Appearance
Pin & data types
A cable carries something from an output to an input. Its type tells you what: sound, a number, a note, or something to draw.
Check the name and the type together. A shared colour does not mean that any two pins can connect. Drag from an output; compatible inputs light up.
Sound and controls
| Default pin | Carries | Try this |
|---|---|---|
 Audio | Sound, continuously | Saw Out → Filter In L |
 Data | A number, text, colour, list or event | Knob Out → Filter Freq |
 CV | A changing control signal | LFO Out → Filter Freq |
 MIDI | Notes and performance messages | MIDI In → MIDI To CV |
 Hybrid | Data or CV, depending on the source | Set a value with a knob, or move it with an LFO |
Data inputs accept particular kinds of values. For example, Width needs a number; an image-file input needs a file path. A colour value cannot replace either one. Names such as Colour on a reusable module may instead select a numbered palette: check its Help for the range.
Learn to draw cables and choose ranges →
Number ranges and precision
Like any computer program, MNodes stores every number with a limited size. For sound and for ordinary controls you will never notice it. It matters when you do exact maths with very large whole numbers.
| Type | How it is stored | Range | Exact up to |
|---|---|---|---|
| Audio | A decimal number for every sample (32-bit float, the same as most DAWs) | Far above full scale (0 dB), so a loud signal between nodes is not cut off | About 7 significant digits |
| CV | A decimal number for every sample (32-bit float) | About ±3.4 × 10³⁸ | About 7 significant digits. Every whole number up to 16,777,216 |
| Data: decimal number | 32-bit float | About ±3.4 × 10³⁸ | About 7 significant digits. Every whole number up to 16,777,216 |
| Data: whole number | 32-bit integer | −2,147,483,648 to 2,147,483,647 | Every whole number in the range |
| Data: on/off | True or false | ||
| Data: text | Text | No fixed length | |
| MIDI | Standard MIDI 1.0 | 16 channels. Notes and velocity 0 to 127. Pitch bend 0 to 16,383 |
Very large whole numbers
A decimal number keeps about 7 digits. Up to 16,777,216 (2²⁴) every whole number is stored exactly. Above that, numbers get rounded to the nearest value the decimal number can hold, and the gaps grow as the numbers grow:
| Around | Nearest stored values are |
|---|---|
| 16,777,216 (2²⁴) | 2 apart |
| 33,554,432 (2²⁵) | 4 apart |
| 4,294,967,296 (2³²) | 512 apart |
So 2²⁴ + 1 comes out as 2²⁴, and above 2²⁵ adding or subtracting 1 changes nothing. The maths is right, but the result has nowhere to go.
The Math nodes (Add, Subtract, Multiply and the rest) work with decimal numbers, so a whole number that goes through them follows the same limit, even if it started as a whole number. This is also why Integer to Bits and Bits to Integer stop at 24 bits.
If you need exact whole numbers, keep them below 16,777,216. For bigger values, split the number into two smaller parts and work with each one separately.
Scene drawing types · from 1.1.5
These types belong to the visual system. They describe what to draw and how it looks. They do not carry audio or MIDI.
| Default colour | Type | What it carries | Connect it to |
|---|---|---|---|
| Violet | Object | A shape, control or group to draw | Scene Objects, or another compatible object input |
| Orange | Material | The complete finish for a 3D object | Scene 3D Shape Material |
| Pink | Surface | A colour or pattern evaluated across a material | Material Colour Map, Emission Map or another compatible map input |
A complete 3D connection
Fresnel Surface → Material Colour Map creates the pattern. Then connect Material Material → Shape Material to apply the finish. Connect Shape Object → View Objects, then View Object → Scene Objects to see it.
Fresnel cannot connect directly to Scene Objects: a pattern needs a material and an object before it can be drawn.
Build this example step by step →
Scene controls still use ordinary values
A Scene Slider has two jobs. Its Object output draws the slider; the Out pin on its Value row sends the number you choose. Connect Object to Scene Objects, and that Out to the parameter you want to control.
Code, Zones and Set use Data messages with specific contents. They are not interchangeable with Object, Material or Surface cables. Start with Scene Zone to make a clickable area without writing code.
See each Scene connection up close →
Your colours may be different
You can customise pin colours in Settings → Appearance. Object, Material and Surface have their own settings, separate from CV. The type and accepted connections stay the same when you change a colour.