Appearance
Widgets
Widgets are special nodes that create interactive UI controls in the Front Panel. They bridge the visual control surface with the audio graph.
Beyond Widget Nodes
Many nodes that don't have "Widget" in their name also have visual bodies that can be added and customized in the Front Panel. For example, Dynamics nodes (Compressor, Limiter), Analysis nodes (Spectrum, Oscilloscope), and Meters all have visual displays. See Node Bodies in the Front Panel for details.
Widget Types
Controls
| Widget | Outputs | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Slider (V) | Float (Data) | Vertical slider for continuous values |
| Slider (H) | Float (Data) | Horizontal slider for continuous values |
| Knob | Float (Data) | Rotary control |
| XY Pad | X + Y (Data) | Two-dimensional control surface |
| Button | Event (Data) | Momentary trigger. Fires an event when pressed |
| Toggle | Bool (Data) | On/off switch |
| ComboBox | Int (Data) | Dropdown selection |
| RadioGroup | Int (Data) | Mutually exclusive buttons |
| Keyboard (Keymap) | MIDI | Piano keyboard: outputs MIDI notes |
Display
| Widget | Inputs | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Text | String (Data) | Display or edit text |
| Image | File | Display an image file |
| Sample View | Audio | Waveform display |
| Sample Map | File / MIDI | Multi-sample zone editor |
Shapes
| Widget | Description |
|---|---|
| Square | Square shape with fill color |
| Rectangle | Rectangle shape |
| Circle | Circle shape |
| Triangle | Triangle shape |
| Hexagon | Hexagon shape |
| Line | Line element |
| Arc | Arc/curve element |
| Polygon/Shadow | Custom polygon with shadow |
Special
| Widget | Description |
|---|---|
| MIDI Drag Exporter | Drag MIDI clips out of MNodes into your DAW |
| Appearance Changer | Dynamically change visual properties of other widgets |
Widget Properties
Every widget supports:
- Min / Max / Default:Value range
- Step size:Snap to discrete values
- Prefix / Suffix:Display units (e.g., "Hz", "%", "dB")
- Color:Customizable fill and accent colors
- Expose to DAW:Make automatable from your DAW
- Lock (padlock): freeze a value; a locked parameter is excluded from randomize and from States capture/recall.
Position and Size (Pos X / Pos Y / Size Width / Size Height)
The Inspector's Appearance section includes Pos X and Pos Y fields that hold the widget's position on the Front Panel, in pixels, and Size Width and Size Height fields that hold its size.
- Live both ways: dragging, resizing or nudging a widget updates the fields live, and editing the fields moves and resizes the widget on the panel.
- Whole pixels: all four step in whole pixels. The smallest size is 10 x 10.
- Modulatable: they also appear in an Appearance Changer and accept the node's Appearance input (e.g.
{"panelX": 120, "panelY": 40, "panelW": 90, "panelH": 90}), so a widget's position and size can be modulated or animated like any other appearance value. - Randomiser: position and size are excluded from the appearance randomiser, and from a pasted look, by default. Unlock them in the Inspector to include them.
Copy Size / Paste Size
To give several widgets the same dimensions, right-click one on the Front Panel and choose Copy Size, then right-click another and choose Paste Size. Select more than one widget first and the paste applies to the whole selection (the menu says how many). A size fits any widget, so it can be copied from one type onto another, and locked widgets are left alone.
Using Widgets in the Graph
Widgets appear as nodes in the graph with output pins. Connect them to any compatible input:
In this example, a Widget Knob controls the Gain parameter of a Volume node. The Knob's Data output is connected to that input, allowing real-time control from the Front Panel.
Linked Widgets
Widgets can be linked in a master/slave relationship: one widget controls another, useful for creating complex control surfaces.