The Interface

MNodes interface is divided into several key areas.

Layout Overview

Header / Toolbar

The top bar provides access to:

• File operations: New, Open, Save, Save As
• Edit operations: Undo, Redo, Copy, Paste
• Preset selector: The current preset's name with prev/next arrows. Click the name to open the Preset Browser
• Home button: Open the Home panel
• Settings: Open settings overlay

Graph Canvas

The central workspace where you build your audio patches by placing and connecting nodes.

Navigation

Action	Input
Pan	Middle-click drag, or Space + left-click drag
Zoom	Mouse wheel or trackpad pinch
Select node	Click on a node
Multi-select	Ctrl/Cmd + click, or drag a selection box
Select all	Ctrl/Cmd + A
Add node	Right-click to open the Node Palette
Move nodes	Click and drag selected nodes
Delete	Select and press Delete/Backspace

Drag and drop onto the graph

Drop files onto the editor to load them straight away. This works for presets, preset bundles, and factory packs, and also for looks: drop a .mnLook (or .hbLook) file onto the editor to apply that look immediately. Applying a dropped look is a single undo step, so Ctrl/Cmd+Z reverts it.

MiniMap

A small overview of the entire graph appears in the corner of the canvas. Click on the minimap to quickly navigate to any part of your patch.

Graph Toolbar

A floating toolbar at the bottom of the canvas. You can drag it to reposition it, and collapse/expand it. Here are all the controls from left to right:

#	Button	Description
1	Drag handle (dots)	Drag to reposition the toolbar anywhere on the canvas
2	Expand / Collapse	Show or hide the toolbar buttons. Click to toggle
3	Grid & Snap	Toggle the grid overlay on/off. When enabled, nodes snap to the grid
4	Grid Size (slider + number)	Adjust the grid spacing (5 to 80 pixels)
5	Zoom 100% (magnifying glass)	Reset zoom to exactly 100%
6	Fit to View (expand arrows)	Auto-fit all nodes into the current viewport
7	Zoom Level (slider + %)	Adjust zoom level (15% to 500%)
8	Show/Hide Panel	Toggle the Panel (control surface) visibility
9	Show/Hide Explorer	Toggle the left Explorer sidebar
10	Show/Hide Inspector	Toggle the right Inspector sidebar

Explorer Panel (Left)

The left sidebar with four tabs, top to bottom: Files, Nodes, Modules / Subgraphs, and Lab.

• Files: Browse your computer's file system. Navigate to audio files and drag them onto the canvas or into a Sampler
• Nodes: Browse all available node types by category
• Modules / Subgraphs: Browse your saved modules and subgraphs
• Lab: The Lab, the Synth & FX generator. Builds complete playable instruments and FX chains from flavour tags. See The Lab.
• Favorites: Star folders and files for quick access
• Preview: Built-in audio player at the bottom lets you audition audio files before loading them. Supports Play, Loop, and Auto Play

Presets are no longer reached from this sidebar. Browse them through the Preset Browser, opened by clicking the preset name at the top of the window. See Preset Library.

Inspector Panel (Right)

When you select a node, the Inspector shows all its parameters organized in collapsible sections.

The Inspector sections include:

• Node Presets: Save and load presets for this specific node type
• Main: The node's primary parameters (Value, Min, Max, Default, Increment, etc.)
• Appearance: Visual customization (colors, text size, corner radius, etc.)
• DAW: Expose parameters to your DAW for automation
• Interaction: Input behavior settings
• Panel: Control surface position and visibility

Each parameter row has three icons on the right:

• Randomize (circular arrows): Randomize this individual parameter
• Reset (target icon): Reset to default value
• Lock (padlock): freezes the value. A locked parameter is left out of randomize AND of States capture/recall, at any depth. Available on every capturable parameter; rows a State never captures (labels, pins, buttons, a widget's position/colours) simply don't show it. You can still change it manually.

The Filter fields search bar at the top lets you quickly find parameters in nodes with many settings.

Node Palette

Opened by right-clicking on the canvas. A search-based picker with category filter tabs.

• Search bar: Type to filter nodes by name, and by what they are called elsewhere. Every node carries a set of synonyms, so vca finds Volume and Sig Multiply, echo finds the Delays, adsr finds the envelopes, dx7 finds the FM nodes and throw / catch find the Send and Receive wires. Exact name matches always sit on top, synonym matches below them.
• Category tabs: All, Analysis, Convert, Effects, Envelopes, Filters, Instruments, MIDI, Math & Logic, Modulation, Oscillators, Pitch, Routing, Samplers, Sequencers, Subgraph, Utilities, Values, Widgets
• Results list: Shows matching nodes with their category. Click to add a node at the cursor position

Home Panel

An overlay that appears on startup with the MNodes logo, a Welcome header and two cards: Perform (play devices on the front panel) and Create (patch in the node graph); your choice is remembered. Recent projects and a "Don't show this on startup" toggle sit below.

Front Panel (Control Surface)

A separate view for live performance. See The Front Panel for details.

Settings

Settings opens in its own movable window (from the MNodes logo menu) with sections for General, Appearance, Audio/MIDI and License. See Settings.