Live family improvements (Option C)

Policies that keep the org coherent

dotnetgovernancenovolis

name: Live family improvements overview: "Option C: hygiene + thin-package consolidation + first NAudio oscillator synthesis, with apps-owned LiveStudio.Host as the only host executable and NuGet-only cross-repo deps restored." todos:

id: hygiene-nuget

content: Drop Live dead refs; Protocol PackageReference Transports.LocalIpc; docs honesty status: completed

id: consolidate

content: Merge Analysis→Visuals; fold Repl→Protocol; delete audio Live.Host; rename Host.→Output. status: completed

id: render-engine

content: Add Novolis.Audio.Live.Render OscillatorLiveAudioEngine + unit tests status: completed

id: wire-host

content: Wire Render into LiveStudio.Host; update apps/avalonia/dogfooding package refs status: completed

id: publish-verify

content: Publish GPR chain; verify-nuget-only; Live.Unit + audible smoke status: completed isProject: false

Locked decisions

Scope: hygiene + consolidate thin packages + first synthesis that makes sound
Host ownership: canonical executable only at `novolis-apps/src/LiveStudio/host` (LiveStudio.Host / assembly Novolis.Audio.Live.Host). Delete `novolis-audio/src/Novolis.Audio.Live.Host` (duplicate of apps host today).
Breaking GPR clean break for deleted/renamed packages (no type-forward shells)

Target shape

flowchart BT
  MT[MusicTheory]
  PT[Patterns] --> MT
  LV[Live] --> MT
  LV --> PT
  DSL[Live.Dsl] --> LV
  VS[Live.Visuals_plus_Analysis] --> LV
  VS --> PT
  PR[Live.Protocol_plus_Repl] --> LV
  PR --> TR[Transports.LocalIpc_GPR]
  REN[Live.Render] --> LV
  REN --> NA[NAudio]
  HO[LiveStudio.Host_apps] --> PR
  HO --> REN
  AV[Avalonia.Live_GPR] --> PR
  AV --> VS
  ST[LiveStudio] --> AV
  ST --> PR
  ST --> HO

Spine packages kept: MusicTheory, Patterns, Live, Dsl, Protocol, Visuals, new Render.

Phase 1 — Hygiene and NuGet-only

1.1 Dead references

In `Novolis.Audio.Live.csproj`: remove unused ProjectReferences to Novolis.Audio.Analysis and Novolis.Audio.Core.

1.2 Protocol → GPR transports

Add Novolis.Transports.LocalIpc 2026.1.* to `novolis-audio/Directory.Packages.props`
In `Novolis.Audio.Live.Protocol.csproj`: replace sibling ProjectReference to novolis-transports with PackageReference
Confirm restore/build against GitHub Packages only

1.3 Avalonia → GPR audio Live packages

In `Novolis.Avalonia.Live.csproj` and `samples/LiveAvalonia/LiveAvalonia.csproj`:

Replace cross-repo ProjectReferences into novolis-audio with PackageReferences (Live.Protocol, Live.Visuals, and post-consolidation package set)
Add versions to `novolis-avalonia/Directory.Packages.props`

Publish order: audio packages (after consolidation) → Avalonia Live → LiveStudio apps consume floating 2026.1.*

1.4 Docs honesty

Update `novolis-audio/README.md`, Live package READMEs, and `docs/design.md` (or add a short docs/live.md):

State explicitly: control plane + basic synthesis (post Phase 3); not a full DAW
Document three families (game SFX / voice / live) and that Live does not use Voice or miniaudio
List consolidated package table

1.5 verify-nuget-only

Re-run pwsh -File novolis-governance/scripts/verify-nuget-only.ps1 — Live.Protocol and Avalonia Live ProjectReference violations must be gone. (Any remaining non-Live violations are out of scope unless they are the same files.)

Phase 2 — Consolidate thin packages

2.1 Merge `Analysis` into `Live.Visuals`

Move WaveformFrame, SpectrumFrame, AudioAnalysisSnapshot into `Novolis.Audio.Live.Visuals` under namespace Novolis.Audio.Live.Visuals (or keep Novolis.Audio.Analysis namespace only if Avalonia already imports it heavily — prefer Live.Visuals and update usings)
Delete project `Novolis.Audio.Analysis`; remove from `Novolis.Audio.slnx` and governance platform solution lists
Drop Analysis from consumer Directory.Packages.props files

