Auto Linking / Smart Linking between modules and vsts.

[Harmonic]

Hey Peter,

Another FR
Option to auto connect new VSTs/modules can be very handy to save time.

I was thinking of few ways to make faster connections :

1.
Inserting a module before/after to auto connect the requested module in between the connected modules (with some logic of course).

Right click on a module->
Insert before:
Insert after:

2.
"Auto Linking" like in Outsim flowstone.

Auto connect module by holding it close (how close can be adjusted) to another module's inputs / outputs (while the output is in parallel with the inputs)

3.
"Smart Linking" like in outsim flowstone

I did a demostration vid here:
https://youtu.be/k9K3NZ5ZLQw

4.
wireless linking

here is a pdf which explain it all in more details.
see pages 50-56.

User guide

[Harmonic]

hello

[Peter]

Hi,

4th feature already exists in MIDI Lab -> see Teleports (Send/Receive).

Regarding 1., I can see many potential cases where it could create some absurd connections (or at least cause a confusion), while for other cases there could be many logical combinations of how a new module could be inserted in between. It would be like a lottery if MIDI Lab can guess how you imagined the blocks to connect to each other, making the feature useless for 95% percent of the users for whom MIDI Lab usually doesn't guess correctly... For 2. and 3. there are very similar problems. Look at the NI Reaktor where you (especially with the low level Core modules) usually have like 100x more connection than in MIDI Lab, but there's no any kind of auto-link option and I'm pretty sure it's not NI guys bad will, it's just that in most cases it wouldn't work as intended by the user making the feature an annoying "time loser". I can imagine it could work sensibly only for single output-single input (of same signal type) connections (which I could try to experiment in the future).

[robertmc]

Regarding auto linking there's a nifty happy medium with the old Creamware environment. Dragging a module onto an already connect cable highlights it. It shows the intent to connect between the two currently connected modules.

Another feature that many environments have is the modifier or right-click to intend a "replace". That's also a pickup in speed.

[Peter]

Huh, I remember so well when I owned a small home Creamware system with a few LUNA sound cards connected together. I don't remember their environment that well, but it definitely felt well.

I'm worried about meaningfulness of connections made with such insertions / replacement. As long as you're working with simple stereo in/stereo out or mono in/mono out modules (like many VST/AU plugins), it works fine. In the "replace mode" it would simply rewire all existing audio/MIDI/param connections (if relevant ports exist on the new module obviously). In the 'insert on connector" mode it would be even simpler. But imagine trying to work with some built-in modules like the below when replacing LUA Script with ADSR or Wave Gen module. In both cases the resulting structure hardly makes any sense...

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