Borato 224

Borato 224 is a vintage digital reverb plugin inspired by the workflow and hardware look of classic units such as the Lexicon 224. The project is built with JUCE, uses CMake as the main build path, and also keeps a functional .jucer file for Projucer-based workflows.

Building the Project

Requirements

• CMake 3.22 or newer.
• A local JUCE checkout. The default expected path on Windows is C:\JUCE.
• A C++20 compiler.
• VST3 support through JUCE.
• LV2 support through the Projucer Linux Makefile exporter.
• CLAP support through the libs/clap-juce-extensions submodule.

Recommended toolchains:

• Windows: Visual Studio 2026/2022 with the C++ desktop workload, or another CMake-compatible C++20 toolchain.
• macOS: Xcode command line tools or full Xcode.
• Linux: GCC or Clang, plus the system packages required by JUCE.

Choosing a CMake Generator

This project is generator-agnostic: use any CMake generator supported by your local compiler, JUCE checkout, and plugin SDK setup.

List the generators available on your machine:

cmake --help

Common choices:

Visual Studio 18 2026    Windows + MSVC 2026
Visual Studio 17 2022    Windows + MSVC 2022
Ninja                    Windows/macOS/Linux with Ninja installed
Unix Makefiles           macOS/Linux, or Windows environments that provide make
Xcode                    macOS + Xcode

If CMake reports could not find any instance of Visual Studio, that Visual Studio version is not installed or not visible to CMake. Pick another generator from cmake --help, install the missing toolchain, or use a fresh build directory.

Windows

Configure with the installed Visual Studio generator. Example for Visual Studio 2026:

cmake -S . -B build -G "Visual Studio 18 2026" -A x64 -DBORATO224_JUCE_SOURCE_DIR=C:\JUCE

If you have Visual Studio 2022 installed instead, use:

cmake -S . -B build-vs2022 -G "Visual Studio 17 2022" -A x64 -DBORATO224_JUCE_SOURCE_DIR=C:\JUCE

Example with Ninja, if Ninja and a C++20 compiler are installed and available in the current shell:

cmake -S . -B build-ninja -G Ninja -DCMAKE_BUILD_TYPE=Debug -DBORATO224_JUCE_SOURCE_DIR=C:\JUCE
cmake --build build-ninja

Release with Ninja:

cmake -S . -B build-ninja-release -G Ninja -DCMAKE_BUILD_TYPE=Release -DBORATO224_JUCE_SOURCE_DIR=C:\JUCE
cmake --build build-ninja-release

Build Debug:

cmake --build build --config Debug

Build Release:

cmake --build build --config Release

The VST3 output is generated under:

build/Borato224_artefacts/Debug/VST3/Borato 224.vst3
build/Borato224_artefacts/Release/VST3/Borato 224.vst3

By default the CMake build does not install the plugin into C:\Program Files\Common Files\VST3, because that usually requires administrator permissions. To enable post-build copying to the system VST3 folder, configure with:

cmake -S . -B build -G "Visual Studio 18 2026" -A x64 -DBORATO224_JUCE_SOURCE_DIR=C:\JUCE -DBORATO224_COPY_PLUGIN_AFTER_BUILD=ON

If CMake reconfiguration fails because it points to a missing MSVC toolset, the build directory has stale compiler cache. Reconfigure the existing build directory with the installed generator:

cmake -S . -B build -G "Visual Studio 18 2026" -A x64 -DBORATO224_JUCE_SOURCE_DIR=C:\JUCE
cmake --build build --config Debug

Or create a fresh build directory:

cmake -S . -B build-vs2026 -G "Visual Studio 18 2026" -A x64 -DBORATO224_JUCE_SOURCE_DIR=C:\JUCE
cmake --build build-vs2026 --config Debug

macOS

Install Xcode command line tools:

xcode-select --install

Configure with a local JUCE checkout:

cmake -S . -B build -DBORATO224_JUCE_SOURCE_DIR=/path/to/JUCE

Optional Xcode generator:

cmake -S . -B build-xcode -G Xcode -DBORATO224_JUCE_SOURCE_DIR=/path/to/JUCE
cmake --build build-xcode --config Debug

