Copyright © 2026 Lewis James Seals Jr. All rights reserved. THE SOFTWARE IS PROVIDED "AS IS", WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY KIND, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO THE WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY, FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE AND NONINFRINGEMENT.

hush-core (Hush Audio Workstation)

A modern, high-performance, zero-telemetry C++17 audio engine and modular digital audio workstation workspace.

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📖 Overview

hush-core is available at https://github.com/ljrseals-dev/hush-core. It is an advanced audio workstation repository engineered with clean C++17 architecture, native implementations, and privacy-first zero-telemetry design principles. It provides a complete modular framework incorporating dedicated engines for immersive audio mixing, MIDI notation, plugin hosting, video probing, neural composition assistance, and session core routing.

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🗺️ Repository Architecture & Roadmap

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🛠️ Completed Implementations

The repository successfully implements the full lifecycle of build targets across all development phases:

Tier 1: Foundational Engines

1. hush-render (engines/render/)

   • Target: Immersive mixer CLI (hush-render) and static library (hush_render).
   • Features: Plain-text scene file parsing, custom std::-only PCM/float32 WAV reader, object-based panning via hush::immersive, and speaker level JSON output generation.

2. hush-score (engines/score-cli/)

   • Target: MIDI to MusicXML to engraved score CLI (hush-score) and static library (hush_score_cli).
   • Features: Built-in std::-only Standard MIDI File (SMF) parser, tempo map/time signature extraction, MusicXML 3.1 export, and optional LilyPond PDF integration.

3. hush-probe (engines/probe/)

   • Target: Video probe and thumbnail extractor CLI (hush-probe) and static library (hush_probe).
   • Features: FFmpeg video integration, strict MovieInfo JSON serialization, and a custom std::-only PNG thumbnail writer across timeline markers.

Tier 2: Advanced Spatial & Neural Modules

4. hush-immersive (engines/immersive/)

   • Target: Object-based immersive library and renderer.
   • Features: Comprehensive multi-channel layouts (Mono to 9.1.6, Ambisonics FOA/SOA/HOA3 with ACN/SN3D normalisation), distance attenuation, binaural fold-down, and ADM/BW64 metadata export (exportAdm).

5. hush-neural-lite / composer (composer/neural-lite/)

   • Target: Rule-based harmony engine and style continuation suite.
   • Features: Roman-numeral chord progressions, cadence detection, voice-leading cost evaluation, key detection via Krumhansl-Schmuckler profiles, and Markov transition models for pop, jazz, classical, and ambient styles.

Tier 3: Core DAW Orchestration

6. hush-daw-core (engines/daw_core/)
   • Target: Comprehensive session engine (hush-daw CLI and hush_daw_core library).
   • Features: Unified Session management for audio, MIDI, video, and object tracks; topological DAG RenderGraph with cycle detection; headless Transport controls; and portable binary file serialization (HUSHSESS).

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🚀 Getting Started & Build Instructions

Prerequisites

Ensure your build environment satisfies the following requirements:

• CMake 3.16 or higher
• A C++17 compliant compiler with -Wall -Wextra support
• Optional: FFmpeg development headers (for video features)

Compilation

Clone the repository and build the workspace using CMake:

git clone [https://github.com/ljrseals-dev/hush-core.git](https://github.com/ljrseals-dev/hush-core.git)
cd hush-core
cmake -S . -B build
cmake --build build

Running Tests

Execute the automated test suites via CTest:

cd build
ctest --output-on-failure

💻 Usage Examples

• Render an Immersive Scene:

  hush-render scene.txt --out output.wav --levels levels.json
  

• Convert MIDI to MusicXML / Text Score:

  hush-score input.mid --xml score.xml --text score.txt
  

• Probe a Video File:

  hush-probe video.mp4 --json info.json --thumbs 8 --out thumbs/
  

• Manage Session Core & Render DAW Projects:

  hush-daw render session.hush --out final_mix.wav --seconds 30
  

🤝 Contributing

Contributions, issues, and architectural expansions are welcome. Please ensure all contributions adhere to the strict zero-warning policy, C++17 standards, and modern RAII memory paradigms.

📝 License

Distributed under the MIT License. See LICENSE for more information.