Studio Overview
The Motif Studio is the main authoring application. It is a single-page Next.js application with a sidebar navigation and screen-based layout.
Navigation Map
Section titled “Navigation Map”| Section | Screen | Purpose |
|---|---|---|
| Overview | Project | Pack metadata, entity counts, audit summary |
| Assets | Assets | Browse, filter, and manage audio assets |
| Stems | Stems | Create and edit stems bound to assets |
| Scenes | Scenes | Build scenes from stem layers |
| Bindings | Bindings | Map runtime state to scenes |
| Transitions | Transitions | Define scene-to-scene transition behavior |
| Clips | Clips | Compose clips with notes, instruments, and variants |
| Sample Lab | Sample Lab | Import, trim, slice, build kits and instruments |
| Score Map | Score Map | Profiles, motif families, cue families, world map, derivation |
| Automation | Automation | Lanes, macros, envelopes, capture, mixer |
| Library | Library | Templates, snapshots, branches, favorites, collections, compare |
Architecture
Section titled “Architecture”The Studio uses Zustand for state management. The entire application state lives in a single store that holds:
- The active
SoundtrackPack(the authoring document) - The current navigation section
- Filter/search state for assets
- Macro state for automation
All CRUD operations on the pack are store actions that produce immutable updates. There is no separate backend — the Studio operates on an in-memory pack loaded from JSON.
Screen Relationships
Section titled “Screen Relationships”Screens are not isolated. Entities created in one screen appear in others:
- Assets created or imported in the Assets screen are available in Sample Lab for trimming and slicing
- Slices created in Sample Lab feed into Sample Kits and Sample Instruments
- Clips composed in the Clips screen reference instruments and are used in scene layers
- Scenes built in the Scenes screen are referenced by bindings, transitions, cue families, and world map entries
- Score Profiles and Motif Families defined in Score Map are used by cue families and world map entries
- Automation Lanes and Macros affect mixer parameters and scene behavior
- Templates, Snapshots, and Favorites in Library can reference any entity kind
Where to Start
Section titled “Where to Start”For a new project:
- Start at Assets — import or review your audio sources
- Move to Sample Lab if you need to trim, slice, or build kits/instruments
- Build Clips — compose note patterns with instruments
- Arrange Scenes — layer stems and clips into musical states
- Set up Bindings and Transitions — connect scenes to game logic
- Structure Cues in the Score Map — link cue families and motif families
- Automate — add expressive lanes, macros, and envelopes
- Use Library — snapshot, branch, template, and compare as you iterate