Building from Source

Overview

This guide walks you through compiling Lumix from source code. Building from source is ideal for developers who want to contribute to the project, customize the DAW, or test the latest features.

The source code is provided as-is. Expect crashes, unfinished features, and incomplete functionality. For the latest commits, check the Development branch.

Prerequisites

Required Software

Install .NET 6 SDK

The .NET 6 SDK is required to compile Lumix.Download and Install:

Visit https://dotnet.microsoft.com/download/dotnet/6.0
Download the SDK (not just the runtime) for your platform
Run the installer and follow the instructions

Verify Installation:

dotnet --version

Expected output: 6.0.x or higher

Make sure to install the SDK, not just the runtime. The SDK includes the compiler and build tools.

Install Git

Required to clone the repository.

Windows: Download from git-scm.com
Verify: git --version

Install an IDE (Recommended)

Choose one of the following:

Visual Studio 2022 (Community, Professional, or Enterprise)
- Free Community edition: visualstudio.microsoft.com
- Install the ”.NET desktop development” workload
Visual Studio Code with C# extension
JetBrains Rider

Visual Studio 2022 is recommended as it provides the best .NET development experience on Windows.

Clone the Repository

Clone Lumix Source Code

Open a terminal or command prompt and run:

git clone https://github.com/ImAxel0/Lumix.git
cd Lumix

For Latest Development Build:

git checkout Development

The Development branch contains the latest features but may be unstable.

Verify Project Structure

Ensure you have the following structure:

Lumix/
├── Lumix/
│   ├── Lumix.csproj
│   ├── Program.cs
│   ├── Resources/
│   └── ...
└── README.md

Configuration

Choose Your Build Configuration

Important: Lumix must be compiled as either x86 or x64. The AnyCPU configuration is not supported.

Debug Mode Configuration

By default, the project defines a LOCAL_DEV constant in Debug mode. If you want to run the DAW in Debug mode, you must remove this constant.

To Remove LOCAL_DEV Constant: Edit Lumix/Lumix.csproj and comment out or remove these lines:

<!-- IF YOU WANT TO RUN THE DAW IN DEBUG MODE REMOVE OR COMMENT OUT THE FOLLOWING CONSTANT DEFINITION -->
<PropertyGroup Condition="'$(Configuration)' == 'Debug'">
  <DefineConstants>LOCAL_DEV</DefineConstants>
</PropertyGroup>

After removing:

<!-- IF YOU WANT TO RUN THE DAW IN DEBUG MODE REMOVE OR COMMENT OUT THE FOLLOWING CONSTANT DEFINITION -->
<!--
<PropertyGroup Condition="'$(Configuration)' == 'Debug'">
  <DefineConstants>LOCAL_DEV</DefineConstants>
</PropertyGroup>
-->

Building the Project

Visual Studio
Command Line
Visual Studio Code

Open Solution

Launch Visual Studio 2022
Click File > Open > Project/Solution
Navigate to the Lumix folder and open Lumix.csproj

Select Platform

In the toolbar, select your target platform:

x64 (recommended for modern systems)
x86 (for 32-bit systems)

Do not use “Any CPU” - Lumix requires a specific architecture.

Select Configuration

Choose between:

Debug: For development with debugging symbols (remember to remove LOCAL_DEV constant)
Release: For optimized builds

Restore NuGet Packages

Visual Studio will automatically restore packages. If not:

Right-click the solution in Solution Explorer
Select Restore NuGet Packages

Build the Project

Press F6 or click Build > Build Solution
Wait for the build to complete
Check the Output window for any errors

Run Lumix

Press F5 to run with debugging, or Ctrl+F5 to run without debugging.

Navigate to Project Directory

cd Lumix/Lumix

Restore Dependencies

dotnet restore

This will download all required NuGet packages:

ImGui.NET (1.90.8.1)
NAudio (2.2.1)
DryWetMidi (7.2.0)
VST.NET2-Host (2.1.0)
Veldrid packages

Build for x64 (Recommended)

Debug Build:

dotnet build -c Debug -r win-x64

Release Build:

dotnet build -c Release -r win-x64

Remember to remove the LOCAL_DEV constant if building in Debug mode.