Release with Xcode:

cmake --build build-xcode --config Release

Optional Ninja generator:

cmake -S . -B build-ninja -G Ninja -DCMAKE_BUILD_TYPE=Debug -DBORATO224_JUCE_SOURCE_DIR=/path/to/JUCE
cmake --build build-ninja

Release with Ninja:

cmake -S . -B build-ninja-release -G Ninja -DCMAKE_BUILD_TYPE=Release -DBORATO224_JUCE_SOURCE_DIR=/path/to/JUCE
cmake --build build-ninja-release

Build Debug:

cmake --build build --config Debug

Build Release:

cmake --build build --config Release

The build can produce VST3, AU, and Standalone targets on macOS, depending on the local JUCE and SDK setup.

Linux

Install common JUCE build dependencies. Package names vary by distribution; on Debian/Ubuntu this is a typical starting point:

sudo apt update
sudo apt install build-essential cmake pkg-config libasound2-dev libjack-jackd2-dev \
  libfreetype6-dev libfontconfig1-dev libx11-dev libxcomposite-dev libxcursor-dev \
  libxext-dev libxinerama-dev libxrandr-dev libxrender-dev libwebkit2gtk-4.1-dev

Configure:

cmake -S . -B build -DCMAKE_BUILD_TYPE=Debug -DBORATO224_JUCE_SOURCE_DIR=/path/to/JUCE

Equivalent explicit generator examples:

cmake -S . -B build-ninja -G Ninja -DCMAKE_BUILD_TYPE=Debug -DBORATO224_JUCE_SOURCE_DIR=/path/to/JUCE
cmake -S . -B build-make -G "Unix Makefiles" -DCMAKE_BUILD_TYPE=Debug -DBORATO224_JUCE_SOURCE_DIR=/path/to/JUCE

Release with explicit generators:

cmake -S . -B build-ninja-release -G Ninja -DCMAKE_BUILD_TYPE=Release -DBORATO224_JUCE_SOURCE_DIR=/path/to/JUCE
cmake --build build-ninja-release

cmake -S . -B build-make-release -G "Unix Makefiles" -DCMAKE_BUILD_TYPE=Release -DBORATO224_JUCE_SOURCE_DIR=/path/to/JUCE
cmake --build build-make-release

Build:

cmake --build build

For Release:

cmake -S . -B build-release -DCMAKE_BUILD_TYPE=Release -DBORATO224_JUCE_SOURCE_DIR=/path/to/JUCE
cmake --build build-release

Linux builds normally produce VST3 and Standalone. AU is a macOS-only format.

Installing the Plugin

After building (or downloading CI artifacts), copy the plugin(s) into a folder your DAW scans, then rescan plugins.

Windows

Common scan/install locations:

VST3 (per-user)   %LOCALAPPDATA%\Programs\Common\VST3\
VST3 (system)     C:\Program Files\Common Files\VST3\
CLAP (per-user)   %LOCALAPPDATA%\Programs\Common\CLAP\
CLAP (system)     C:\Program Files\Common Files\CLAP\

macOS

Common scan/install locations:

VST3              ~/Library/Audio/Plug-Ins/VST3/
CLAP              ~/Library/Audio/Plug-Ins/CLAP/
AU (.component)   ~/Library/Audio/Plug-Ins/Components/
Standalone (.app) /Applications or any local folder

CI builds are currently unsigned and not notarized. If macOS blocks them after download, remove quarantine:

xattr -dr com.apple.quarantine "Borato 224.vst3"
xattr -dr com.apple.quarantine "Borato 224.clap"
xattr -dr com.apple.quarantine "Borato 224.component"
xattr -dr com.apple.quarantine "Borato 224.app"

Linux

Common scan/install locations:

VST3              ~/.vst3/                  (or /usr/local/lib/vst3/, /usr/lib/vst3/)
CLAP              ~/.clap/                  (or /usr/local/lib/clap/, /usr/lib/clap/)
LV2               ~/.lv2/                   (or /usr/local/lib/lv2/, /usr/lib/lv2/)

GitHub Actions Release Artifacts

The repository includes a release artifact workflow:

.github/workflows/build-macos-release.yml

It builds Release artifacts on windows-2025 (x64), macos-15 (Apple Silicon), macos-15-intel, and ubuntu-latest, downloading JUCE through CMake with BORATO224_FETCH_JUCE=ON.

