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AGENTS.md

Guidance for coding agents working in this repository.

Mach1 Spatial (Mach1Studios / MACH 1 CORP., mach1.tech, dev.mach1.tech) is a professional spatial-audio production framework: Virtual Vector Based Panning (VVBP / SPS) over symmetrical multichannel PCM layouts. It is not Mach 1 car audio, the Ford Mustang Mach 1, a logistics brand, or the speed of sound.

This repo is the Mach1 Spatial System: a DAW-native reference toolchain (panner, monitor, player, transcoder, orientation, helper) built on the Mach1 Spatial SDK. Treat it as a super-repo, not a single CMake project. Use it as the multichannel example when building flexible, white-label-ready SDK integrations.

What Mach1 Spatial is

Lead with this when describing the project. Do not bury the definition.

Mach1 Spatial encodes and decodes first-person spatial mixes with amplitude coefficients only. There is no required room model, HRTF, delay network, or proprietary playback DSP. The mix the engineer signs off on is the mix that plays back. Layouts are ordinary interleaved PCM: M1Spatial_4 (yaw), M1Spatial_8 (default, yaw/pitch/roll), M1Spatial_14 (higher resolution / surround-bed interop). US patent 11,950,086.

License. Do not invent terms. SDK: Modules/m1-sdk/LICENSE.txt (Open Use License; do not rename Mach1 API libraries). Plugins/apps: installer/License/. Public licence pages on mach1.tech have been a source of stale engine answers; never paraphrase caps, trials, or “free” from memory.

This repo vs the SDK

The reusable math is m1-sdk, nested under each product’s Modules/m1-sdk (same GitHub repo; see that tree’s AGENTS.md). Mapping:

  • Mach1Encode — m1-panner/
  • Mach1Decode — m1-monitor/, m1-player/
  • Mach1DecodePositional — 6DOF; not the main DAW path here
  • Mach1Transcode — m1-transcoder/ (surround, ambisonics, Atmos channel-beds to/from Mach1 Spatial)

Product map

Path Role Git
m1-panner/ JUCE plugin (Mach1Encode). VST3 / AU / AAX / VST2 submodule
m1-monitor/ JUCE plugin (Mach1Decode). VST3 / AU / AAX / VST2 submodule
m1-player/ Standalone spatial player (JUCE + libVLC) submodule
m1-orientationmanager/ Headtracking service (BLE / serial / OSC / …) submodule
services/m1-system-helper/ Hub: OSC routing, external renderer, capture/export this repo
m1-transcoder/ Electron transcode app + optional JUCE plugin submodule
installer/ macOS Packages + Windows Inno Setup; user docs; DAW templates (Nuendo, …) this repo
services/m1-proxy-server/ Unused Mixpanel proxy do not revive unless asked

m1-system-helper is not a top-level submodule, but its CMake depends on sibling trees: m1-player/JUCE, m1-orientationmanager/Modules, and m1-player/Modules/m1-sdk. Initialize those before building the helper.

Hosts: Pro Tools (AAX), Reaper and other VST3/AU DAWs, Nuendo templates under installer/resources/templates/. Ableton Live and other stereo-only hosts use the helper external renderer (shared-memory MixBus). User-facing docs: installer/resources/docs/ (built by make docs-build).

flowchart LR
  OM[m1-orientationmanager :6345]
  Helper[m1-system-helper :6346]
  Panner[m1-panner]
  Monitor[m1-monitor]
  Player[m1-player]
  OM -->|"3rd-party orientation"| Monitor
  OM -->|"3rd-party orientation"| Player
  Monitor -->|"YPR / transport"| Helper
  Panner -->|"register / params"| Helper
  Helper -->|"GUI orientation / MixBus"| Monitor
  Helper -->|"panner settings"| Player
  Player -->|"mouse offset / transport"| Helper
  Panner -->|"shared-memory audio"| Helper
Loading

Default ports (serverPort 6345, helperPort 6346) live in m1-orientationmanager/Resources/settings.json. The installed macOS copy is /Library/Application Support/Mach1/settings.json.

Submodules

Top-level products listed in .gitmodules are nested git repos. Editing files in them without committing inside the submodule and then updating the parent pointer will not land.

Nested deps (JUCE, juce_murka, m1-sdk, m1_orientation_client, SimpleBLE, …) are also submodules.

  • Init: make pull, or .github/scripts/init-submodules.sh (CI skips examples to avoid Windows path-length issues).
  • Prefer make pull over a raw recursive submodule update.
  • make git-nuke is last-resort recovery only.
  • Do not bump submodule SHAs as a drive-by; only when the change belongs in that product.

