diff --git a/source/backend/CarlaStandalone.cpp b/source/backend/CarlaStandalone.cpp
index 7671a9ace..62bd1487d 100644
--- a/source/backend/CarlaStandalone.cpp
+++ b/source/backend/CarlaStandalone.cpp
@@ -29,9 +29,6 @@
 #include "CarlaOscUtils.hpp"
 #include "CarlaThread.hpp"
 
-// FIXME
-#include <QtCore/QByteArray>
-
 #ifdef BUILD_BRIDGE
 # undef HAVE_JUCE_UI
 #endif
@@ -1814,7 +1811,7 @@ const char* carla_get_chunk_data(uint pluginId)
 
             if (data != nullptr && dataSize > 0)
             {
-                chunkData = QByteArray((char*)data, dataSize).toBase64().constData();
+                chunkData = CarlaString::asBase64(data, static_cast<std::size_t>(dataSize)).dup();
 
                 return chunkData;
             }
diff --git a/source/backend/Makefile b/source/backend/Makefile
index f98c9366f..7164daf79 100644
--- a/source/backend/Makefile
+++ b/source/backend/Makefile
@@ -108,7 +108,7 @@ doxygen: CarlaBackend.doxygen
 # --------------------------------------------------------------
 
 CarlaStandalone.cpp.o: CarlaStandalone.cpp $(CARLA_STANDALONE_CPP_DEPS)
-	$(CXX) $< $(BUILD_CXX_FLAGS) $(QTCORE_FLAGS) -c -o $@
+	$(CXX) $< $(BUILD_CXX_FLAGS) -c -o $@
 
 # --------------------------------------------------------------
 
diff --git a/source/backend/plugin/CarlaPlugin.cpp b/source/backend/plugin/CarlaPlugin.cpp
index c9cc3eb2b..61a3b15aa 100644
--- a/source/backend/plugin/CarlaPlugin.cpp
+++ b/source/backend/plugin/CarlaPlugin.cpp
@@ -24,9 +24,6 @@
 
 #include <ctime>
 
-// FIXME
-#include <QtCore/QByteArray>
-
 #include "juce_core.h"
 
 using juce::File;
@@ -559,7 +556,7 @@ const StateSave& CarlaPlugin::getStateSave()
 
         if (data != nullptr && dataSize > 0)
         {
-            pData->stateSave.chunk = carla_strdup(QByteArray((char*)data, dataSize).toBase64().constData());
+            pData->stateSave.chunk = CarlaString::asBase64(data, static_cast<std::size_t>(dataSize)).dup();
 
             // Don't save anything else if using chunks
             return pData->stateSave;
diff --git a/source/backend/plugin/Lv2Plugin.cpp b/source/backend/plugin/Lv2Plugin.cpp
index bf5d8bcf2..3a1573f7f 100644
--- a/source/backend/plugin/Lv2Plugin.cpp
+++ b/source/backend/plugin/Lv2Plugin.cpp
@@ -1311,8 +1311,8 @@ public:
                 {
                     if (pData->osc.data.target != nullptr)
                     {
-                        QByteArray chunk((const char*)atom, (int)atom->size);
-                        osc_send_lv2_atom_transfer(pData->osc.data, portIndex, chunk.toBase64().constData());
+                        CarlaString chunk(CarlaString::asBase64(atom, atom->size));
+                        osc_send_lv2_atom_transfer(pData->osc.data, portIndex, chunk.buffer());
                     }
                 }
                 else
@@ -4121,7 +4121,7 @@ public:
                 if (type == CARLA_URI_MAP_ID_ATOM_STRING || type == CARLA_URI_MAP_ID_ATOM_PATH)
                     data.value = carla_strdup((const char*)value);
                 else
-                    data.value = carla_strdup(QByteArray((const char*)value, static_cast<int>(size)).toBase64().constData());
+                    data.value = CarlaString::asBase64(value, size).dup();
 
                 return LV2_STATE_SUCCESS;
             }
@@ -4135,7 +4135,7 @@ public:
         if (type == CARLA_URI_MAP_ID_ATOM_STRING || type == CARLA_URI_MAP_ID_ATOM_PATH)
             newData.value = carla_strdup((const char*)value);
         else
-            newData.value = carla_strdup(QByteArray((const char*)value, static_cast<int>(size)).toBase64().constData());
+            newData.value = CarlaString::asBase64(value, size).dup();
 
         pData->custom.append(newData);
 
diff --git a/source/backend/plugin/Makefile b/source/backend/plugin/Makefile
index 92b2f5d56..84ed750dc 100644
--- a/source/backend/plugin/Makefile
+++ b/source/backend/plugin/Makefile
@@ -50,7 +50,7 @@ debug:
 # --------------------------------------------------------------
 
