README.md

March 27, 2026 · View on GitHub

ACE-Step DAW

The AI-native DAW where every instrument knows what came before it.

Quick Start • What Makes It Different • Features • Architecture • Contributing

Want a production-ready experience today? Try ACE Studio — our professional AI music creation platform with higher quality models and real-time collaboration.

What Makes It Different

Most AI music tools generate a full song in one shot. ACE-Step DAW takes a fundamentally different approach — it builds songs layer by layer, where each new instrument is musically aware of everything generated before it.

LEGO Pipeline — Context-Aware Sequential Generation

Generate drums first. Then bass that grooves with the drums. Then guitar that complements both. Then vocals that sit perfectly in the mix. Each layer "hears" the cumulative result of all previous layers through the ACE-Step 1.5 model.

Drums → Bass (hears drums) → Guitar (hears drums+bass) → Vocals (hears everything)

This isn't post-hoc mixing — the AI composes each part knowing the full musical context, producing arrangements that are coherent from the ground up.

Strudel Live Coding — Algorithmic Composition as a Track Type

Write s("[bd <hh oh>]*2, [~ cp]*2") and hear it instantly. ACE-Step DAW integrates Strudel as a first-class track type alongside traditional timeline clips. Switch between visual editing and code-based pattern generation without leaving the DAW. Convert between MIDI and Strudel patterns freely.

Agent-Native Architecture

Every feature is accessible via window.__store.getState().actionName(). The entire DAW state is scriptable, testable, and automatable. Built for a future where AI agents and humans collaborate on music production side by side.

Quick Start

Requirements: Node.js 18+ and an ACE-Step 1.5 API server (local or cloud).

git clone https://github.com/ace-step/ACE-Step-DAW.git
cd ACE-Step-DAW
npm install
npm run dev

Opens at http://localhost:5174. The dev server proxies /api to the ACE-Step 1.5 backend at localhost:8001.

Cloud API: Configure the backend URL in Settings → API URL: https://api.acemusic.ai

Production build:

npm run build && npm run preview

Features

AI Generation

Feature	Description
LEGO Pipeline	Sequential generation with cumulative context — drums → bass → guitar → vocals
Text-to-Music	Describe what you want, get audio — 16 genre presets (Pop, Rock, Jazz, Electronic, Hip-Hop, Classical, Lo-Fi, Ambient)
Cover Generation	Reimagine existing audio in a new style with controllable deviation strength
Repaint	Selectively regenerate a time range — conservative, balanced, or aggressive modes
Vocal2BGM	Feed in vocals, generate matching accompaniment automatically
Audio Analysis	AI-powered BPM, key, and genre detection
Model Selector	Choose DiT/LM models, adjust inference steps, LoRA support

DAW Core

Feature	Description
Multi-Track Timeline	Clip-based arrangement with drag, resize, split, fade handles, and snap-to-grid
5 Track Types	Stems (AI), Sample (imported audio), Sequencer (step drums), Piano Roll (MIDI), Strudel (live code)
Piano Roll	Canvas-based MIDI editor with velocity lane, slide notes, ghost notes, chord stamps, and quantize
Step Sequencer	FL Studio-inspired 16-step drum pattern editor with 16 synthesized drum sounds and 4 kit presets
Effect Chain	Per-track effect rack — EQ3, Compressor, Reverb, Delay, Distortion, Chorus, Flanger, Phaser, Filter, Sidechain
Mixer	Channel strips with volume, pan, mute, solo, and per-track metering
6 Synth Presets	Piano, Strings, Pad, Lead, Bass, Organ (Tone.js polyphonic synthesis)
Loop Browser	15 built-in synthesized loops with search, filter, and drag-to-timeline
Recording	Microphone input with real-time waveform, count-in, and input level metering
Automation	Breakpoint envelopes with interpolation for volume, pan, and effect parameters
Project Persistence	Save/load via IndexedDB with auto-save
WAV Export	Offline render to stereo WAV
Undo/Redo	55+ undoable actions covering virtually every operation
25+ Keyboard Shortcuts	Full keyboard-driven workflow — see full list