Windows artifacts:

Borato224-v0.0.5-Windows-x64-VST3.zip
Borato224-v0.0.5-Windows-x64-CLAP.zip
Borato224-v0.0.5-Windows-x64-Standalone.zip
Borato224-v0.0.5-Windows-x64-install-notes

macOS artifacts:

Borato224-v0.0.5-macOS-arm64-VST3.zip
Borato224-v0.0.5-macOS-arm64-CLAP.zip
Borato224-v0.0.5-macOS-arm64-AU.zip
Borato224-v0.0.5-macOS-arm64-Standalone.zip
Borato224-v0.0.5-macOS-arm64-install-notes
Borato224-v0.0.5-macOS-intel-VST3.zip
Borato224-v0.0.5-macOS-intel-CLAP.zip
Borato224-v0.0.5-macOS-intel-AU.zip
Borato224-v0.0.5-macOS-intel-Standalone.zip
Borato224-v0.0.5-macOS-intel-install-notes

Ubuntu artifacts:

Borato224-v0.0.5-Ubuntu-VST3.tar.gz
Borato224-v0.0.5-Ubuntu-CLAP.tar.gz
Borato224-v0.0.5-Ubuntu-Standalone.tar.gz
Borato224-v0.0.5-Ubuntu-install-notes

The workflow runs on pushes to master, release/**, ci/**, version tags such as v0.0.5, pull requests to master, and manual workflow_dispatch.

To download the files:

1. Open the repository on GitHub.
2. Go to Actions.
3. Open the latest Build Release Artifacts run.
4. Download Borato224-v0.0.5-Windows-x64-release-assets, Borato224-v0.0.5-macOS-arm64-release-assets, Borato224-v0.0.5-macOS-intel-release-assets, and/or Borato224-v0.0.5-Ubuntu-release-assets from the run summary.
5. Extract the downloaded artifact bundle and attach the contained archives to the GitHub release.

To create release assets automatically, push a version tag:

git tag v0.0.5
git push origin v0.0.5

The workflow will build Release artifacts and create/update a draft GitHub Release for that tag with:

Borato224-v0.0.5-Windows-x64-VST3.zip
Borato224-v0.0.5-Windows-x64-CLAP.zip
Borato224-v0.0.5-Windows-x64-Standalone.zip
INSTALL-Windows-x64.md
Borato224-v0.0.5-macOS-arm64-VST3.zip
Borato224-v0.0.5-macOS-arm64-CLAP.zip
Borato224-v0.0.5-macOS-arm64-AU.zip
Borato224-v0.0.5-macOS-arm64-Standalone.zip
INSTALL-macOS-arm64.md
Borato224-v0.0.5-macOS-intel-VST3.zip
Borato224-v0.0.5-macOS-intel-CLAP.zip
Borato224-v0.0.5-macOS-intel-AU.zip
Borato224-v0.0.5-macOS-intel-Standalone.zip
INSTALL-macOS-intel.md
Borato224-v0.0.5-Ubuntu-VST3.tar.gz
Borato224-v0.0.5-Ubuntu-CLAP.tar.gz
Borato224-v0.0.5-Ubuntu-Standalone.tar.gz
INSTALL-Ubuntu.md

To install the CI artifacts, copy the extracted plugin(s) into the appropriate folders listed in Installing the Plugin, then rescan plugins in your DAW.

