Cross-platform LV2 host built with GTK4 and lilv. Professional audio processing for Linux, Windows, and macOS.
Professional audio processing with GTK4
Real-time LV2 plugin hosting with lilv integration. Discover hundreds of professional audio plugins.
Quickly find plugins by name, author, or URI. Filter by 40+ categories including Distortion, Reverb, Analyzer.
Dracula, Nord, Gruvbox, One Dark, Solarized, and more. Built-in dark themes with custom CSS support.
Intuitive plugin loading with drag-and-drop support. Real-time parameter adjustment.
Load audio files, neural models (.nam, .nammodel), and impulse responses (.wav, .ir) directly into plugins.
Save and load individual plugin presets or entire chains with all parameters preserved.
A/B testing with bypass functionality. Reorder plugins in chain for different sounds.
Transport controls with auto-start engine. Full JACK Audio Connection Kit integration.
Runs on Linux, Windows, and macOS with modern GTK4 interface and responsive design.
Choose your distribution
# Install dependencies
sudo apt update
sudo apt install libgtk-4-dev liblilv-dev libjack-jackd2-dev meson build-essential
# Clone the repository
git clone https://github.com/djshaji/ariel.git
cd ariel
# Configure build
meson setup builddir
# Compile
meson compile -C builddir
# Run
./builddir/ariel# Install dependencies
sudo dnf install gtk4-devel lilv-devel jack-audio-connection-kit-devel meson gcc
# Clone and build
git clone https://github.com/djshaji/ariel.git
cd ariel
meson setup builddir
meson compile -C builddir
# Run
./builddir/ariel# Install dependencies
sudo pacman -S gtk4 lilv jack2 meson gcc
# Clone and build
git clone https://github.com/djshaji/ariel.git
cd ariel
meson setup builddir
meson compile -C builddir
# Run
./builddir/ariel≥ 4.0 - Modern UI toolkit
LV2 plugin host library
Real-time audio server
Build system
20+ built-in themes for your workflow
Purple-tinted dark theme
Arctic-inspired blue
Retro groove colors
Atom editor theme
Scientific palette
Google Material Design
All themes support custom CSS via ~/.config/ariel/style.css
./builddir/ariel
Audio engine starts automatically. Ensure JACK is running for audio processing.
Browse 865+ LV2 plugins in the left panel. Use search box to find by name, author, or URI. Filter by category dropdown.
Drag plugins to active area or double-click. Control knobs and sliders appear automatically.
Click "Choose File..." for plugins supporting audio files, neural models (.nam, .nammodel), or impulse responses.
Access Settings dialog from header menu. Choose from 20+ professional themes including Dracula, Nord, and Gruvbox.
Save/load individual plugin presets or entire chains. Presets stored in ~/.config/ariel/presets/
# Check if JACK is running
jack_control status
# Start JACK with default settings
jack_control start
# Or use QJackCtl for graphical control
qjackctl# Check if PipeWire-JACK is active
systemctl --user is-active pipewire-jackPipeWire provides JACK compatibility on modern Linux distributions.
# Connect system input to Ariel
jack_connect system:capture_1 ariel:input_left
jack_connect system:capture_2 ariel:input_right
# Connect Ariel output to system
jack_connect ariel:output_left system:playback_1
jack_connect ariel:output_right system:playback_2Reverb, delay, distortion, EQ, compressors
.nam/.nammodel file support
Spectrum analyzers, meters, tuners
Synthesizers, oscillators, noise generators
.wav/.ir impulse response loading
Note processors (MIDI support coming soon)