🐉 HYDRA SANITY v8.69 Ready to Work

Stable automation graph workflow for Renoise HYDRA automation, MIDI controllers, note recording, Aftertouch, hardware feedback, LOOP automation repeat and MCU_COM OSC workflows.

Current focus: stable PAUSE workflow with MCU / PANORAMA row refresh, separated HYDRA DSP topology scan logic, safer selected-row ownership, Renoise DAW focus feedback, stable PANORAMA W.A. row integration, LOOP automation repeat, Repeat TOPOLOGY support, improved MIDI control button routing, hardware feedback, IRON / Sm graph repair and clearer GUI row handling.

HYDRA SANITY is a Renoise tool for recording, rewriting, repeating, repairing and protecting HYDRA automation graphs from MIDI controllers in real time. It is designed as a deterministic realtime control layer between MIDI hardware, Renoise transport, HYDRA DSP devices, PANORAMA W.A. rows and Renoise automation graphs.

🧭 Current capability map

1. Installation

1. Download the .xrnx package.
2. Drag the .xrnx file into the Renoise window.
3. Confirm the tool installation.
4. Open the tool from:

Tools > Zorgan > HYDRA SANITY

The monitoring engine starts automatically when the GUI is opened.

Recommended keyboard shortcut

You can assign a keyboard shortcut in:

Preferences > Keys > Global > Hydra Sanity > Show GUI

This is the safest way to open / close the HYDRA SANITY GUI.

Optional Renoise MIDI Mapping for Show GUI

You can also assign a hardware button to:

Tools > Zorgan > Hydra Sanity > Show GUI

through the native Renoise MIDI Mapping system.

Show GUI means: show the HYDRA SANITY graphical environment. When the GUI opens, HYDRA SANITY calls the monitoring engine and automatically starts the HS engine if it is not already running.

Important warning:

Do not assign a continuous controller such as Mod Wheel CC1, Pitch Bend, fader movement or encoder movement to Show GUI.

Renoise native MIDI Mapping is separate from HYDRA SANITY MIDI MAPPER / MIDI LEARN. If CC1 Mod Wheel is accidentally learned by Renoise to Show GUI, every Mod Wheel value can reopen / refresh the GUI repeatedly. This can look like HYDRA SANITY is freezing, constantly refreshing, or showing only the base GUI shell without HYDRA rows.

If this happens, clear the mapping in Renoise:

Ctrl+M > Tools > Zorgan > Hydra Sanity > Show GUI

HYDRA SANITY RESET ALL CC / Clear all MIDI Learn does not clear Renoise native MIDI mappings.

2. What to prepare in Renoise before using HYDRA SANITY

HYDRA SANITY works best when the Renoise project is prepared as a clear instrument / track / automation structure.

Recommended project preparation

1. Prepare your Instruments.
2. Connect or assign instruments to their intended Renoise tracks.
3. In every track that should be controlled by HYDRA SANITY, add a HYDRA DSP device.
4. Route each HYDRA DSP output to the intended target:
   • Instrument automation parameter,
   • track DSP parameter,
   • Mixer parameter,
   • plugin parameter,
   • or another supported Renoise automation target.
5. Name tracks, devices and important parameters clearly.

Instrument-per-track workflow

A very practical setup is:

• Track 1 = Instrument 1 + HYDRA DSP,
• Track 2 = Instrument 2 + HYDRA DSP,
• Track 3 = Instrument 3 + HYDRA DSP,
• and so on.

With this structure, each HYDRA row can represent a real musical target. When you move a mapped controller, HYDRA SANITY can bring the matching automation graph into focus. With REC PLAY NOTE & Automation, it can also prepare the matching note-record track.

3. Starting the HYDRA SANITY GUI

Open HYDRA SANITY from:

Tools > Zorgan > HYDRA SANITY

or use your assigned keyboard shortcut.

You can also open it from a hardware button through Renoise native MIDI Mapping, but use a real button, not a continuous controller.

What appears in the GUI

HYDRA SANITY scans the Renoise song and displays available HYDRA DSP rows and active PANORAMA W.A. rows.

Each row represents one automation target. Depending on the current GUI mode, a row can show:

• HYDRA row name or PANORAMA W.A. row name,
• REC / LATCH / ARM ON / STICKY / MUTE / SOLO state,
• REC suppression state when MUTE / SOLO temporarily disables an armed row,
• learned MIDI input,
• current value / meter,
• selected target path,
• HYDRA DSP OUT helper information,
• IRON / Sm / STICKY visual activity,
• Aftertouch state,
• hardware feedback state.