Build for x86 (32-bit)

Debug Build:

dotnet build -c Debug -r win-x86

Release Build:

dotnet build -c Release -r win-x86

Run the Application

dotnet run --configuration Release --runtime win-x64

Or navigate to the output directory and run the executable:

cd bin/Release/net6.0/win-x64
./Lumix.exe

Open Project

cd Lumix
code .

Install C# Extension

If not already installed:

Open Extensions (Ctrl+Shift+X)
Search for “C# Dev Kit” or “C#”
Install the extension

Configure Build Task

Create .vscode/tasks.json:

{
  "version": "2.0.0",
  "tasks": [
    {
      "label": "build-x64",
      "command": "dotnet",
      "type": "process",
      "args": [
        "build",
        "${workspaceFolder}/Lumix/Lumix.csproj",
        "-c", "Release",
        "-r", "win-x64"
      ],
      "problemMatcher": "$msCompile",
      "group": {
        "kind": "build",
        "isDefault": true
      }
    }
  ]
}

Build and Run

Press Ctrl+Shift+B to build
Or open the terminal and run:

dotnet build -c Release -r win-x64
dotnet run --project Lumix/Lumix.csproj -c Release -r win-x64

Dependencies and Libraries

Lumix uses the following open-source libraries:

ImGui.NET

Version: 1.90.8.1.NET wrapper for Dear ImGui - provides the entire user interface

NAudio

Version: 2.2.1Audio playback and recording library for .NET

DryWetMidi

Version: 7.2.0MIDI file processing and playback library

VST.NET2-Host

Version: 2.1.0VST2 plugin hosting support

Additional Dependencies:

Veldrid (4.9.0): Cross-platform graphics library
Veldrid.StartupUtilities (4.9.0): Window and graphics initialization
Veldrid.ImageSharp (4.9.0): Image loading support
Vanara.PInvoke.User32 (4.0.1): Windows API interop

All dependencies are automatically downloaded via NuGet during the restore phase.

Output Structure

After a successful build, you’ll find the compiled application in:

Lumix/Lumix/bin/
├── Debug/
│   └── net6.0/
│       ├── win-x64/
│       │   ├── Lumix.exe
│       │   ├── cimgui.dll
│       │   └── [dependencies]
│       └── win-x86/
└── Release/
    └── net6.0/
        ├── win-x64/
        └── win-x86/

Common Build Issues

NuGet Restore Failures

Issue: Package restore fails or times out Solution:

dotnet nuget locals all --clear
dotnet restore --force

Platform Target Errors

Issue: “Platform target ‘AnyCPU’ is not supported” Solution: Always specify x64 or x86:

dotnet build -r win-x64  # or win-x86

LOCAL_DEV Constant Issues

Issue: Application behaves differently in Debug mode Solution: Edit Lumix.csproj and remove/comment out the LOCAL_DEV constant definition:

<!--
<PropertyGroup Condition="'$(Configuration)' == 'Debug'">
  <DefineConstants>LOCAL_DEV</DefineConstants>
</PropertyGroup>
-->

Missing cimgui.dll

Issue: Application fails to start with “cimgui.dll not found” Solution: The DLL should be copied automatically. If not:

Locate cimgui.dll in Lumix/Resources/
Copy it to the output directory (e.g., bin/Release/net6.0/win-x64/)

ASIO Driver Process Won’t Close

Issue: After closing Lumix, the process remains active Solution:

Use Task Manager to end the process manually
This is a known issue with ASIO4ALL driver cleanup
The code includes a temporary Process.GetCurrentProcess().Kill() workaround

Development Workflow

Running in Debug Mode

Configure Debug Build

Edit Lumix.csproj to remove the LOCAL_DEV constant as described above.

