Hello

I'm wondering which way would be the easiest to make a modular signal chain?
The user should be able to decide the order of three effects like this:

[nasty_synth] ---[X]---[Y]---[Z]--->dac~

where X,Y,Z could be delay,bit crusher,flanger or similar.
so there would be 27 different combinations right?

One idea, which might a little overkill, but couldn't you basically have a directory which all three effects resides in, and then copy them over to a new folder (done via C code?) and in the target folder all files will be called 1.pd 2.pd 3.pd ?

So 1.pd 2.pd 3.pd will be statically called in my patch while the contents of the actual sub patches changes.

[nasty_synth] ---[1]---[2]---[3]--->dac~
When the user decided to have the chain like this: Flanger -> Delay -> Bit crusher, the files: flanger.pd delay.pd bitcrusher.pd will be copied to a new folder AS
1.pd 2.pd 3.pd.

I have have no real clue if this utterly stupid, but feedback would be very much appreciated. Thanks!

If you are allowing each effect to be used multiple times in a signal path, you have 27 possible combinations, but if each is being used once, then its 3X2X1, so 6 combinations, a much more managable number.

How quickly do you intend on changing signal chains?

If you wanted it quick, you could setup "batches" of effects like this
X Y Z XY XZ YX YZ ZY ZX XYZ YZX XZY etc. until you had used each possibility(i added having only 2 or 1 effect running at a time)
This is probably a more time consuming way of doing it.

After doing that, you could use a system of keystrokes which un-muted each effect batch.

Kind of like this system i made messily a while ago for a project. It only has one ordering of effects, but it lets a clean signal pass if no button is held.

http://www.pdpatchrepo.info/hurleur/patch.zip

Yeah well, I should have mentioned it that all effects should be used at the same time, pretty much..or rather, you should be able to use all of them, or just one or two if you want. so max combinations will be 27, I thought about the batch thing, but yeah, a bit time consuming and will probably just clutter the interface

You could also put _all_ effects in a sub patch three times in a row and then from the main patch control what should be on/off inside these patches, which makes it kinda modular...but it would be a cheap hack and perhaps it will consume cpu even if some effects are OFF?

Thanks for the feedback and the patch, some interesting stuff in there

>
You could also put _all_ effects in a sub patch three times in a row and then from the main patch control what should be on/off inside these patches, which makes it kinda modular...but it would be a cheap hack and perhaps it will consume cpu even if some effects are OFF?<

that's what i do. as long as you thoroughly [switch~] all audio and [spigot] all inputs to control calculations, the cpu won't rise TOO badly.

in my modular synth, i currently have:

8 sampler voices, 4 synth voices, 8 drum voices, 9 effects channels..

each with 5 stages of effect functions, with 25 effects in each stage.

so that's:

(8+4+8+9) * 5 * 25 = 3625 effects units!!!

all loaded at once, but only switched on when i need them.

this uses about 50% of my cpu when all effects are off, so the cpu usage is climbing by loading them...but not intolerably so.

What i've done is create each instrument and effect as a standalone patch. Then there is a routing system consisting of 2 (left/right) [s~] objects in each patch (e.g. [s~ samplerL] and [s~ samplerR]).

Each audio-accepting patch can "tap" in on every patch of choice (via volume sliders). This way i can create feedback loops between patches if i want. All patches then can route their output to 1 of 4 different (logical) master channels (using [throw~] objects).

My master panel accepts those logical channels (with [catch~] objects) which i can route to any (physical) stereo pair on my audio interface.

Does this make any sense?

Hey, i've tried routing patch chains back on themselves, using a routing matrix hack Obi showed me, and also just with s~ and r~ sets, but PD always detects the loop and doesn't process it. It gives me an error (something like "feedback loop detected" I don't remember) How do you get the chains to function with loops in them domien?

-s

That's very strange sunji. I've tried it and indeed, directly connecting an audio signal back into the chain does not work, but when i break it with a [s~] and an [r~] it doesn't give any problem.

I've attached something like a very basic layout of my architecture. The two generator patches can be rerouted to eachother (with the red sliders), and both send to the master patch.

It works over here, hope it works for you too.

D.

http://www.pdpatchrepo.info/hurleur/feedback.rar

hah, you're right domien. I guess I just overlooked that possibility while testing and then assumed I'd failed with it. Now I'm feedingback like a... bad PA set up or sumpin

Hi Domien,

You rar file got CRC error .. is it possible to reupload it .. ??