pronounced “drone maker”

Sample generation, editing, and packaging — with a local browser UI for auditioning, beat building, collections, and more.

• Ember Proxima - Ambient Drone Pack
• Parts of the Primordialis OST

Prebuilt apps are published on GitHub Releases.

macOS (Intel): not published on Releases yet — planned for a future build. Until then, use Manual installation on Intel Macs.

Install & run

1. Install or extract the archive for your platform.
2. Launch dronmakr (dronmakr.app, ./dronmakr/dronmakr, or dronmakr.exe).
3. Use the system tray / menu bar icon → Open dronmakr in browser (local server on 127.0.0.1).
4. On first launch, pick where to store dronmakr-files (generated audio, presets, config).

Requirements: VST3 and/or AU plug-ins if you use Patchcraftr or drone generation. Configure paths in Settings after setup.

Run from a git checkout (development or contributors).

Requirements: Python 3.10+, git, and VST3/AU plug-ins for preset-based workflows.

git clone https://github.com/nafeu/dronmakr.git
cd dronmakr
python -m venv venv
source venv/bin/activate          # Windows: venv\Scripts\activate
pip install --upgrade pip
pip install -r requirements.txt

Run the desktop tray + browser UI (recommended):

python dronmakr.py desktop

Or run the web server only:

python dronmakr.py webui

Open the URL printed in the terminal (default port 3766). Configure plug-in paths, drum libraries, and storage in Settings or during onboarding.

Optional: copy .env-sample to .env to migrate legacy env vars into config/settings.json on first run.

CLI & advanced usage: see CLI.md (generators, Patchcraftr, local desktop builds).

Where are generated files stored?

In your chosen dronmakr-files root (set on first launch). New audio goes to exports/; MIDI to midi/. Auditionr moves samples into saved/ or trash/ as you work.

Where are error logs?

Rotating log file errors.log:

• Desktop macOS: ~/Library/Application Support/dronmakr/logs/errors.log
• Desktop Windows: %AppData%\dronmakr\logs\errors.log
• Desktop Linux: ~/.local/share/dronmakr/logs/errors.log
• From source: logs/errors.log in the repo root

Use the tray menu Report issue (errors.log)… to reveal the file. Startup failures on macOS may also write ~/Library/Application Support/dronmakr/last-startup-error.txt.

How do I report a bug?

Open a GitHub Issue and attach relevant lines from errors.log. Discord: Phrakture community.

Does the desktop build include FFmpeg?

Yes. Desktop releases ship a vendored FFmpeg for Folysplitr browser recording uploads — no separate system install needed. Attribution: resources/ffmpeg/LICENSE.third_party.ffmpeg.

macOS says the app is blocked or won’t open

CI builds are not Apple-notarized. After download, use System Settings → Privacy & Security → Open Anyway, or Control-click the app → Open once. If needed: xattr -dr com.apple.quarantine /Applications/dronmakr.app. To see startup errors in Terminal: /Applications/dronmakr.app/Contents/MacOS/dronmakr.

Plug-in compatibility

Audio runs through Pedalboard (JUCE). On macOS, use VST3 (.vst3) and AU (.component) — not legacy VST2 (.vst). Some plug-ins have known Pedalboard issues.

A synth shows up as an effect (e.g. Reaktor 6)

Add its name to ASSERT_INSTRUMENT in Settings so it is treated as an instrument.

Desktop updates

Packaged builds can check GitHub Releases from the tray (Check for updates… / updater prompt on startup).

Linux tray icon missing

Install GTK AppIndicator / libappindicator (or equivalent) for pystray.

Maintainers: version bump & release

./scripts/bump_version.sh patch              # bump, commit, tag, push
./scripts/bump_and_release.sh patch          # above + AI release notes + gh release

Publishing a GitHub Release triggers .github/workflows/release-desktop.yml (macOS, Windows, Linux artifacts).

PRs and issues welcome on GitHub.

MIT