diff --git a/gitlab/conda_build_config.yaml b/gitlab/conda_build_config.yaml
index d3e9b25c6cac563ce0ae02e3d316923c46d8af53..7e8ba9b2e87f580cc0fd798487b2089120298cab 100644
--- a/gitlab/conda_build_config.yaml
+++ b/gitlab/conda_build_config.yaml
@@ -1,106 +1,155 @@
-macos_min_version:              # [osx]
-  - 10.9                        # [osx]
-macos_machine:                  # [osx]
-  - x86_64-apple-darwin13.4.0   # [osx]
-MACOSX_DEPLOYMENT_TARGET:       # [osx]
-  - 10.9                        # [osx]
+macos_min_version:
+  - 10.9
+macos_machine:
+  - x86_64-apple-darwin13.4.0
+MACOSX_DEPLOYMENT_TARGET:
+  - 10.9
+CONDA_BUILD_SYSROOT:            # [osx]
+  - /Applications/Xcode.app/Contents/Developer/Platforms/MacOSX.platform/Developer/SDKs/MacOSX10.9.sdk          # [osx]
+# makes autotools verbose
+VERBOSE_AT:
+  - V=1
+# makes cmake verbose
+VERBOSE_CM:
+  - VERBOSE=1
+
+# the blas implementations that we build against
+blas_impl:
+  - mkl
+
+pin_run_as_build:
+  libboost:
+    max_pin: x.x.x
+  py-boost:
+    max_pin: x.x.x
+  boost:
+    max_pin: x.x.x
 
-# Our dependency list.
-# Everything is pinned to allow better reproducibility.
-# The pinnings below are coming from anaconda 4.4.0
 python:
   - 2.7
-  - 3.5
   - 3.6
-curl:
-  - 7.52.1
-cython:
-  - 0.25.2
-cytoolz:
-  - 0.8.2
-dask:
-  - 0.14.3
-freetype:
-  - 2.5.5
+
+zip_keys:
+  -                             # [win]
+    - vc                        # [win]
+    - c_compiler                # [win]
+    - cxx_compiler              # [win]
+    - fortran_compiler_version  # [win]
+    - python                    # [win]
+
+# Here we list the **minimum** version of our dependencies that we support.
+# We keep a list of **all of them** here to make sure everything goes as
+# expected in our conda build process.
+# Ideally we want to build and test against older versions of dependencies.
+# Most of the pin numbers come from the anaconda package.
+
+## the dependencies that we build against multiple versions
+# we build for an old version of numpy for forward compatibility
+# 1.11 seems to be the oldest on win that works with scipy 0.19.
+numpy:
+  - 1.9                # [unix]
+  - 1.11               # [win]
 hdf5:
-  - 1.8.17
-imagesize:
-  - 0.7.1
-ipython:
-  - 5.3.0
+  - 1.8                # [not ppc64le]
+  - 1.10               # [not ppc64le]
+
+
+## The build time only dependencies.
+## Updaing these to the latest version all the time is OK.
+cmake:
+  - 3.9.4
+coverage:
+  - 4.4.2
+pkg_config:
+  - 0.29.2
+
+## The dependencies that we link against
+# anaconda
+freetype:
+  - 2.8
 jpeg:
   - 9b
 libpng:
-  - 1.6.27
+  - 1.6.32
 libtiff:
-  - 4.0.6
-matplotlib:
-  - 2.0.2
+  - 4.0.8
 mkl:
-  - 2017.0.1
+  - 2018.0.0
+sqlite:
+  - 3.20.1
+xz:
+  - 5.2.3
+zlib:
+  - 1.2.11
+# non-anaconda
+boost:
+  - 1.65.1
+cyvlfeat:
+  - 0.4.6
+ffmpeg:
+  - 3.4
+fftw:
+  - 3.3.7
+giflib:
+  - 5.1.4
+libblitz:
+  - 1.0.1
+libmatio:
+  - 1.5.6
+libogg:
+  - 1.3.2
+libsvm:
+  - 3.21
+openfst:
+  - 1.6.1
+speexdsp:
+  - 1.2rc3
+speex:
+  - 1.2.0
+sox:
+  - 14.4.2
+vlfeat:
+  - 0.9.21
+
+## The dependencies that are needed for runtime only
+# anaconda
+click:
+  - 6.7
+curl:
+  - 7.55.1
+cython:
+  - 0.26.1
+matplotlib:
+  - 2.1.0
 nose:
   - 1.3.7
-numba:
-  - 0.33.0
-numexpr:
-  - 2.6.2
-numpy:
-  - 1.12
-pandas:
-  - 0.20.1
-pillow:
-  - 4.1.1
-pip:
-  - 9.0.1
-scikit_image:
-  - 0.13.0
-scikit_learn:
-  - 0.18.1
 scipy:
-  - 0.19.0
+  - 0.19
 setuptools:
-  - 27.2.0
+  - 36.5.0
 six:
-  - 1.10.0
+  - 1.11.0
 sphinx:
-  - 1.5.6
+  - 1.6.3
 sqlalchemy:
-  - 1.1.9
-toolz:
-  - 0.8.2
-# the rest of the dependencies
-boost:
-  - 1.61.0
+  - 1.1.13
+# non-anaconda
+bob_buildout:
+  - 2.1.5
 caffe:
-  - 1.0.0rc5
-cmake:
-  - 3.6.3
-coverage:
-  - 4.3.4
-cyvlfeat:
-  - 0.4.5
