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💻 AudioLab Development Environment (03_00)

Complete setup guide for professional audio development

📋 Table of Contents

🎯 Overview

The Development Environment module provides everything you need to start AudioLab development:

  • System Requirements: Hardware/software specifications
  • IDE Configurations: VS Code, Visual Studio, CLion
  • Shell Profiles: Bash, PowerShell, Zsh customization
  • Audio Routing: DAW and plugin testing setup
  • Productivity Tools: Utilities for faster development
  • Troubleshooting: Common setup issues and fixes

Goal: Get from bare OS to productive development in 30-60 minutes.

🚀 Quick Start

# Windows
cd "2 - FOUNDATION\03_INFRA\03_00_development_environment"
.\setup_all.ps1

# macOS/Linux
cd "2 - FOUNDATION/03_INFRA/03_00_development_environment"
./setup_all.sh

What it does: 1. Installs required tools (CMake, vcpkg, Git, C++ compiler) 2. Configures your IDE (VS Code, Visual Studio, or CLion) 3. Sets up shell environment 4. Validates installation

Time: 30-60 minutes

Option B: Manual Setup

See QUICK_START.md for step-by-step instructions.

Option C: Verify Existing Setup

# Check if your environment is ready
.\03_00_00_requirements\quick_check.ps1

Expected output: 

✅ CMake 3.25.0 found
✅ vcpkg found at C:\vcpkg
✅ Git 2.42.0 found
✅ MSVC 19.41 found
✅ Python 3.11 found
🎉 Environment ready for AudioLab development!

📚 Learning Paths

🌱 Path 1: First-Time Setup (New Developer)

Goal: Install all tools and configure IDE

Time: 60-90 minutes

  1. 03_00_00_requirements/ (30 min)
  2. Check hardware specs
  3. Install required software

  4. Verify with quick_check.ps1

  5. 03_00_01_ide_configurations/ (30 min)

  6. Choose your IDE (VS Code recommended)
  7. Import configurations

  8. Install extensions/plugins

  9. QUICK_START.md (30 min)

  10. Follow step-by-step guide
  11. Build your first AudioLab project
  12. Run tests

🌿 Path 2: IDE Optimization (Existing Developer)

Goal: Optimize your development workflow

Time: 30-45 minutes

  1. 03_00_01_ide_configurations/vscode/ (20 min)
  2. Install AudioLab extensions
  3. Configure keybindings

  4. Set up debugger launch configs

  5. 03_00_02_shell_profiles/ (15 min)

  6. Add AudioLab aliases
  7. Configure environment variables

  8. Install productivity tools

  9. 03_00_04_productivity_tools/ (10 min)

  10. Install build accelerators (ccache, sccache)
  11. Configure fast file search
  12. Set up clipboard managers

🌲 Path 3: Audio Testing Setup (Plugin Developer)

Goal: Configure audio routing for plugin testing

Time: 45-60 minutes

  1. 03_00_03_audio_routing/ (30 min)
  2. Configure ASIO/CoreAudio drivers
  3. Set up virtual audio routing

  4. Install DAW for testing

  5. 03_00_01_ide_configurations/ (15 min)

  6. Configure DAW debugging
  7. Set up plugin scanning

  8. Create launch profiles for different hosts

  9. 03_00_09_troubleshooting/ (15 min)

  10. Learn common audio issues
  11. Debug plugin loading problems

🗂️ Module Structure

03_00_development_environment/
│
├── 📄 README.md               ← You are here
├── 📄 QUICK_START.md          ← 30-minute setup guide
├── 📄 SETUP_CHEAT_SHEET.md    ← Quick commands reference
├── 📄 setup_all.ps1           ← Automated Windows setup
├── 📄 setup_all.sh            ← Automated Unix/macOS setup
│
├── 📁 03_00_00_requirements/  ← System requirements
│   ├── hardware_specs.md      ← Minimum/recommended specs
│   ├── software_checklist.md  ← Required tools
│   ├── os_configuration.md    ← OS-specific settings
│   └── quick_check.ps1        ← Verify installation
│
├── 📁 03_00_01_ide_configurations/  ← IDE setup
│   ├── README.md
│   ├── vscode/                ← Visual Studio Code
│   │   ├── extensions/        ← Recommended extensions
│   │   ├── keybindings/       ← Keyboard shortcuts
│   │   ├── launch/            ← Debug configurations
│   │   ├── settings/          ← Workspace settings
│   │   └── tasks/             ← Build tasks
│   ├── visual_studio/         ← Visual Studio 2022
│   │   ├── SETTINGS_GUIDE.md
│   │   └── snippets/
│   └── clion/                 ← JetBrains CLion
│       ├── README.md
│       └── export_settings.sh
│
├── 📁 03_00_02_shell_profiles/  ← Shell customization
│   ├── bash/
│   │   ├── .bashrc_audiolab
│   │   └── README.md
│   ├── powershell/
│   │   ├── Microsoft.PowerShell_profile.ps1
│   │   └── README.md
│   └── zsh/
│       ├── .zshrc_audiolab
│       └── README.md
│
├── 📁 03_00_03_audio_routing/  ← Audio configuration
│   ├── asio_setup.md          ← ASIO driver config (Windows)
│   ├── coreaudio_setup.md     ← CoreAudio config (macOS)
│   ├── jack_setup.md          ← JACK Audio (Linux)
│   ├── virtual_routing.md     ← Loopback audio
│   └── daw_integration.md     ← Testing with DAWs
│
├── 📁 03_00_04_productivity_tools/  ← Development utilities
│   ├── build_accelerators.md  ← ccache, sccache
│   ├── file_search.md         ← fzf, ripgrep, fd
│   ├── terminal_tools.md      ← tmux, screen, oh-my-posh
│   └── recommended_apps.md    ← GUI utilities
│
└── 📁 03_00_09_troubleshooting/  ← Problem solving
    ├── common_issues.md       ← FAQ
    ├── ide_problems.md        ← IDE-specific issues
    ├── build_errors.md        ← Compilation problems
    └── audio_debugging.md     ← Audio driver issues