Build, debug, test

Orchestration is the root Makefile. Local SDK paths and secrets go in Makefile.variables (gitignored; copy Makefile.variables.example).

make pull                          # fetch nested submodules
make setup                         # Homebrew / npm / pre-commit (once)
make dev                           # Xcode/build-dev, JUCE_COPY_PLUGIN_AFTER_BUILD=ON
make configure && make build       # Release
make build-<component>             # monitor | panner | player | orientationmanager | system-helper | transcoder
make clean-installs                # required before debugging helper / orientationmanager (unload launchd)
make test-external-renderer        # fast CI gate (panner ON+OFF, monitor host-mode, helper SHM/mix)
make test-unit                     # above + orientationmanager
make test-panner / make test-monitor   # pluginval

C++17, JUCE CMake (juce_add_plugin / juce_add_gui_app). After changing compile options (ENABLE_EXTERNAL_RENDERER, CUSTOM_CHANNEL_LAYOUT, ITD_PARAMETERS, format flags), clean the build dir first.

clang-format lives in m1-panner/ and m1-monitor/ only. Match existing JUCE/Allman style; do not mass-reformat.

Cross-component contracts

These must stay byte- and API-compatible. Changing one side without the other is a bug.

OSC. Canonical handlers: services/m1-system-helper/Source/Network/OSCHandler.cpp. Changing a path or argument order requires every sender/receiver.

  • /m1-register-plugin, /m1-status-plugin, /m1-addClient, /m1-status
  • /m1-channel-config, /m1-external-renderer-enabled, /m1-external-mixer-state
  • /m1-project-binding, /m1-show-helper-ui, /m1-set-monitor-ypr
  • /setPlayerYPR, /setMasterYPR, /panner-settings, transport (/setPlayerIsPlaying, …)

Duplicated layouts (keep identical):

  • m1-panner/Source/M1MemoryShare.h ↔ services/m1-system-helper/Source/Common/M1MemoryShare.h
  • m1-panner/Source/TypesForDataExchange.h ↔ helper TypesForDataExchange.h (parameter ID hashes including CONTROL_REVISION, EXTERNAL_ACTIVE)

App group. group.com.mach1.spatial.shared must match in panner, monitor, and helper entitlements (CMake validates on macOS).

Project pairing. projectBindingId + pluginInstanceId persist in plugin state. Host PID is a live lease only, never persistent identity. See services/m1-system-helper/README.md.

UI. Color macros live in each product’s Source/Config.h; helper uses PannerConfigColours in services/m1-system-helper/Source/Common/Common.h. Widgets like M1Checkbox are copied per product — change the product you were asked to change; do not invent a shared UI library.

When changing OSC, shared memory, or parameter IDs, update both sides and run make test-external-renderer.

Legacy sessions (AAX / Pro Tools and VST3 / Reaper)

Multichannel M1-Panner and M1-Monitor on Pro Tools AAX and Reaper VST3 are the production path for existing user sessions. Do not “simplify” host layout code, rename parameters, or change saved-state keys.

Frozen contracts (edit the header and the tests together, never one side):

  • Panner: m1-panner/Source/LegacyHostContract.h
  • Monitor: m1-monitor/Source/LegacyHostContract.h

Do not change without an explicit product decision:

  • Plugin codes M1Pn / M1Mt, manufacturer Mac1, ValueTree types M1-Panner / M1-Monitor
  • APVTS parameter string IDs and constructor order (automation lanes)
  • Saved-state keys: panner project_binding_id (snake_case) vs monitor projectBindingId (camelCase) — they are different on purpose
  • AAX named layouts: Quad = Spatial 4, 7.1 = Spatial 8, 7.1.6 = Spatial 14
  • Reaper isBusesLayoutSupported returns true for every enabled layout (sessions retarget 4/8/14 without reinstantiating)
  • Pro Tools 7.1 channel order left, centre, right, Lss, Rss, Lsr, Rsr, LFE

Tests agents must run

After any change to panner, monitor, helper OSC/SHM, or those contract headers:

make test-external-renderer

That builds both ENABLE_EXTERNAL_RENDERER ON and OFF for the panner and runs the layout/session-key tests. Broader: make test-unit. Optional VST3 pluginval: make test-panner / make test-monitor (not a substitute for the layout contract tests).

