I'm building LYNX, an open-source DAW inspired by FL Studio, free,cross-platform | Hacker News Reader

I'm building LYNX, an open-source DAW inspired by FL Studio, free,cross-platform

github.com

27 pointska1s18 comments

I can understand that you want to build an open source DAW (that also runs on Linux). I can also understand that you are inspired by features of an existing DAW. But you are ripping of FL Studio completely (same names, same colors, same UI, even the logo...)

Did Image-Line do something that upsets you? They are actually a great company that have been improving FL Studio for almost 3 decades.

You buy it once and receive free upgrades for the rest of your life (I bought mine +20 years ago) There is no payway, no subscription. You can subscribe to FL Cloud, but that's completely optional.

> Formerly “LYNX”: renamed LYNX SHARE in v0.1.20 (it was easy to confuse with the Lynx text web browser).

Glad they're already aware of the name use, though I'm not sure "LYNX SHARE" is going to be distinct enough to differentiate. That said, the project looks cool and I hope it sticks around a while. I'm not super experienced at software DAWs, but I'd be excited to play with this one and learn some.

Huh, thought ArtCraft slopsuite had something like it. But then again we're moving from the world where we coop to build complex software to one embracing NIH with fleets of agents remaking everything.

I haven't used it but it looks more like a UAD Luna clone. Which of course is also another DAW so basically same thing.

Hopefully not abandonware

> Contributors: Claude Code

Sorry mate, this here is disposable software.

I’m using that. That’s exactly what this stuff becomes. At some point it becomes unmanageable for who is looking after it.

I understand the impulse to assume that, but good software can be built with AI (as long as the right verification loops are used), and new maintainers won't necessarily drop their creations once it gets hard.

You very well may be right; development might be easy come, easy go. But maybe not! (Hopefully not, in this case. It looks cool.)

When someone built such a huge codebase in two weeks, I kind of doubt a lot of care was taken to avoid the pitfalls. I could be wrong, but give it a year and call me back.

In the era of vibe coding, nobody cares about features. Well obviously people care if they're not there, but just having a bunch of features that every other entrant in this space has is not interesting. If you want attention you need to articulate why it's different.

Consider Ableton Live: when that first appeared it got everyone's attention because it had a clip based workflow that was completely new, and the DAW timeline was secondary. The extremely polished user interface helped too. Then Bitwig built ont he Ableton UI concept but added complex environmental integration essentially allowing you to treat all your plugins and clips ilke modular synthesizer components.

This looks like a perfectly serviceable DAW but I have no idea what makes it different from any other freeware/open source DAW.

  > I have no idea what makes it different from any other freeware/open source DAW.

This claims to be able to open .flp files. That's a big deal for me. If it works.

Uhh, would it work if I add "and make it completely new" to the prompt?

Maybe? LLMs sometimes provide suggestions that are novel or highlight overlooked ideas. Sometimes I'll oneshot a narrow problem and invite coding agents to get creative about how they chart some complex data and am pleasantly surprised by the results.

I'm absolutely not snobby about where the ideas originate or how they are realized, if the end product functions well. I don't don't want to waste time assessing newly-reinvented wheels. This problem predates the advent of vibecoding for the masses.

this is interesting. can you share a bit more about your process? I see your visible GitHub activity starts early October 2026

I've been building LYNX, an open-source digital audio workstation designed around the FL Studio workflow.

The goal is simple: build a lightweight, capable DAW that musicians can use, developers can improve, and everyone can freely study, modify, and contribute to.

No subscriptions. No paywalls. The source code is yours.

What can LYNX do already?

FL Studio-style workflow: Channel Rack, Piano Roll, Playlist, Mixer, patterns, automation, and familiar shortcuts.

FL Studio project import: Open .flp projects and preserve much of their arrangement, patterns, mixer routing, automation, and plugin settings.

Built-in instruments and effects: Synthesizers, samplers, EQ, compressors, reverbs, delays, and many more.

VST3 and CLAP support: Use third-party plugins alongside LYNX's own instruments and effects.

Windows, Linux, and macOS: The project is designed to run across all three platforms.

Open source: Fork it, modify it, contribute features, report bugs, or help shape its future.

One of the most interesting parts of this project is recreating the behavior of familiar audio tools through clean-room implementations, with the goal of making existing projects easier to bring into LYNX. I'm also working on audio engine improvements, plugin compatibility, performance, and making the experience more reliable.

This is still an alpha project.

I'm developing LYNX with a long-term vision, but I won't pretend it's already a complete replacement for your daily-driver DAW. There are still bugs, missing features, and compatibility issues to work through.

That's exactly why I'm sharing it here.

I'd love to get more musicians testing it on different hardware and operating systems. If you're a producer, Linux audio user, plugin developer, or someone who enjoys working on open-source software, your feedback would be incredibly valuable.

You can help by testing projects, reporting bugs, suggesting features, improving the code, or contributing directly. Even trying it out and telling me what doesn't work helps.

I'm building this in the open, and I want the community to help decide where it goes next.

If you're interested, give it a try and let me know what you think. I'd especially love to hear from people who use FL Studio or produce music on Linux.

Is this comment AI? That goes against the guidelines: https://news.ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html

As is posting insinuations.

It is a direct question, not an insinuation. The comment was dead, and I thought they should have a chance to adjust.

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