Architecture
Local-first design, repository structure, core engine boundaries, daemon concepts, and interface layers.
Research archive
ArtRiver Research
ArtRiver is a prototype resulting from a research project. This archive collects notes on architecture, audio diffing, DAW interoperability, protocol design, archival storage, patch theory, and the feasibility of distributed version control for creative media.
Research map
Protocols
Ref advertisement, graph sync, packfile transport, patch exchange, and future peer-to-peer collaboration.
Audio diffing
File comparison, waveform analysis, FFT, spectral similarity, and future visual diff maps.
DAW state
DAWproject, project structure, parameter changes, track/channel state, plugin state, and cross-DAW challenges.
Collaboration
Runoffs, patch graphs, access control, attribution, CRDT questions, and non-commutative audio operations.
Archival
Preservation, disaster recovery, content-addressed storage, Glaciers, Icebergs, and long-term creative memory.
Recommended reading order
- Start with the manifesto. The manifesto explains the cultural and creative reason ArtRiver should exist.
- Read the architecture notes. These explain the local-first and distributed design direction.
- Read the research artifacts. These collect protocol and implementation notes.
- Read the prior art page. This places ArtRiver in relation to DAWs, creative coding tools, audio libraries, and modern version control systems.
Current research
- Which audio operations can commute safely?
- Which operations require explicit coordination or serialization?
- How should ArtRiver visually represent divergence in a song?
- How should audio diffs combine waveform, spectral, and metadata views?
- How much DAW-specific information can be abstracted through DAWproject?
- What does conflict resolution mean for creative work?
- How should attribution and permission travel with a project history?
Research artifacts
- Architecture: Notes on ArtRiver as a local-first and eventually distributed system. Read architecture notes
- Manifesto Addenda: Additional framing on playable history, recovery, and the creative process. Read addenda
- Prior Art: Influences from DAWs, audio programming, creative coding, and VCS design. Read prior art
- TimeShore: Visual exploration of project history. Open TimeShore
Research stance
ArtRiver is intentionally honest about what is implemented, what is prototyped, and what remains an open research problem.