Set Breakpoints

In Visual Studio or your IDE, set breakpoints in the code where you want to pause execution.

Launch Debugger

Press F5 in Visual Studio or run:

dotnet run -c Debug -r win-x64

Access Debug View

In the running application:

Go to View > Debug in the menu
Or check the debug window that appears in Debug builds

Testing Changes

The project is under active development. Pull requests are not currently accepted, but you can fork the repository for personal modifications.

Recommended Testing Workflow:

Make changes to the source code
Build in Debug mode for testing
Test with various audio/MIDI files
Check VST plugin compatibility
Build in Release mode for performance testing

Publishing a Build

To create a distributable version of Lumix:

dotnet publish -c Release -r win-x64 --self-contained false

Self-contained Build (includes .NET runtime):

dotnet publish -c Release -r win-x64 --self-contained true

Self-contained builds are significantly larger (~150MB+) but don’t require .NET to be installed on the target system.

Contributing

The project currently does not accept pull requests as it’s still in early development stages. However, you can:

Report bugs via GitHub Issues
Fork the repository for personal modifications
Follow development progress on the Development branch

Useful Keyboard Shortcuts

While testing your build:

F11: Toggle fullscreen
Space: Play/Stop playback
Ctrl+;: Open Preferences

Next Steps

Now that you have Lumix compiled:

Explore the Codebase

Browse the source to understand Lumix’s architecture

Introduction

Learn how to use Lumix’s features

Additional Resources

Source Repository: github.com/ImAxel0/Lumix
Dear ImGui: github.com/ocornut/imgui
ImGui.NET: github.com/ImGuiNET/ImGui.NET
NAudio: github.com/naudio/NAudio
DryWetMidi: github.com/melanchall/drywetmidi
VST.NET: github.com/obiwanjacobi/vst.net

Get Started

Core Concepts

Audio Features

MIDI Features

Plugins

User Interface

Development

Building from Source

Overview

Prerequisites

Required Software

Clone the Repository

Configuration

Choose Your Build Configuration

Debug Mode Configuration

Building the Project

Dependencies and Libraries

ImGui.NET

NAudio

DryWetMidi

VST.NET2-Host

Output Structure

Common Build Issues

NuGet Restore Failures

Platform Target Errors

LOCAL_DEV Constant Issues

Missing cimgui.dll

ASIO Driver Process Won’t Close

Development Workflow

Running in Debug Mode

Testing Changes

Publishing a Build

Contributing

Useful Keyboard Shortcuts

Next Steps

Explore the Codebase

Introduction

Additional Resources

Build docs developers (and LLMs) love

Get Started

Core Concepts

Audio Features

MIDI Features

Plugins

User Interface

Development

​Overview

​Prerequisites

​Required Software

​Clone the Repository

​Configuration

​Choose Your Build Configuration

​Debug Mode Configuration

​Building the Project

​Dependencies and Libraries

ImGui.NET

NAudio

DryWetMidi

VST.NET2-Host

​Output Structure

​Common Build Issues

​NuGet Restore Failures

​Platform Target Errors

​LOCAL_DEV Constant Issues

​Missing cimgui.dll

​ASIO Driver Process Won’t Close

​Development Workflow

​Running in Debug Mode

​Testing Changes

​Publishing a Build

​Contributing

​Useful Keyboard Shortcuts

​Next Steps

Explore the Codebase

Introduction

​Additional Resources

Build docs developers (and LLMs) love

Overview

Prerequisites

Required Software

Clone the Repository

Configuration

Choose Your Build Configuration

Debug Mode Configuration

Building the Project

Dependencies and Libraries

Output Structure

Common Build Issues

NuGet Restore Failures

Platform Target Errors

LOCAL_DEV Constant Issues

Missing cimgui.dll

ASIO Driver Process Won’t Close

Development Workflow

Running in Debug Mode

Testing Changes

Publishing a Build

Contributing

Useful Keyboard Shortcuts

Next Steps

Additional Resources