The Signal Patch

• A node is a single unit of work — a source, a math operation, an animator, an output, and so on.
• A pin is an input or output port on a node. Pins are typed and colour-coded (see Value Types).
• A link connects one node's output pin to another's input pin. Only compatible types connect.

Every frame, WavePhase processes the whole patch in dependency order:

1. 1

   Inject inputs

   Audio analysis, time and timecode, and external inputs (OSC, MIDI, DMX, API) push fresh values into their source nodes.
2. 2

   Evaluate nodes

   Nodes are evaluated from sources toward outputs, each transforming its inputs into outputs.
3. 3

   Emit outputs

   Output nodes send DMX, OSC, rendered video, and web updates to the outside world.

Some nodes remember things between frames — an animator's playhead position, a counter's current value, a smoothing node's last output, a crossfade in progress. This node state is kept separately from the patch definition, so every instance of a node tracks its own state independently.

A single output can feed many inputs (fan-out) — useful for sending the same beat to several effects. Combining multiple values into one (fan-in) is done through dedicated nodes like switches, crossfades, arrays, and groups rather than by stacking links onto a single pin.

• Use Note nodes to label regions of the graph.
• Use Array nodes to bundle related values and keep links tidy (see Value Types).
• Keep sources on the left and outputs on the right for readability.