🖥️ IDE Setup

AudioLab supports 3 primary IDEs:

Why: Lightweight, excellent C++ support, cross-platform

Setup: 

# Install VS Code
winget install Microsoft.VisualStudioCode

# Install AudioLab extensions
cd "03_00_01_ide_configurations\vscode\extensions"
.\install.ps1

# Copy configurations
cp settings/*.json $env:APPDATA\Code\User\

Features: - ✅ CMake Tools integration - ✅ IntelliSense with clangd - ✅ Integrated debugging - ✅ Git integration - ✅ Extension marketplace

See: 03_00_01_ide_configurations/vscode/

Why: Best debugger, native Windows toolchain, profiler

Setup: 1. Install Visual Studio 2022 Community (free) 2. Select "Desktop development with C++" 3. Import AudioLab snippets

Features: - ✅ Best-in-class debugger - ✅ Native MSVC toolchain - ✅ Integrated profiler - ✅ NuGet package management - ✅ IntelliTrace (Enterprise)

See: 03_00_01_ide_configurations/visual_studio/

Why: Superior refactoring, smart code completion, multi-platform

Setup: 1. Install JetBrains CLion (paid) 2. Import AudioLab settings 3. Configure CMake toolchains

Features: - ✅ Intelligent code completion - ✅ Advanced refactoring - ✅ Built-in profiler - ✅ Integrated valgrind - ✅ Remote development

See: 03_00_01_ide_configurations/clion/

🛠️ System Requirements

Minimum Specifications

Component Requirement
OS Windows 10, macOS 10.15, Ubuntu 20.04
CPU 4 cores, 2.5 GHz
RAM 8 GB
Disk 20 GB free (SSD recommended)
Display 1920×1080
Component Recommendation
OS Windows 11, macOS 13, Ubuntu 22.04
CPU 8+ cores, 3.5+ GHz (Intel i7/i9, AMD Ryzen 7/9, Apple M1/M2)
RAM 16-32 GB
Disk 100 GB free NVMe SSD
Display 2560×1440 or higher
Audio Professional audio interface (Focusrite, Universal Audio)

See: 03_00_00_requirements/hardware_specs.md

📦 Required Software

Core Tools (Required)

Tool Version Purpose
CMake 3.25+ Build system
vcpkg Latest Package manager
Git 2.40+ Version control
C++ Compiler C++20 MSVC 2022, GCC 12, Clang 15
Python 3.8+ Build scripts

IDE (Choose One)

  • VS Code 1.80+ (free)
  • Visual Studio 2022 Community (free)
  • CLion 2023+ (paid)

Audio Development (Plugin Testing)

  • DAW: Reaper, Ableton Live, Logic Pro, etc.
  • Audio Driver: ASIO, CoreAudio, JACK
  • Virtual Audio: VB-Cable, Loopback

Full checklist: 03_00_00_requirements/software_checklist.md

🚨 Troubleshooting

Quick Diagnostics

# Run environment check
.\03_00_00_requirements\quick_check.ps1

# Check specific tool
cmake --version
vcpkg version
git --version

Common Issues

Problem Solution
❌ CMake not found Add to PATH: C:\Program Files\CMake\bin
❌ vcpkg not found Set VCPKG_ROOT environment variable
❌ Compiler not found Install Visual Studio Build Tools
❌ Git not found Install Git for Windows
❌ ASIO driver issues See 03_00_03_audio_routing/asio_setup.md

Complete guide: 03_00_09_troubleshooting/

📚 Resources

Internal Documentation

External Resources

🤝 Contributing

Improve this environment setup:

  1. Test on your system and report issues
  2. Add IDE configurations for other editors (Vim, Emacs, Sublime)
  3. Create platform-specific guides (Arch Linux, FreeBSD, etc.)
  4. Share productivity tools you find useful

🚀 Next Steps

Choose your path:

Welcome to AudioLab development! 🎧