# FF00 Studio Experimental: First-Test Manual

Status: usable pre-alpha test procedure; artistic behavior and host persistence remain under test
Applicable version: `0.0.1 experimental-pre-alpha`
Last verified: 2026-09-10
Audience: owner and invited in-house testers

## Read this first

This build is intentionally labelled **Experimental Pre-Alpha**. Use a disposable
copy of a Waveform project. Do not use it as the only copy of musical work. The
automated Rack/worker/Surge transaction passes, but the complete user experience
has not been release-qualified.

The installer contains FF00 Master, `FF00 Rack Dev.vst3`, its matching worker,
the AGPL license, third-party notices, and a build manifest. It does not contain
Waveform, Surge XT, Ollama, models, UVR, reference audio, or project material.

## Install

1. Save your work, then close Waveform and FF00 Master. Confirm no FF00 Rack is
   still loaded by another host.
2. Run `FF00-Studio-0.0.1-experimental-pre-alpha-x64-setup.exe`.
3. Read the experimental warning and continue only for disposable-project use.
4. Windows may show SmartScreen because this private build is not code-signed.
   Confirm the filename and published SHA-256 before choosing **More info** and
   **Run anyway**. Never ignore that warning for an installer with a different hash.
5. Accept the AGPL license and finish the current-user installation. Administrator
   access is not required.

Setup creates an **FF00** Start Menu folder and installs the development Rack at:

```text
%LOCALAPPDATA%\Programs\Common\VST3\FF00 Rack Dev.vst3
```

It does not change or remove `.tracktionedit`, `.ff00`, audio, MIDI, reference, or
generated-asset files.

## Make Waveform see the Rack

1. Start Waveform 14.
2. If **FF00 Rack Dev** is already in the plugin list, continue.
3. Otherwise open Waveform's plugin settings, confirm the per-user VST3 directory
   above is scanned, and run a VST3 rescan.
4. Open a disposable copy of a project and insert **FF00 Rack Dev** on one track.
5. Open the Rack interface. Its worker status should become **active** and its
   processed-block counter should rise while audio is running.

If the Rack is missing or inactive, stop here. Do not repeatedly rescan or edit the
project file manually; use the troubleshooting section below.

## Load Surge XT

1. Surge XT 1.3.4 must already be installed separately in its standard VST3 path.
2. In the FF00 Rack interface, click **Load Surge XT**.
3. Wait until the Rack reports child **Surge XT** and worker **active**.
4. Put MIDI on the track and confirm Surge produces sound before testing Master.

FF00 does not copy or modify the installed Surge bundle.

## Connect Master

1. Launch **FF00 Studio Experimental** from the Windows Start Menu.
2. Click **Discover Racks**.
3. If several Racks appear, select the one whose track you intend to change.
4. Click **Inspect** and confirm child **Surge XT**, worker **active**, and no
   pending Preview.

Master and Rack communicate locally. Master is not in the realtime audio path.

## First safe semantic test without Ollama

Start with **Shorter / Strong** because it should be easier to hear than a subtle
change.

1. In **Manual direction**, select **Shorter** and **Strong**.
2. Click **Add direction**. The selected direction appears below the controls.
3. Click **Prepare exact Surge plan**. This is read-only: sound and committed Rack
   state must not change.
4. Read the plan. It lists every exact ParamID, previous normalized value, target
   value, and reason. If anything looks wrong, do not Preview it.
5. Click **Preview reviewed plan**. This changes only temporary worker state.
6. Play MIDI and listen.
7. Click **Discard Preview** for the first test. The original committed sound
   should return and the revision must not advance.
8. Prepare and Preview the same direction again. If you want it, click
   **Apply / Commit**. The committed revision should advance exactly once.

You can combine up to three unique manual directions. Selecting an existing
direction again replaces its intensity; it does not stack the same recipe twice.
Ollama is optional for this entire workflow.

## Optional local-model discussion

1. Start Ollama separately.
2. In Master, click **Find local models** and select a model.
3. Enter the musical goal and click **Discuss locally**.
4. Treat the response as advice. A returned semantic direction still cannot touch
   Surge until you separately prepare, review, and Preview the exact plan.

The tested default is `qwen3:8b`. On this machine `qwen3:14b` exceeded the current
180-second usability timeout during the recorded probe.

## Save and reopen test

After one deliberate Apply:

1. Save the disposable Waveform project under a new test name.
2. Close the edit and confirm its Rack worker exits.
3. Reopen the edit.
4. Confirm one fresh worker becomes active, child **Surge XT** returns, and the
   committed sound is retained.
5. Record whether the sound and visible controls match. Do not describe a result
   as verified merely because the project opened.

This semantic-batch save/reopen check is still a human acceptance gate.

## Recovery

- If a Preview sounds wrong, choose **Discard Preview**.
- If Master reports stale state, click **Inspect**, then prepare a new plan.
- If the worker faults or quarantines, save no new state, close the edit, and reopen
  the disposable project.
- If Waveform becomes unstable, close it and report the exact action, buffer size,
  sample rate, and visible Rack status. Keep personal paths and media names out of
  any public log.
- If an installation fails, close Waveform and rerun Setup. Do not manually mix
  worker binaries from different builds.

## Uninstall

1. Close Waveform and FF00 Master.
2. Open Windows **Settings → Apps → Installed apps**.
3. Uninstall **FF00 Studio Experimental**.

Uninstall removes Master, its shortcuts, the experimental registry marker, and
`FF00 Rack Dev.vst3`. It intentionally preserves project files, `.ff00` sidecars,
generated assets, references, Ollama data, Surge, Waveform, and UVR.

## Known pre-alpha limits

- The installer is unsigned and publicly offered only behind an explicit
  Experimental Pre-Alpha acknowledgement. Verify its published SHA-256 and use
  only disposable project copies.
- It assumes Microsoft WebView2 is already installed. Current Windows 10/11
  systems commonly provide it; Setup does not download it.
- Only x86-64 Windows is packaged.
- The Rack keeps its development VST3 identity and must not be renamed to the
  future public identity.
- Full offline rendering, five-buffer host PDC evidence, arbitrary plugin hosting,
  graph editing, generated MIDI/audio, references, transcription, and mix/master
  workflows are not complete merely because Setup works.