Projucer Workflow

You can also open:

Borato224.jucer

Confirm that the JUCE module paths point to your local JUCE checkout, save the project, then build through the generated IDE project under:

Builds/VisualStudio2022/
Builds/VisualStudio2026/

On macOS or Linux, add the matching exporter in Projucer before saving.

Projucer builds the regular JUCE formats listed in the project, such as VST3, LV2 on Linux, AU on macOS, and Standalone. CLAP is not a native Projucer exporter, but this repository includes a CMake wrapper that can link against the Projucer-generated Shared Code library and produce a .clap from that build.

For Ubuntu/LV2 testing, open Borato224.jucer on Linux, confirm the JUCE module paths for that machine, save the project, then build the generated Linux Makefile project under:

Builds/LinuxMakefile/

Windows example using the Visual Studio 2026 Projucer exporter:

git submodule update --init --recursive

# 1. Open Borato224.jucer in Projucer, confirm the module paths, save it, then
#    build the "Borato224 - Shared Code" target in Visual Studio.

# 2. Build only the CLAP wrapper from that Projucer Shared Code library.
cmake -S . -B build-projucer-clap -G "Visual Studio 18 2026" -A x64 `
  -DBORATO224_JUCE_SOURCE_DIR=C:\JUCE `
  -DBORATO224_CLAP_FROM_JUCER=ON `
  -DBORATO224_JUCER_CONFIGURATION=Debug

cmake --build build-projucer-clap --config Debug --target Borato224Projucer_CLAP

The expected Windows CLAP output is:

build-projucer-clap/Borato224Projucer_artefacts/Debug/Borato 224.clap

For Release, build the Projucer Shared Code target as Release first, then use:

cmake -S . -B build-projucer-clap-release -G "Visual Studio 18 2026" -A x64 `
  -DBORATO224_JUCE_SOURCE_DIR=C:\JUCE `
  -DBORATO224_CLAP_FROM_JUCER=ON `
  -DBORATO224_JUCER_CONFIGURATION=Release

cmake --build build-projucer-clap-release --config Release --target Borato224Projucer_CLAP

If your Projucer exporter or configuration writes the Shared Code library somewhere else, pass it explicitly:

cmake -S . -B build-projucer-clap -G "Visual Studio 18 2026" -A x64 `
  -DBORATO224_JUCE_SOURCE_DIR=C:\JUCE `
  -DBORATO224_CLAP_FROM_JUCER=ON `
  -DBORATO224_JUCER_SHARED_CODE_LIB="C:\full\path\to\Borato224.lib"

CLAP Build Notes

The primary CMake build can also produce CLAP directly from the CMake JUCE target:

git submodule update --init --recursive
cmake -S . -B build -DBORATO224_BUILD_CLAP=ON -DBORATO224_JUCE_SOURCE_DIR=/path/to/JUCE
cmake --build build --config Release --target Borato224_CLAP

Use Borato224_CLAP for the regular CMake build and Borato224Projucer_CLAP when you want to test against the .jucer/Projucer-generated Shared Code build.

Working on the Project

Structure

Source/
  PluginProcessor.*    JUCE processor, APVTS, presets, A/B, compare and bypass
  PluginEditor.*       Canvas-drawn JUCE interface
  PluginParameters.*   Parameter IDs, ranges and program presets
  SimpleReverb.*       Main reverb DSP

assets/
  224-Borato-vst.png   Current plugin screenshot for documentation
  lexicon_224.svg      Main visual reference
  push_224.svg         Push button reference
  faders_224.svg       Fader reference
  leds_224.svg         LED reference

Development Guidelines

• Keep GUI and DSP responsibilities separate.
• Use AudioProcessorValueTreeState for automatable parameters.
• Do not allocate, lock, log, or perform I/O on the audio thread.
• Change dynamic buffers and larger state only in setup code, constructors, or non-audio-thread paths.
• After DSP changes, test silence, impulses, fast automation, different buffer sizes and different sample rates.
• After GUI changes, test resize behavior, fader alignment, button states and display readability.

Plugin Manual

See MANUAL.md.

License

MIT. See LICENSE.