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Audio Chaining

Connect audio objects to make a signal chain. Sound moves from a source through processors to an output. An object whose name ends with ~ is an audio object.

Audio chain example

This audio chain sends an oscillator through a gain control to the output.

✨ Try this patch — FM synthesis using oscillators, expressions, gain control, and frequency analysis.

How It Works

Think of audio chaining as a hardware signal chain: oscillator → filter → amp → speaker. Each ~ object processes a signal and sends it to the next object.

Keep these two rules in mind:

  1. End the chain with out~. You do not hear sound until the signal reaches out~.
  2. Use gain~ to control volume. Connect it before out~ to avoid clipping.
[osc~ 440] → [gain~ 0.5] → [out~]

Find audio objects in the Audio category of the object browser.

Try It

Exercise — Simple tone

  1. Create an osc~ 440 object. It produces a 440 Hz sine wave.
  2. Connect it to a gain~ 0.3 object.
  3. Connect gain~ to out~.
  4. Press play in the transport.
  5. Listen for the tone.

Exercise — Add a filter

  1. Insert lowpass~ 800 between osc~ and gain~.
  2. Change the frequency value.
  3. Listen for the tone to get brighter or darker.

Monitoring Audio

Use these objects to monitor an audio chain:

  • scope~ — Show the waveform shape in real time.
  • tap~ — Send waveform frames as messages to canvas or GLSL.
  • meter~ — Show loudness as a level bar.
  • env~ — Send loudness as a number you can route elsewhere.

See Audio Reactivity to use audio data for visuals.

Fun Examples

This patch by @kijjaz creates a beat with mathematical expressions:

Beat example

Build a drum machine with this patch. Use W A S D to play drums:

Simple drum machine

Wireless Audio Routing

Use send~ <channel> and recv~ <channel> to route audio across a patch without cables:

[osc~ 440] → [send~ synth]          [recv~ synth] → [gain~ 0.5] → [out~]

This keeps complex patches readable by removing long cables.

See Also