Using Patchboard

Patchboard has two primary modes: browsing & playing. When browsing, Patchboard helps you quickly identify and jump to patches and their corresponding tracks in your DAW. When playing, Patchboard will show you an instrument-specific dashboard so you can control all the features of the instrument you’re working with.

Browsing

Patchboard provides a number of different features to make finding and discovering sounds easy. (Read up on the user interface for an in-depth look at all the available features.)

1. Press a quick filter like Pizzicato to show only the patches that have a pizzicato articulation. Press the filter again to turn it off or press the Clear buttons above.

   You can also combine multiple quick filters to be even more specific, e.g. CineSamples and Pizzicato.

2. Type in a query to show only the matching tracks and patches. Patchboard searches the name of the patch or track as well as any metadata.

3. Press any patch or track and Patchboard will immediately record arm it and scroll to it in your DAW. Of course, this only works if there’s a track linked to the patch. If a patch is not currently linked to a track in your project, it will have a broken link indicator next to it.

4. The Catalog view shows all the patches in your catalog. You may have more patches than are currently available in the open project—that’s perfectly normal!

   Tip: To show only the patches that are availble in the current project, try the In Project quick filter!

   The Project view shows all the tracks in the project currently open in your DAW. Any tracks that are linked to an existing patch will display that patch’s information as well as a connected link indicator .

   The Dashboard shows patch-specific controls for the patch linked to the current record armed track (or selected )

Playing

Whenever a track becomes record armed, Patchboard checks to see if that track is linked to a patch. If so, Patchboard will switch to the Dashboard to show an instrument-specific control panel. (Read up on the Dashboard for an in-depth look at all the available features.)

1. Like in the Browser, you can use quick filters to narrow down the available articulation switches.

2. Press any pad to switch to that articulation on the current patch. Patchboard will send whatever MIDI is needed to the instrument.

   If you’re planning to record into a track, make sure to press the pad when you hit record so the articulation switch gets recorded as well.

3. The header shows which patch is currently recording.

   ⬤ means that the track is armed and ready.

   means that Patchboard is having trouble finding or arming the track linked to this patch. If it stays this way for longer than a couple of seconds, check that the patch is linked to a track in the current project and Patchboard has a correct list of the tracks in the Browser’s Project view.

   Press the chevron_left Back button to return to the Browser.

4. The keyboard at the bottom shows any key ranges defined for the currently selected articulation on a virtual 88-key keyboard. This is similar to the visual keyboard available in Kontakt, for instance.

   The keyboard can be a useful visual aid when working with patches that have disjointed ranges or use a range of keys for a special purpose such as selecting the playback key for a harp gliss.