connect next cable?

hi there - back in the creamware/sonic-core scope days, I had to do lots of cabling as well, there was one super useful key command though, so, say I had a module or driver that has 8 outputs and on the other side was one with 10 inputs, I could connect the first cable (so connection 1in to 1out) is established, and then I had the choice of either repeating this process 7 times, or just hit “n” for “connect next cable” 7 times. easy pc, right?

so my question, is there a way in vcvrack that the software notices stereo connectors in mixers and other modules, or rows of usually 2-4-8-16 inputs or outputs? because if there is a way to program such an “if” condition, then it would be a super timesaver to just hit a key command and have the program connect whatever next cable it seems logical to connect.

example: right now I am playing around with shapemaster a bit, let’s say I want to use it as an 8-channel vca and record all the channels to single tracks in my daw via an aggregate device consisting of my audio interface’s driver, and blackhole. so, I connect vca1 from shapemaster to input 1 on my audio-64 module, then I just hit n, and the software noticed that I probably want to connect the next output of the same type, to the next input of the same type, and it automatically connects vca2 of shapemaster to input 2 on my a64 module. press n another 6 times and in less than a second all cables are connected while it would take me about 20 seconds to do so manually (unless I use a gaming mouse or something ;))

but I remember in scope, this feature was rather intelligent. say I’d have connected input 9 instead of 1, the keycommand would connect O2 to I10 instead of populating prior free ones.

I remember it was not super intelligent though. one thing that would be cool for such a command would be this example: say I want to record 4 aux sends to 4 instances of vcv-rec, so I duplicate one REC module three times, so I have 4 in a row, I connect the first send to the input of the first rec, and by hitting “n” three times, all inputs are mapped, s1 to rec1, s2 to rec2 and so on…

cool isn’t it?

the idea here is merely a guesstimation network helping me move my mouse less. most connections are rather trivial anyways. maybe there should be a key command for connecting the last module’s output to the current module’s input if they clearly belong together, say loading an oscillator, a filter and a mixer in a row.

huge timesaver. a little bit of intelligent routing could speed up patchcabling a ton, and we all know we need as many advantages over analog hardware as possible :slight_smile:

some modules have like that kind of feature, like the auto connect of Clocked, it work with the same manufacturer or brand, but I guess implement this between different brands may be is complicated

Squinky labs modules will look for any of the Impromptu clocks and heel them up, which is usually three cables and a setting. Obviously extremely module specific.

Hi @cornucopia! This is interesting interface behavior and I think I’ll try to work some of it in as advanced interface behaviour in TapPatch (which I’m finally climbing back on to now that V2 is close). Feel free to post there (or here) if you have more specific thoughts about how it could operate.

Some of the more advanced features would require a database of port types on modules (which is actually not entirely out of the question but would be a large project that would need community buy-in) but the ones based on location and module ID might be useable.

BTW, TapPatch is designed to interoperate with mouse cabling, so you could do the first connection with mouse and just use TapPatch for the guesstimate commands.

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I think it would be ok if it works on a “per brand” basis first, consider the whole thing like a semi-modular synthesizer, most newer synths with lots of patch points, are internally already normalled to the usual locations - got a grandmother here, and the two oscs and noise go straight into the mixer, the mixer goes straight into the vcf and vcf goes straight into the vca which goes into fx and so on - all these connections can be interrupted by jacks. just goes to say there are useful connections and if we had a keystroke to let the software decide next most common connection it would be a massive timesaver. again, this is inspired by the ancient creamware/soniccore scope dsp software. looking forward to TapPatch! - It looks like a way more comprehensive approach on my little take on making things a little more lean :wink: