ /
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Bell / Stab / Arp / FX / Wind / Brass / Voice / Perc / SFX / Grit / Retro /
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Ambient
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* Click the patch line on the LCD to open a categorized preset browser
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* Dual-waveform oscillator section (sine / tri / saw / square / noise …)
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* SVF low-pass filter with resonance **and** drive
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* ADSR with a per-voice envelope and cutoff modulation
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* Tempo-synced delay with rhythmic subdivision, locked to host BPM
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* 4x80 LCD with live knob values, active preset, voice count and transport
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* Footer that shows the exact git revision and build time
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## Requirements
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* C++17 compiler (Apple Clang or GCC)
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* CMake >= 3.22
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* Git (to fetch JUCE on the first build)
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* Linux: X11/ALSA development headers
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## Build
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```sh
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make # fetches JUCE into build/ (once), configures and builds
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make install # installs + ad-hoc signs + un-quarantines the plugin bundles
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make uninstall # removes the installed plugins
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make clean # removes compiled artefacts only
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make distclean # wipes build/ entirely (including the fetched JUCE)
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```
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* macOS installs to `~/Library/Audio/Plug-Ins/` (AU + **VST3**).
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* Linux installs to `~/.vst3/`.
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> Jumping straight into CMake also works: `cmake -S . -B build` builds a
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> Release plugin and grabs JUCE from the same `build/juce` location.
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If a freshly installed AU is not visible to `auval` / your DAW:
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```sh
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sudo killall -HUP coreaudiod
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```
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(or just restart the host).
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## Usage
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* Feed the plugin MIDI; the four front-panel knobs drive whichever parameters
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the current preset maps them to (cutoff, resonance, envelope, delay - and a
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wide range of other routings).
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* Navigate with the **arrow diamond + ENTER/ESC**:
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* root → PRESETS / OSCILLATORS / FILTER / ENVELOPE / DELAY / SYSTEM
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* up/down move, left/right adjust, ENTER opens/confirms, ESC goes back
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* The LCD shows the active preset, knob mappings with live values, host BPM
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and voice count. The delay's SYNC mode locks to the host tempo and lets you
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pick rhythmic subdivisions.
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* **Click the patch line** on the LCD to browse presets by category: a
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"SELECT PATCH CATEGORY" menu opens, ENTER drills into a category, and
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confirming a patch loads it and returns you home.
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## Layout
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```
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Build: Makefile -> CMake -> JUCE (fetched into build/juce, never committed)
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Source/
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PluginProcessor.* audio processor + DSP shell
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SynthEngine.* osc/filter/ADSR/delay voice engine (12 voices)
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Presets.* 320 preset definitions + per-preset knob routings
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SynthParams.* parameter model + formatting
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PluginEditor.* panel, knobs, nav diamond, status footer
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LcdDisplay.* 4x80 HD44780-style display renderer
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MenuSystem.* cascaded menu state machine
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tools/gen_buildinfo.sh generates git-revision + build-time header
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```
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Everything the project needs at build time lives under `./build/`, which is
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git-ignored - the only things committed are your sources, this README and
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the build glue.
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