ZIM Studio - Terminal-Based Audio Tools

A Zettelkasten Information System for Music Production with Integrated Audio Player

Implemented in Rust and Ratatui with optional nvim plugin support.

ZIM Studio provides three main functions:

1. Project Management: Initialize a project structure of directories and placeholder README.md files
2. Metadata System: Generate searchable sidecar files for all audio media
3. Audio Player: Sample browsing, auditioning, and editing with TUI interface

✨ More...

• Supported Audio Formats: *.flac and *.wav (so far)
• Enhanced Navigation: Shift+Arrow keys for 20% jumps through long recordings
• Smart Sidecar Cloning: When saving selections, automatically clones source metadata with:
  • Updated duration for the extracted selection
  • Provenance tracking (source file, time ranges)

The sidecar format is YAML embedded in markdown, providing both structured metadata and free-form notes. The YAML contains facts about the track while the markdown enables long-form notes, links to inspiration, TODO checklists, etc.

See example sidecar file for a complete example.

The motivation for creating zim is twofold:

1. Maintain a workflow where DAWs are guests in my workflow rather than the other way around.
2. I use neovim and telescope for my personal note taking and rely on no proprietary company to enable my ability to work in software ... I wanted the same detailed note taking independent of any vendor for my music making. I use proprietary DAWs but am not ok living in DAWs or any vendor's closed system.

Installation

# Install with just the project management and metadata features
cargo install zim-studio

# Install with the audio player feature included
cargo install zim-studio --features player

If you use neovim (untested with regular vim) you may want to try the nvim plugin.

Quick Start

# Initialize ZIM with your music projects directory
zim init ~/Music/Projects

# Create a new project
zim new "My Greatest Hits"
# Creates: ~/Music/Projects/my_greatest_hits/

# Navigate to your project and add some audio files
cd ~/Music/Projects/my_greatest_hits
cp ~/Desktop/track1.flac masters/
cp ~/Desktop/track2.wav masters/

# Generate sidecar metadata files
zim update .
# Creates: masters/track1.flac.md, masters/track2.wav.md

# Edit the generated sidecar files to add your notes
$EDITOR masters/track1.flac.md

# Validate all YAML frontmatter
zim lint .

# View/edit global configuration
zim config view
zim config edit

Project Structure

When you create a new project with zim new, it generates:

my_greatest_hits/
├── .gitignore          # Ignores audio/video files
├── README.md           # Project overview
├── masters/            # Final mastered tracks
├── mixes/              # Mix versions
├── sources/            # Raw recordings, samples
├── edits/              # Edited/comped audio
├── bounced/            # Bounced/rendered audio (stems, etc)
└── project/            # DAW project files
    ├── live/           # Ableton Live
    ├── reaper/         # Reaper
    ├── bitwig/         # Bitwig Studio
    └── renoise/        # Renoise

Sidecar Files

zim update generates a .md sidecar for each audio file with:

• YAML frontmatter: Structured metadata (technical specs, tags, etc.)
• Markdown body: Free-form notes, ideas, TODO lists

The YAML is designed to be both human-editable and scriptable for automation. See the example sidecar for what this looks like in practice.

Shell Completions

Add to your shell configuration:

# Bash (~/.bashrc)
source <(zim completions bash)

# Zsh (~/.zshrc)
source <(zim completions zsh)

# Fish (~/.config/fish/config.fish)
zim completions fish | source

# PowerShell ($PROFILE)
zim completions powershell | Out-String | Invoke-Expression

Development

# Run all checks locally (matches CI)
make ci

# Individual commands
make fmt        # Format code
make clippy     # Run lints
make test       # Run tests
make check      # Check compilation

Audio Player User Guide

The optional audio player provides a fast, keyboard-driven interface for browsing, auditioning, and editing audio samples directly from the terminal.