 CarlaPlugin.cpp.o: CarlaPlugin.cpp $(CARLA_PLUGIN_CPP_DEPS)
-	$(CXX) $< $(BUILD_CXX_FLAGS) $(QTCORE_FLAGS) -c -o $@
+	$(CXX) $< $(BUILD_CXX_FLAGS) -c -o $@
 
 CarlaPluginInternal.cpp.o: CarlaPluginInternal.cpp $(CARLA_PLUGIN_INTERNAL_CPP_DEPS)
 	$(CXX) $< $(BUILD_CXX_FLAGS) $(QTCORE_FLAGS) -c -o $@
diff --git a/source/bridges/CarlaBridgeUI-LV2.cpp b/source/bridges/CarlaBridgeUI-LV2.cpp
index 867155239..e5dfaebb1 100644
--- a/source/bridges/CarlaBridgeUI-LV2.cpp
+++ b/source/bridges/CarlaBridgeUI-LV2.cpp
@@ -692,7 +692,7 @@ public:
                 return;
 
             if (isOscControlRegistered())
-                sendOscLv2AtomTransfer(portIndex, QByteArray((const char*)buffer, bufferSize).toBase64().constData());
+                sendOscLv2AtomTransfer(portIndex, CarlaString::asBase64(buffer, bufferSize).buffer());
         }
         else
         {
diff --git a/source/utils/CarlaString.hpp b/source/utils/CarlaString.hpp
index 66988c93f..2bb396f80 100644
--- a/source/utils/CarlaString.hpp
+++ b/source/utils/CarlaString.hpp
@@ -26,6 +26,13 @@ using ::snprintf;
 }
 #endif
 
+namespace CarlaStringHelpers {
+static const char* const kBase64Chars =
+    "ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ"
+    "abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz"
+    "0123456789+/";
+}
+
 // -----------------------------------------------------------------------
 // CarlaString class
 
@@ -550,6 +557,72 @@ public:
         return carla_strdup(fBuffer);
     }
 
+    // -------------------------------------------------------------------
+    // base64 stuff, based on http://www.adp-gmbh.ch/cpp/common/base64.html
+    // Copyright (C) 2004-2008 René Nyffenegger
+
+    static CarlaString asBase64(const void* const data, const std::size_t dataSize)
+    {
+        const uchar* bytesToEncode((const uchar*)data);
+        std::size_t  numBytes(dataSize);
+
+        uint i=0, j=0;
+        uint charArray3[3], charArray4[4];
+
+        char strBuf[0xff+1];
+        strBuf[0xff] = '\0';
+        int strBufIndex = 0;
+
+        CarlaString ret;
+
+        for (; numBytes-- != 0;)
+        {
+            charArray3[i++] = *(bytesToEncode++);
+
+            if (i == 3)
+            {
+                charArray4[0] =  (charArray3[0] & 0xfc) >> 2;
+                charArray4[1] = ((charArray3[0] & 0x03) << 4) + ((charArray3[1] & 0xf0) >> 4);
+                charArray4[2] = ((charArray3[1] & 0x0f) << 2) + ((charArray3[2] & 0xc0) >> 6);
+                charArray4[3] =   charArray3[2] & 0x3f;
+
+                for (i=0; i<4; ++i)
+                    strBuf[strBufIndex++] = CarlaStringHelpers::kBase64Chars[charArray4[i]];
+
+                if (strBufIndex >= 0xff-7)
+                {
+                    strBuf[strBufIndex] = '\0';
+                    strBufIndex = 0;
+                    ret += strBuf;
+                }
+
+                i = 0;
+            }
+        }
+
+        if (i != 0)
+        {
+            for (j=i; j<3; ++j)
+              charArray3[j] = '\0';
+
+            charArray4[0] =  (charArray3[0] & 0xfc) >> 2;
+            charArray4[1] = ((charArray3[0] & 0x03) << 4) + ((charArray3[1] & 0xf0) >> 4);
+            charArray4[2] = ((charArray3[1] & 0x0f) << 2) + ((charArray3[2] & 0xc0) >> 6);
+            charArray4[3] =   charArray3[2] & 0x3f;
+
+            for (j=0; j<4 && i<3 && j<i+1; ++j)
+                strBuf[strBufIndex++] = CarlaStringHelpers::kBase64Chars[charArray4[j]];
+
+            for (; i++ < 3;)
+                strBuf[strBufIndex++] = '=';
+
+            strBuf[strBufIndex] = '\0';
+            ret += strBuf;
+        }
+
+        return ret;
+    }
+
     // -------------------------------------------------------------------
     // public operators