Transmission

A Generative Audio Workstation

Transmission hosts VST3 plugins in a directed graph, routes typed MIDI and audio between them, and exposes the full system to AI agents via the Model Context Protocol. It is intended for use primarily with the Downspout VST plugins.

Transmission graph editor

The patch above was generated from a prompt using Claude Code, for a description of the procedure used see Crocotta. You can listen to the result on YouTube.

Features

  • Graph-based routing — connect MIDI generators, processors, instruments, and effects in any topology; the scheduler computes a BFS execution order and runs independent nodes in parallel
  • VST3 hosting — loads Linux VST3 bundles; embeds native plugin editors inside the GTK window via X11 socket
  • JACK / PipeWire — real-time audio output with stable port naming across sessions
  • RDF/Turtle persistence — projects saved as human-readable Turtle; plugin state stored as base64-encoded blobs within the graph
  • Offline rendering — deterministic WAV export without a running JACK server
  • MCP control — full graph and parameter control via the Model Context Protocol and a REST HTTP API
  • Autonomous plugins — designed for use with Downspout, a suite of self-generating VST3 instruments and effects

Quick start 

git clone https://github.com/danja/transmission
cd transmission
npm install
./build.sh
./transmission

See Installation for full requirements and build instructions.

Documentation

   
Installation Requirements, build steps, audio setup, troubleshooting
User Guide Graph editing, transport, console commands, offline rendering
MCP Reference MCP tools, resources, and HTTP API endpoints
Architecture System design and component boundaries
Plugin System VST3 discovery, curated profiles, RDF vocabulary