Launching the Player

# Launch with no file (opens browser)
zim player

# Launch with a specific audio file
zim player path/to/audio.wav

Main Interface

The player interface consists of:

• Title Bar: Shows "🎵 ZIM Player"
• File Info & LEDs: Current file name and stereo level indicators
• Progress Bar: Playback position with mark in/out indicators
• Oscilloscope: Real-time waveform visualization (when window is tall enough)
• Control Hints: Two rows of keyboard shortcuts

Keyboard Controls

Playback Controls

• [space] - Play/Pause toggle
• [←] - Seek backward 5 seconds
• [→] - Seek forward 5 seconds
• [Shift+←] - Jump backward 20% (great for long recordings)
• [Shift+→] - Jump forward 20% (great for long recordings)

Mark & Loop Controls

• [i] - Set mark in at current position
• [o] - Set mark out at current position
• [x] - Clear all marks
• [l] - Toggle loop playback of marked selection

File Operations

• [/] - Open file browser
• [s] - Save/export (full file or marked selection)
• [q] - Quit player

File Browser

The built-in file browser searches through your audio files using their sidecar .md metadata:

1. Press / to open the browser
2. Start typing to search - it searches within the markdown content of sidecar files
3. Use [↑/↓] to navigate results
4. Press [Enter] to load the selected file
5. Press [Esc] to close browser

Note: The browser displays audio files but searches their .md sidecar content. For example, if you have kick.wav with kick.wav.md containing "punchy 808 style", searching for "808" will find this file.

Mark In/Out & Looping

The mark feature lets you select a portion of the audio:

1. Play the file and press [i] at the desired start point
2. Press [o] at the desired end point
3. The selection appears highlighted on the progress bar
4. Press [l] to loop the selection continuously
5. The time display shows selection duration in brackets: [3.5s]

Save Dialog

When saving ([s]), the save dialog provides:

• Directory Browser: Navigate folders with [↑/↓] and [Enter]
• Filename Field: Editable with smart naming for edits
• Tab Navigation: Use [Tab] to switch between directory list and filename
• Smart Extensions:
  • Selections always save as .wav (even from FLAC sources)
  • Full file saves preserve original format

Example auto-generated filenames:

• First edit: original_edit.wav
• Subsequent edits: original_edit_2.wav, original_edit_3.wav, etc.

LED Level Indicators

[IMAGE: Close-up of LED indicators showing different levels]

The stereo LED indicators show real-time audio levels:

• L (Left): Green LEDs - dim → medium → bright → red (clipping)
• R (Right): Orange LEDs - dim → medium → bright → red (clipping)
• Symbols: ○ (off/quiet) → ◐ (medium) → ● (loud)

Supported Formats

• WAV: 8, 16, 24, and 32-bit
• FLAC: All bit depths (converted to 16-bit WAV when saving selections)
• AIFF: All bit depths with intelligent sample rate detection WIP

Tips & Workflow

1. Quick Sample Chopping: Load file → mark in/out → save = done
2. Preview Before Save: Use [l] to loop your selection before saving
3. Rapid Browsing: The browser remembers your search, making it fast to audition similar samples
4. Long Recording Navigation: Use Shift+Arrow for 20% jumps to quickly navigate through long recordings
5. Metadata Preservation: When saving selections, source metadata is automatically cloned with updated duration and provenance tracking
6. No Mouse Needed: Everything is keyboard-driven for speed
7. Mix Multiple Files: Audition up to 3 files simultaneously with individual gain control:

   # Mix with equal volume
   zim play drums.wav bass.wav vocals.wav
   
   # Mix with custom gains (0.0-2.0 range)
   zim play drums.wav bass.wav vocals.wav --gains 0.8,1.2,0.6
   

   See mixing guide for detailed examples

Troubleshooting

• No Audio: Check system audio output settings
• Browser Not Finding Files: Ensure .md sidecar files exist (run zim update)
• Visual Glitches: Resize terminal window or restart player

License

MIT