faust

FAUST DSL

Use this skill when a task involves writing, generating, or testing FAUST-based processors in Pulp.

Truthful Position

Pulp supports FAUST as an offline codegen DSL. The FAUST compiler is an optional external tool; pre-generated C++ is checked into the source tree so builds work without a FAUST installation.

Supported now:

• .dsp source files with offline codegen to C++ headers
• FaustProcessor<T> template that bridges any FAUST-generated dsp subclass into Pulp's Processor model
• automatic parameter reflection from FAUST buildUserInterface() into StateStore
• bus layout detection from getNumInputs() / getNumOutputs()
• metadata extraction (name, author, version) into PluginDescriptor
• CMake integration via PulpFaust.cmake (pulp_faust_generate, pulp_add_faust_test)
• three working examples: gain, filter, tremolo

Not supported by this skill:

• FAUST MIDI mapping
• FAUST polyphony / declare options "[midi:on][nvoices:N]"
• runtime JIT compilation
• @gfx / FAUST GUI — FaustProcessor reports has_editor() = false
• soundfile support

Core Files

File	Purpose
core/dsl/include/pulp/dsl/faust_base.hpp	Self-contained FAUST base classes (dsp, UI, Meta)
core/dsl/include/pulp/dsl/faust_processor.hpp	FaustProcessor<T> template and PulpFaustUI
core/dsl/include/pulp/dsl/dsl_processor.hpp	DslProcessor base class shared across DSL lanes
tools/cmake/PulpFaust.cmake	CMake module: pulp_faust_generate(), pulp_add_faust_test()
examples/faust-gain/	Stereo gain — simplest FAUST example
examples/faust-filter/	Parametric filter example
examples/faust-tremolo/	Tremolo with rate/depth

How It Works

FAUST offline codegen produces a C++ class derived from ::dsp. Pulp provides self-contained base classes in faust_base.hpp so the generated code compiles without the FAUST architecture headers. FaustProcessor<T> wraps the generated class:

1. Constructor calls buildUserInterface() to discover parameters and metadata() for plugin info
2. define_parameters() registers each FAUST zone as a StateStore parameter with correct range/unit/group
3. prepare() calls dsp::init(sample_rate)
4. process() syncs StateStore values into FAUST zone pointers, then calls dsp::compute()

Creating a FAUST Plugin

1. Write the .dsp source

// examples/faust-myplugin/myplugin.dsp
declare name "MyPlugin";
declare author "YourName";
declare version "1.0.0";

import("stdfaust.lib");

gain = hslider("Gain [unit:dB]", 0, -60, 24, 0.1) : ba.db2linear;
process = _, _ : *(gain), *(gain);

2. Generate C++ (requires faust on PATH)

faust -lang cpp -cn MyPluginDsp -o examples/faust-myplugin/generated_myplugin.hpp \
    examples/faust-myplugin/myplugin.dsp

Or let CMake handle it (regenerates when .dsp changes):

include(PulpFaust)
pulp_faust_generate(
    ${CMAKE_CURRENT_SOURCE_DIR}/generated_myplugin.hpp
    ${CMAKE_CURRENT_SOURCE_DIR}/myplugin.dsp
    MyPluginDsp
)

The generated header is committed to the repo so builds never require faust.

3. Write the processor wrapper

// examples/faust-myplugin/faust_myplugin.hpp
#pragma once
#include "generated_myplugin.hpp"
#include <pulp/dsl/faust_processor.hpp>

namespace pulp::examples {
using MyPluginProcessor = dsl::FaustProcessor<MyPluginDsp>;

inline std::unique_ptr<format::Processor> create_my_plugin() {
    return std::make_unique<MyPluginProcessor>();
}
} // namespace pulp::examples

4. Add CMakeLists.txt

if(PULP_BUILD_TESTS)
    add_executable(pulp-faust-myplugin-test test_faust_myplugin.cpp)
    target_link_libraries(pulp-faust-myplugin-test PRIVATE pulp::dsl pulp::format Catch2::Catch2WithMain)
    target_include_directories(pulp-faust-myplugin-test PRIVATE ${CMAKE_CURRENT_SOURCE_DIR})
    catch_discover_tests(pulp-faust-myplugin-test)
endif()

5. Write tests

Follow the pattern in examples/faust-gain/test_faust_gain.cpp:

• verify descriptor() metadata matches FAUST declare statements
• verify parameter count, names, ranges, and units
• verify audio processing at known parameter values (unity gain, boost, cut)
• verify state serialization round-trip
• verify DSL reflection (dsl_name() == "faust", dsl_params(), bus_layout())

Build and Test

# Build everything (uses pre-generated C++ — no faust needed)
cmake --build build -j$(sysctl -n hw.ncpu)

# Run all FAUST tests
ctest --test-dir build -R "faust" --output-on-failure

# Run one example
ctest --test-dir build -R "FaustGain" --output-on-failure

# Regenerate all FAUST C++ (requires faust on PATH)
cmake --build build --target faust-regenerate

What To Check

When modifying the FAUST lane, verify:

• pre-generated C++ compiles without faust installed
• parameter names, ranges, and units round-trip correctly from .dsp metadata
• bus layout matches getNumInputs() / getNumOutputs()
• audio output is correct at known parameter values
• DslProcessor reflection (dsl_name, dsl_params, bus_layout) is accurate
• new examples are added to examples/CMakeLists.txt

Boundaries

This skill covers the offline codegen FAUST lane only.

• The FAUST compiler is external, not vendored
• Generated C++ is committed so builds are self-contained
• No runtime JIT or FAUST interpreter embedding
• No FAUST GUI — Pulp provides its own UI layer