Signal Rates
This page contains a rather complicated material. If you don't understand it, just ignore it. However the concepts given here can help you to create a less time consuming instruments and ensembles.
Each wire transfers the output signal of one module to an input of another. The wires are not equal. In some wires the signal does not change at all (it is constant). In some wires it changes in responce to an incoming event (MIDI or user input from panel). In other it changes (or at least is assumed to change) continuously. This creates three different signal rates: constant, event and continuous.
If a module (or in some cases part of it) receives a continuous input, it has to produce a continuous output. This means that the module is evaluated for each output sample (e.g. for 44.1kHz sampling rate the module is going to be evaluated 44100 times per second). However if the inputs to a module are all constant and/or event, the module could possibly produce an event rate output, thus evaluating only once per incoming event. If all inputs are constant the module never evaluates.
E.g. let's take a multiplication module (in its simplest form), whose output is the product of its two inputs. If both inputs are constant then the output is constant, the module never evaluates. If one of the inputs is constant and the other is event then the output is event, the module evaluates on an event incoming through the module's input. If both inputs are event then the output is event, the module evaluates on an event incoming from either input (or from both simultaneously). If one of the inputs or both of them are continuous then the output is continuous, the module evaluates on each sample tick.
There are certain exceptions. E.g. even if an oscillator receives an event input (e.g. frequency), the output value is certainly continuous.
A special case are macro modules (that is modules with internal structure). If a macro has a continuous input, not necessarily all macro's internal modules are counted continuous. Actually only those internal modules with are fed with continuous input signal are continuous-rated.
Another special case are multisection relays and switches. For them, each section has its own signal rate.
Note. If a wire lies within a feedback signal loop it is always continuous rate.
The signal rate is denoted by dot marks next to the pins. Red marks denote constant rate, green marks denote event rate. If there's no mark, the rate is continuous. Don't confuse dot marks denoting signal rate, with angle bracket marks, denoting other aspects of signal routing.
Note. Marks at disconnected or inactive (due to optimization) modules/pins do not denote anything, since the rate of the passing signal may change when the pin is activated.
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