Source

A Source creates signals. It carries a procedural preset, an instrument, a trigger, and an output mode. The shared protocol still calls this object an emitter; the interface calls it Source.

Source is the player-facing name for the object stored as an emitter in the shared protocol. Every signal begins here. A Source without outgoing wires is silent. One wire makes a metronome with personality. Several wires make the seed of an arrangement.

Trigger modes

Seven trigger modes determine when a Source fires. Choose whether the voice follows measures, harmony, phrase and section boundaries, or its own interval.

EMITTER_TRIGGER_MODES
ParameterTypeRangeDefaultDescription
measurestringFires once at the start of each measure. The default for most rhythmic voices.
chordstringFires when the global chord progression advances. Useful for harmonic punctuation.
phrasestringFires at phrase boundaries (configurable in music settings). Anchors longer melodic shapes.
sectionStartstringFires once at the beginning of each song-structure section. Good for entry hits.
sectionEndstringFires once at the end of each section. Good for cadential punctuation.
sectionCyclestringFires once per full section cycle. Use for very-long-form layered patterns.
intervalstringFires every N ticks (default 16, one bar). Independent of bars or progression.

Output modes

Each Source outputs to the internal audio engine or an external MIDI device on a chosen channel.

EMITTER_OUTPUT_MODES
ParameterTypeRangeDefaultDescription
internalstringRoutes notes to the internal sample-based engine. The default.
externalMidistringRoutes notes to an external MIDI device on a configurable channel (1-16).

Composer presets

Every Source carries a preset: a packaged ComposerAgent configuration plus a role. Presets are how you ask for a walking bass, melodic lead, or rhythmic companion without setting 30 parameters from scratch. Six roles provide useful starting points:

AGENT_ROLES
ParameterTypeRangeDefaultDescription
bassroleLow-register voice. Gravity contour, root focus, walking patterns.
melodyroleMid-to-high register lead voice. Free or oscillate contour, scale-tone focus.
harmonyroleMid-register companion voice. Guide-tone or color-tone focus, voice-leading bias.
rhythmroleRhythmic chordal or pad voice. Pedal or motif contour, chord-tone focus.
leadroleHigh-register expressive voice. Wide range, motif/sequence contour.
percussionroleDrum-pitched voice. Pedal contour, fixed register, rhythm-driven.

Full parameter reference for the agent that lives inside every preset. Continue learning

Mixing and routing

Each Source has independent volume, pan, and four FX sends: reverb, delay, chorus, and distortion. It can be muted, soloed, assigned a custom Sound Lab patch, or given a preset override that diverges from the named preset.