Architecture

┌──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│                   React 19 Components (60+)                  │
│   Timeline │ PianoRoll │ Sequencer │ Mixer │ Strudel Editor │
└──────────────────────────┬───────────────────────────────────┘
                           │
┌──────────────────────────▼───────────────────────────────────┐
│                   Zustand Stores (7)                          │
│   project │ transport │ generation │ ui │ model │ shortcuts  │
└──────────────────────────┬───────────────────────────────────┘
                           │
┌──────────────────────────▼───────────────────────────────────┐
│                   Services Layer                             │
│   Generation Pipeline │ ACE-Step API │ Audio File Manager    │
│   Strudel Conversion  │ Project Storage                      │
└──────────────────────────┬───────────────────────────────────┘
                           │
┌──────────────────────────▼───────────────────────────────────┐
│              Audio Engine (Tone.js + Web Audio API)           │
│   AudioEngine │ SynthEngine │ DrumEngine │ EffectsEngine     │
│   AutomationEngine │ RecordingEngine │ StrudelEngine         │
└──────────────────────────┬───────────────────────────────────┘
                           │
                     ┌─────▼─────┐
                     │  Speaker / │
                     │  WAV File  │
                     └───────────┘

Signal chain per track:

Source → Input Gain → Pan → EQ3 → Effect Chain → Compressor → Volume → Analyser → Master

Project Structure

src/
  components/       # 60+ React components by domain
    timeline/       #   Arrangement view, clip blocks, track lanes
    pianoroll/      #   Canvas MIDI editor, velocity lane
    sequencer/      #   Step grid, beat pads
    mixer/          #   Channel strips, effect chain
    strudel/        #   Live code editor
    generation/     #   AI generation panels
    transport/      #   Transport bar, tempo/time
  engine/           # Audio engine (Tone.js + Web Audio wrappers)
  services/         # Business logic (API, generation pipeline, storage)
  store/            # Zustand stores
  hooks/            # React hooks (transport, recording, shortcuts)
  types/            # TypeScript interfaces
  utils/            # Pure helpers (WAV, waveform, color, time)
  constants/        # Defaults, presets, track definitions

Tech Stack

Layer	Technology
UI	React 19 + TypeScript 5.7 + Vite 6
Styling	Tailwind CSS v4
State	Zustand 5
Audio	Tone.js 15 + Web Audio API
Live Coding	Strudel (core, mini, webaudio, soundfonts)
Storage	IndexedDB via idb-keyval
Testing	Vitest + Playwright

Keyboard Shortcuts

Key	Action	Key	Action
`Space`	Play / Pause	`X`	Toggle mixer
`Enter`	Stop	`B`	Toggle smart controls
`R`	Record	`O`	Toggle loop browser
`L`	Toggle loop	`E`	Edit selected clip
`K`	Toggle metronome	`S`	Split clip at playhead
`N`	Toggle snap	`Q`	Quantize notes
`Z`	Zoom to fit	`Delete`	Delete selection
`Home`/`End`	Seek start/end	`Cmd+Z`	Undo
`←`/`→`	Nudge ±5s	`Cmd+Shift+Z`	Redo
`Cmd+Scroll`	Zoom timeline	`Cmd+D`	Duplicate clip
`Cmd+Shift+I`	Add track	`Cmd+Shift+E`	Export WAV
`?`	Show all shortcuts	`Cmd+A`	Select all

Development

npm run dev            # Dev server at http://127.0.0.1:5174
npm test               # Unit tests (Vitest)
npm run test:e2e       # E2E tests (Playwright)
npm run test:all       # Unit + E2E
npm run test:coverage  # Coverage report
npm run build          # Type-check + production build

Metric	Value
Source code	~24,000 LOC
Components	60+
Unit tests	94
E2E tests	21
CI pipeline	type-check → unit-test → build → e2e → review

See AGENTS.md for the complete development workflow and agent conventions.

Contributing

We welcome contributions! Whether it's a bug fix, new feature, or documentation improvement:

Find or create an issue — check open issues or create one with a feat:, fix:, or docs: prefix
Fork and branch — feat/issue-NUMBER or fix/issue-NUMBER
Write tests first — we follow TDD (red → green → refactor)
Pass quality gates — npx tsc --noEmit + npm test + npm run build must all succeed
Open a PR — include Closes #NUMBER in the body

See AGENTS.md for detailed conventions on commits, testing, and code style.

License

AGPL-3.0-or-later — ACE-Step DAW bundles Strudel packages (AGPL-3.0-or-later), so the project is distributed under AGPL-compatible terms as a whole.

If you need an MIT-only distribution, remove the Strudel integration or obtain an alternative license from the Strudel copyright holders. See THIRD_PARTY_NOTICES.md for details.

For hosted deployments, make source code available to network users. Override branding with: VITE_SOURCE_CODE_URL, VITE_LICENSE_URL, VITE_COPYRIGHT_NOTICE

ACE-Step DAW is an open-source project by ACE Studio.
For professional production with higher quality models and real-time collaboration, visit acestudio.ai.