2.2 Fold `Repl` into `Protocol`

Move LiveReplClient and LiveReplSyntaxCompiler into Novolis.Audio.Live.Protocol (subfolder Repl/, namespace Novolis.Audio.Live.Repl kept for minimal churn or Novolis.Audio.Live.Protocol.Repl — use `Novolis.Audio.Live.Repl` namespace kept inside Protocol assembly so LiveStudio source mostly only drops a PackageReference)
Protocol gains ProjectReferences currently on Repl (Dsl if needed for syntax compiler)
Delete `Novolis.Audio.Live.Repl` project; LiveStudio / tests / Avalonia sample stop referencing that package Id
Update unit test project refs

2.3 Delete duplicate audio Host project

Remove `novolis-audio/src/Novolis.Audio.Live.Host` from repo and slnx
Point sample README / LiveHostPaths at apps host only
Keep assembly name Novolis.Audio.Live.Host on apps exe for launcher compatibility

2.4 Rename game `Audio.Host.` → `Audio.Output.`

Avoid collision with Live host:

Old	New
`Novolis.Audio.Host.Abstractions`	`Novolis.Audio.Output.Abstractions`
`Novolis.Audio.Host.NAudio`	`Novolis.Audio.Output.NAudio`

Rename folders, PackageIds, AssemblyNames, RootNamespaces (Novolis.Audio.Output)
Update dogfooding: `NovolisVoiceStudio`, `MeshBench`, and Directory.Packages.props
Document breaking rename in `docs/release.md`

Phase 3 — First synthesis (`Live.Render`)

3.1 New packable package

Create Novolis.Audio.Live.Render:

Depends on: Live, MusicTheory, Patterns, NAudio (nuget.org)
Does not depend on Voice, miniaudio, or Avalonia

Public surface (minimal):

public interface ILiveAudioEngine : IAsyncDisposable
{
    void Bind(LiveSession session);
    Task StartAsync(CancellationToken ct = default);
    Task StopAsync(CancellationToken ct = default);
}

public sealed class OscillatorLiveAudioEngine : ILiveAudioEngine { ... }

3.2 Engine behavior (v0)

Sample rate 44.1 kHz mono (or stereo identical channels), NAudio WaveOutEvent + custom ISampleProvider / WaveProvider32
Drive from LiveSession.ActiveProgram + LiveSession.Clock (poll or callback from host clock loop)
Map pattern notes to short voices: frequency from Pitch, duration from Duration, amplitude from Velocity
Map InstrumentKind to waveforms for v0:
Sine, Lead, Pad, Bell, Keys → sine
Square, Pluck → square
Saw, Bass → saw
Triangle → triangle
Noise, Hat, Snare, Clap → white-noise burst
Kick, Tom → low sine + short decay
Sampler → sine fallback (no samples yet)
Respect track presence; ignore EffectKind chains in v0 (no-op / documented)
Polyphony cap (e.g. 16 voices) with steal-oldest
Optional: fill WaveformFrame / AudioAnalysisSnapshot from the mix buffer so Visuals stop being empty placeholders

3.3 Wire into apps host

In `LiveStudio/host/Program.cs`:

Construct LiveSession + OscillatorLiveAudioEngine
Start engine with session; keep existing IPC handlers
Drive clock as today (AdvanceTo) and let engine read session state each tick / audio callback
PackageReference Novolis.Audio.Live.Render (after publish) or same-repo only via apps consuming GPR post-merge

3.4 Tests

In Novolis.Audio.Live.Unit (or new Render tests):

Pitch → frequency sanity
Engine starts/stops without throw
Submitting a one-note program produces non-silent buffer samples (offline render helper preferred over WaveOut in CI)

Phase 4 — Consumers and publish

Publish audio packages to GitHub Packages (Live, Visuals, Protocol, Dsl, Render, Output.*, …)
Switch Avalonia Live to PackageReferences; publish Novolis.Avalonia.Live
Update `novolis-apps` LiveStudio PackageReferences (drop Live.Repl / Analysis; add Render on host)
Update dogfooding Output package names
dotnet test Live.Unit; smoke LiveStudio host (hear a note)
verify-nuget-only.ps1 exit 0 for touched repos

Out of scope

Full DAW FX (EffectKind DSP)
Sample libraries / true Sampler
Merging Live with Voice or game SFX
Voice package debt (Codecs, adapter→facade DI) — separate pass

Done check

No sibling ProjectReferences from Protocol or Avalonia Live into other repos
Analysis and Live.Repl and audio Live.Host projects gone; Host.* renamed to Output.*
LiveStudio host plays oscillator audio for a compiled program
Docs describe control plane + basic synthesis honestly
Unit tests green; nuget-only verify clean for Live/Avalonia paths