Cagire/docs/engine_settings.md

Settings

The audio engine can be configured through the Engine page or via command-line arguments. Settings are saved and restored between sessions.

Engine Page

Press Ctrl+Right until you reach the Engine page. Here you can see the engine status and adjust settings.

Display

The right side of the page shows visualizations:

• Scope: oscilloscope showing the audio waveform
• Spectrum: 32-band frequency analyzer

Settings

Navigate with arrow keys, adjust values with left/right:

• Output Device: where sound goes (speakers, headphones, interface).
• Input Device: what audio input source to use (microphone, line-in, etc.).
• Channels: number of output channels (2 for stereo).
• Buffer Size: audio buffer in samples (64-4096).
• Max Voices: polyphony limit (1-128, default 32).
• Lookahead: scheduling lookahead in milliseconds (0-50, default 15).

Buffer Size

Smaller buffers mean lower latency but higher CPU load. Larger buffers are safer but feel sluggish.

Buffer	Latency at 44.1kHz
64	~1.5ms
128	~3ms
256	~6ms
512	~12ms
1024	~23ms

Start with 512. Lower it if you need tighter timing. Raise it if you hear glitches.

Samples

The engine indexes audio files from your sample directories. Add directories with A, remove with D. The sample count shows how many files are indexed. You can load as many sample banks as you want, they are not really loaded into memory but lazily loaded. They are loaded on demand when you play a sample. Samples are referenced by filename without extension:

kick s .       ;; plays kick.wav, kick.mp3, etc.

Troubleshooting

• No sound: Check output device selection.

  • Try the test sound (t) on Engine page).

• Glitches/crackling: Increase buffer size, restart the Engine.

• High CPU: Reduce max voices. Disable scope/spectrum. Increase buffer size.

• Samples not found: Check sample directories on Engine page. Filenames are case-sensitive on some systems.