+  - 1.0
+click_plugins:
+  - 1.0.3
 dlib:
   - 19.0
 docopt:
   - 0.6.2
-ffmpeg:
-  - 2.8.10
-giflib:
-  - 5.1.4
 ipdb:
   - 0.10.2
 kaldi:
   - r7271.1a4dbf6
 keras:
-  - 2.0.8
-libblitz:
-  - 1.0.0.1832.f7e6fca
-libmatio:
-  - 1.5.6
-libogg:
-  - 1.3.2
-libsvm:
-  - 3.21
+  - 2.1.2
 madmom:
   - 0.15.1
 menpo:
@@ -110,169 +159,24 @@ menpofit:
 menpowidgets:
   - 0.3.0p6
 mne:
-  - 0.14.1
+  - 0.15.2
+mr_developer:
+  - 1.38
 opencv:
-  - 3.1.0
-pkg_config:
-  - 0.28
+  - 3.3.1
 pkgtools:
   - 0.7.3
 pyedflib:
-  - 0.1.9
+  - 0.1.11
 schema:
-  - 0.6.5
-sox:
-  - 14.4.2
+  - 0.6.7
 sphinx_rtd_theme:
   - 0.2.4
-sqlite:
-  - 3.13.0
 tensorflow:
-  - 1.2.1
-toolchain:
-  - 2.4.0
+  - 1.3.0
 virtualenv:
   - 15.1.0
-vlfeat:
-  - 0.9.20
-x264:
-  - 20131217
-xz:
-  - 5.2.2
 zc_buildout:
-  - 2.9.2
+  - 2.10.0
 zc_recipe_egg:
-  - 2.0.3
-zlib:
-  - 1.2.8
-
-
-pin_run_as_build:
-  boost:
-    max_pin: x.x
-  caffe:
-    max_pin: x
-  cmake:
-    max_pin: x
-  coverage:
-    max_pin: x
-  curl:
-    max_pin: x
-  cython:
-    max_pin: x
-  cytoolz:
-    max_pin: x
-  cyvlfeat:
-    max_pin: x
-  dask:
-    max_pin: x
-  dlib:
-    max_pin: x
-  docopt:
-    max_pin: x
-  ffmpeg:
-    max_pin: x.x
-  freetype:
-    max_pin: x
-  giflib:
-    max_pin: x
-  hdf5:
-    max_pin: x.x.x
-  imagesize:
-    max_pin: x
-  ipdb:
-    max_pin: x
-  ipython:
-    max_pin: x
-  jpeg:
-    max_pin: x
-  kaldi:
-    max_pin: x
-  keras:
-    max_pin: x
-  libmatio:
-    max_pin: x.x.x
-  libogg:
-    max_pin: x
-  libpng:
-    max_pin: x.x
-  libsvm:
-    max_pin: x.x
-  libtiff:
-    max_pin: x
-  madmom:
-    max_pin: x
-  matplotlib:
-    max_pin: x
-  menpo:
-    max_pin: x
-  menpofit:
-    max_pin: x
-  menpowidgets:
-    max_pin: x
-  mkl:
-    max_pin: x
-  mne:
-    max_pin: x
-  nose:
-    max_pin: x
-  numba:
-    max_pin: x
-  numexpr:
-    max_pin: x
-  opencv:
-    max_pin: x
-  pandas:
-    max_pin: x
-  pillow:
-    max_pin: x
-  pip:
-    max_pin: x
-  pkg_config:
-    max_pin: x
-  pkgtools:
-    max_pin: x
-  pyedflib:
-    max_pin: x
-  schema:
-    max_pin: x
-  scikit_image:
-    max_pin: x
-  scikit_learn:
-    max_pin: x
-  scipy:
-    max_pin: x
-  setuptools:
-    max_pin: x
-  six:
-    max_pin: x
-  sox:
-    max_pin: x.x.x
-  sphinx:
-    max_pin: x
-  sphinx_rtd_theme:
-    max_pin: x
-  sqlalchemy:
-    max_pin: x
-  sqlite:
-    max_pin: x
-  tensorflow:
-    max_pin: x
-  toolchain:
-    max_pin: x
-  toolz:
-    max_pin: x
-  virtualenv:
-    max_pin: x
-  vlfeat:
-    max_pin: x.x.x
-  x264:
-    max_pin: x.x.x
-  xz:
-    max_pin: x
-  zc.recipe.egg:
-    max_pin: x
-  zc_buildout:
-    max_pin: x
-  zlib:
-    max_pin: x.x.x
+  - 2.0.5
diff --git a/templates/meta.yaml b/templates/meta.yaml
index b8fc554ec8b630a7382352f93b0c3662dbbd8cb2..58407caa9c41eac98ac02b854befb7531c136eef 100644
--- a/templates/meta.yaml
+++ b/templates/meta.yaml
@@ -15,14 +15,14 @@ build:
     {% if environ.get('BUILD_EGG') %}
     - python setup.py sdist --formats=zip
     {% endif %}
-    - pip install --verbose --no-deps .
+    - python setup.py install --single-version-externally-managed --record record.txt
 
 requirements:
-  build:
+  <BUILD_DEPS>
+  host:
     - python {{ python }}
     - setuptools {{ setuptools }}
-    - pip {{ pip }}
-    <BUILD_DEPS>
+    <HOST_DEPS>
   run:
     - python
     - setuptools
@@ -36,6 +36,8 @@ test:
     - nosetests --with-coverage --cover-package={{ name }} -sv {{ name }}
     - sphinx-build -aEW {{ project_dir }}/doc {{ project_dir }}/sphinx
     - sphinx-build -aEb doctest {{ project_dir }}/doc sphinx
+    - conda inspect linkages -p $PREFIX {{ name }}  # [not win]
+    - conda inspect objects -p $PREFIX {{ name }}  # [osx]
   requires:
     - nose {{ nose }}.*
     - coverage {{ coverage }}.*