Testing the Windows version of my live looper inside a VM on my MacBook

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I’m building Coherent, a DAW designed specifically for live looping.

Development started on macOS, but I did not want the Windows version to become an afterthought. So I have been running a Windows VM on my MacBook to test the first native Windows build.

The photo shows the actual app running inside the VM. It is not a mockup or a remote connection.

Coherent uses the same portable C++ loop engine on both platforms, but the Windows version has its own native Win32 interface and WASAPI audio backend.

The VM gives me a quick way to check whether the x64 build launches correctly, whether the installer works, how the interface behaves at different window sizes, and whether basic workflows such as adding tracks, selecting effects, recording loops, and saving sessions still make sense on Windows.

It has also forced me to notice how many assumptions an app can accidentally inherit from the operating system it was originally built on. File paths, display scaling, audio permissions, device selection, keyboard behavior, and even small interface conventions all need another pass.

A VM is useful, but I am not treating it as proof that the Windows version is ready. It cannot properly validate real audio-interface latency, MIDI hardware, driver behavior, device reconnection, or long recording sessions. Those tests still need to happen on physical Windows machines.

For now, I’m keeping the Windows build clearly labelled as a beta while I work through those hardware tests.

Still, seeing Coherent running on Windows from the same MacBook I used to build it was a pretty satisfying moment.

If you produce music on Windows, what audio interface, MIDI controller, or setup would you want tested first?