Connections & Wiring

Connections (cables) carry signals between nodes. Understanding the signal types and how they behave is key to building effective patches.

Creating Connections

1. Click on an output pin of a node
2. Drag to a compatible input pin of another node
3. Release to create the connection

During drag, compatible pins are highlighted. Incompatible pins are dimmed.

Removing Connections

• Click on a cable to select it, then press Delete
• Double-click on a cable to delete it immediately

The Four Signal Types

Each signal type has its own colored pin so you can identify them at a glance.

Audio (Gold)

High-quality audio signals processed at sample rate. This is the main signal path for sound.

• Rate: Sample-accurate, continuous
• Use for: Oscillator output, filter chains, effects, final output

CV - Control Voltage (Mint/Green)

Fast modulation signals processed at audio rate. CV connections carry continuous value arrays: smooth, high-resolution, and sample-accurate. Values are always being sent, every single sample, regardless of whether the value changes.

• Rate: Sample-accurate, continuous (always streaming)
• Use for: LFO to filter cutoff, envelope to amplitude, pitch modulation, any fast smooth modulation

MIDI (Crimson/Red)

MIDI messages including notes, CC, pitch bend, and clock. Event-based, not continuous.

• Rate: Event-based (fires only when a MIDI event occurs)
• Use for: MIDI In to arpeggiator, keyboard to oscillators, MIDI routing

Data (Cyan/Blue)

Control values and events. Carries floats, integers, booleans, strings, and events. Data is event-driven: a value is only sent when it changes. If nothing changes, nothing is transmitted.

• Rate: Event-based (fires only on change)
• Use for: UI controls, logic flow, event triggers, math operations, parameters that don't need sample-accurate timing

Data vs CV: Understanding the Difference

This is one of the most important concepts in MNodes:

	Data	CV
When does it send?	Only when the value changes	Every sample, continuously
Latency	Not sample-accurate	Sample-accurate
CPU cost	Very low (event-driven)	Higher (always streaming)
Best for	UI controls, slow parameters, logic	Fast modulation, smooth sweeps, audio-rate control

Example: If you set a knob to 0.5 and leave it there:

• Data sends "0.5" once, then nothing until you move the knob again
• CV sends "0.5" every single sample, continuously, forever

This makes Data very efficient for things that don't change often (UI controls, settings), and CV essential for things that need to be smooth and continuous (LFO modulation, envelopes).

Hybrid Pins: The Best of Both Worlds

Some nodes have hybrid pins that accept both Data and CV connections. You can visually identify them because they display two colors, the cyan of Data and the mint/green of CV split down the middle, indicating they accept both signal types.

How Hybrid Pins Work

• When you connect a Data cable to a hybrid pin, the node operates in Data mode, event-driven and efficient
• When you connect a CV cable to a hybrid pin, the node automatically switches to CV mode, continuous and sample-accurate

Important

When a CV cable is connected to a hybrid pin, CV takes priority and any Data connection on that same pin is overridden. The parameter becomes fully controlled by the CV signal, and Data input is ignored until the CV cable is disconnected.

Nodes with Hybrid Behavior

Several nodes adapt their behavior based on what you connect:

Node	Default	With CV connected
Float Value	Outputs Data events	Outputs continuous CV stream
Float Map	Maps Data values	Maps CV signal continuously
Math nodes (Add, Multiply, etc.)	Operate on Data events	Operate sample-by-sample on CV
Clamp, Abs, Min, Max	Process Data	Process CV

This means you can use the same node for both slow UI-driven control and fast audio-rate modulation, just by changing what type of cable you connect.

Wiring Rules

Rule	Description
Output → Input	Connections always flow from output to input
Type matching	Pins must be compatible types (hybrid pins accept multiple types)
Multiple outputs	One output can connect to many inputs
One input source	Each input accepts only one connection
No feedback loops	Audio/CV connections cannot create loops

Converting Between Types

Use converter nodes to bridge signal types:

Conversion	Node
Audio → CV	Audio To CV
CV → Audio	CV To Audio
Audio → Data	Audio To Data
CV → Data	CV To Data
MIDI → CV	MIDI To CV
MIDI → Data	MIDI To Data

Pin Colors in the Default Theme

Pin	Type	Color
	Audio	Gold (#D8B65A)
	MIDI	Crimson (#FF4D6D)
	Data	Cyan (#5CB8FF)
	CV	Mint (#82DCA0)
	Hybrid (Data+CV)	Cyan + Mint

These colors can be customized in Settings → Appearance.