User-Friendly DAW Interface

I’m building a Digital Audio Workstation that puts usability first. The core goal is an interface musicians can open for the first time and know instinctively where to click, drag, and record without hunting through manuals.

Ease of use is my top priority, so every screen, menu, and control has to be intuitive. Right now the must-have feature on my list is a genuinely user-friendly interface—think clear labeling, logical signal flow, and sensible defaults. Built-in tutorials or drag-and-drop tools are welcome if they contribute to that overarching simplicity, but they aren’t mandatory; the design itself should guide the user.

I’m open on platform—Windows, macOS, or Linux are all possibilities—so advise me on technologies that will let us keep the codebase maintainable while still delivering a snappy experience. If you have experience with cross-platform frameworks (JUCE, Qt, Electron, etc.) or native Swift/C++/C# audio development, please let me know how you would structure the project.

Deliverables
• UX wireframes and a clickable prototype that demonstrate the full signal chain workflow
• A concise style guide covering fonts, iconography, and color palette for consistency
• Technical recommendations for the underlying audio engine and UI toolkit

Acceptance criteria
• A first-time user can create, arm, record, and play back a track in under two minutes without external help
• All interactive elements respond within 100 ms to keep the interface feeling fast
• Prototype runs on at least one desktop OS with a clear path to porting the same codebase to the others

Share relevant samples or demos of previous DAW, plugin, or complex audio UI work, and outline any preferred frameworks or libraries in your proposal.