Summary
I'm building a coherent mastering chain as a VST3 plugin and standalone app from one C++/JUCE codebase — focused on a usable end-to-end workflow rather than a pile of disconnected modules.
Overview
Mastering Suite is aimed at producers who want a guided path from mixdown to release-ready loudness without assembling eight unrelated plugins. The challenge is product coherence: presets, metering, and limiting have to feel like one tool.
Goals
- Ship one mastering workflow across plugin and standalone targets
- Make genre and format presets the primary UX, not raw knobs only
- Keep DSP and packaging decisions maintainable in one repo
Approach
I started from the workflow (EQ → dynamics → imaging → limiting → check) instead of from individual DSP toys. JUCE was chosen to share UI and audio code between VST3 and standalone. MVP scope prefers a solid chain and clear metering over every niche algorithm.
Solution
The architecture is an eight-module chain with genre/format presets, LUFS metering, A/B comparison, and brickwall limiting — built so plugin and app stay aligned from one CMake-driven codebase.
Impact
Even before the public release, the project shows systems thinking: shared code across targets, opinionated defaults, and a product narrative hiring managers can map to shipping engineering judgment.
Looking ahead
Finish a first installable build, validate presets against real mixdowns, and cut any module that does not earn its place in the default chain.