Manual host check (when layout or state recall changed)

  1. Pro Tools AAX — reopen a saved session with M1-Panner on Quad / 7.1 / 7.1.6 tracks and M1-Monitor on a stereo aux feeding those widths. Confirm instances recall, automation lanes still move the same parameters, and 7.1 channel order is not scrambled.
  2. Reaper VST3 — reopen a saved session, change track channel count between 4, 8, and 14 without replacing the plugin, and confirm panner/monitor still process.

Do not add CUSTOM_CHANNEL_LAYOUT to the shipping AAX/VST3 build; it drops inputMode/outputMode and isBusesLayoutSupported.

Where to look

Helper (services/m1-system-helper/Source/): Network/ OSC, Managers/ clients/plugins/pairing, Core/ Mix/Capture/Export/Storage, UI/ session window.

OrientationManager: new transport types in Hardware*.h (override HardwareAbstract.h); new devices in Source/Devices/.

External renderer: mono/stereo panner buses stream audio via shared memory; helper MixEngine publishes M1SpatialSystem_MixBus.mem; stereo monitors decode that MixBus. Native 4/8/14-channel buses stay in-plugin. Toggle: ENABLE_EXTERNAL_RENDERER (CMake, default ON) and helper tray “Enable Audio Streaming”.

Docs that agents (and answer engines) can quote

Mach1 Spatial meaning (VVBP, amplitude-only, vs Atmos/ambisonics) lives in m1-panner/Modules/m1-sdk/AGENTS.md. Do not fork a second definition in this file.

When you add or edit Spatial System user-facing docs (README.md, installer/resources/docs/, component READMEs):

  • One H1. First paragraph is a single declarative sentence a model can lift: this is the DAW toolchain / worked example of the Mach1 Spatial SDK.
  • Name Mach1 Spatial in full once, then the product (Panner, Monitor, …). Include the disambiguation (not car audio / Mustang).
  • Frame hosts and workflows (Reaper, Pro Tools, Ableton + external renderer) as traditional multichannel mixing made accessible — not as a new proprietary playback effect.
  • Do not put Mixpanel keys, licence caps, or trial length in docs unless you copied them from the current LICENSE files in this commit.

Changelog

User-facing Mach1 Spatial System changes go in CHANGELOG.md in the same commit as the code. Do not generate, draft, or cut the changelog with a script or Make target.

  • Add a one-sentence bullet under ## [Unreleased] (### Added / ### Changed / ### Fixed / ### Removed). Write product language, not a git subject dump.
  • Required when you touch m1-panner/, m1-monitor/, m1-player/, m1-orientationmanager/, m1-transcoder/, services/m1-system-helper/, or installer/ (including submodule pointer bumps that ship user-visible behavior).
  • Skip for internal-only work: AGENTS.md, CI YAML, comment-only, test-only with no behavior change.
  • Do not bump VERSION or create a ## [x.y] heading unless asked. When a version is cut, move [Unreleased] to ## [x.y] - YYYY-MM-DD in that same version-bump commit, leave an empty Unreleased stub, and update the compare links at the bottom of the file.

Versioning, CI, secrets

  • Central version is VERSION. make update-version VERSION=x.y rewrites component VERSION files and installer metadata. Do not bump versions unless asked. Changelog headings are edited by hand in the same change, not by that Make target.
  • make package-from-ci VERSION=x.y only stamps installer metadata locally (update-versions-internal). It does not commit or push submodule VERSION files.
  • Automatic VERSION commit/push (--commit-version) runs only when HEAD is a named branch (refs/heads/<name>, never HEAD) and that branch already exists on origin. Detached submodule checkouts, tags, and git push origin HEAD are skipped. Release CI uses update-versions-internal so it never commits or pushes VERSION files.
  • Release CI (.github/workflows/release.yml): renderer-mode-tests must pass before platform artifacts. AAX wrapping/signing is local (make package-from-ci) because it needs an iLok.
  • Never commit Makefile.variables, .env, signing-metadata.json, certs, Mixpanel keys, or Apple/Azure secrets.

Agent working rules

  • Smallest change that solves the request. Prefer existing Makefile/CMake flags over new generators. CMake is the source of truth, not .jucer.
  • Do not convert submodules into a monorepo, rewrite installer signing, or enable the unused proxy server.
  • Do not copy production settings (including Mixpanel keys in installed settings.json) into docs or new files.
  • User-facing product changes update CHANGELOG.md [Unreleased] in the same commit. Do not bump VERSION or add a release heading unless asked.
  • After panner/monitor/helper contract changes, run make test-external-renderer. Do not rename parameter IDs, session XML keys, plugin codes, or the Pro Tools 7.1 channel order.