GUI row handling is designed for renamed, removed, shadowed and structurally rebuilt HYDRA DSP targets. Missing, stale or invalid row state is handled structurally instead of being hidden behind valid-looking fallback names.

GUI modes

4. MIDI routing and hardware profiles

Direct MIDI slots

HYDRA SANITY exposes three direct MIDI input slots and three direct MIDI output slots inside MIDI MAPPER:

• MIDI IN 1
• MIDI IN 2
• MIDI IN 3
• MIDI OUT 1
• MIDI OUT 2
• MIDI OUT 3

Each MIDI OUT slot has a ROLE:

Hardware profiles

HYDRA SANITY supports two hardware profiles:

Each profile keeps its own:

• MIDI IN / OUT ports,
• output roles,
• MIDI routing preferences,
• profile-scoped MIDI Learn payload.

SWAP HW

Use SWAP HW when the currently connected controller was detected, but the stored role is reversed. It exchanges the stored STUDIO and TRAVEL profile contents and keeps the current physical mapping alive.

5. MIDI MAPPER (MIDI LEARN)

MIDI MAPPER is the HYDRA SANITY MIDI Mapping / MIDI Learn workspace. It is used to map hardware controls directly to HYDRA SANITY row automation controls and HYDRA SANITY global workflow buttons.

HYDRA SANITY MIDI MAPPER uses its own MIDI mapping engine, its own hardware device definition and profile-scoped routing. It is used for controlling automation graph writing on HYDRA SANITY rows, meaning HYDRA DSP automation graph control.

Renoise native MIDI Mapping and HYDRA SANITY MIDI MAPPER are separate MIDI mapping systems. HYDRA SANITY RESET ALL CC clears only HYDRA SANITY internal mappings, not native Renoise MIDI mappings.

MIDI MAPPER can learn:

• row INPUT controls such as encoders, DEC / REL controls, faders, knobs and Pitch Bend,
• row REC buttons,
• row LATCH / ARM ON / STICKY / LEAVE workflow buttons,
• row MUTE / SOLO helper buttons,
• row AT Aftertouch enable state,
• global transport / workflow buttons used for recording and graph-writing control.

Global MIDI MAPPER targets

These HYDRA SANITY global buttons can also be assigned from MIDI MAPPER:

Show GUI belongs to Renoise native MIDI Mapping / keyboard shortcut workflow, not to HYDRA SANITY internal row automation mapping.

How to enter MIDI MAPPER / MIDI Learn setup

1. Open HYDRA SANITY.
2. Press MIDI MAPPER to enter MIDI Mapping / MIDI Learn mode for buttons and ENC / DEC controls.
3. Select the correct MIDI IN device slot.
4. On the target HYDRA row, press the desired L / Learn button.
5. Move or press the hardware control so HYDRA SANITY can detect the correct ENC / DEC or button type.
6. For ENC / DEC controls, move in both directions so HYDRA can detect the mode correctly.
7. For buttons, press and release the hardware button so HYDRA can learn the ON / OFF values.

For encoders, movement in both directions is required. After HYDRA SANITY detects the controller mode, MIDI Learn closes automatically and stores the value, route and detected type.

Use BACK TO STAGE when mapping is finished. It returns from MIDI MAPPER back to the live production stage for normal performance and automation work.

Row Learn targets

Typical row Learn blocks:

Automatic controller detection

HYDRA SANITY detects the incoming control type automatically. You do not need to manually decide whether the control is absolute, relative, Pitch Bend or MCU style.

During Learn, HYDRA stores:

• MIDI input slot,
• message type,
• MIDI channel,
• CC / note / Pitch Bend identity,
• detected controller mode.

The ABS classifier is guarded so that relative encoder clusters are not saved too early. For example, a REL1 movement such as 65, 66, 64 is treated as an unfinished relative candidate, not as ABS.

Button MIDI Learn

HYDRA SANITY supports several button patterns:

HYDRA does not assume that every button ON state must be exactly 127.

The MIDI button router separates real button events from continuous input messages. Mapped REC / LATCH / MUTE / SOLO buttons are handled as button actions, while encoder / fader / Pitch Bend / Aftertouch movement continues through the automation input path. This prevents encoder movement from being accidentally interpreted as a row button.

RESET ALL CC / Clear all MIDI Learn

Use RESET ALL CC when you want to clear HYDRA SANITY internal MIDI Learn mappings.

It clears HYDRA row mappings and global HYDRA MIDI Device assignments stored by HYDRA SANITY.

It does not clear native MIDI Mapping in Renoise.

6. Main workflow buttons and recording behavior

HYDRA SANITY contains two different concepts that are easy to confuse:

1. Transport / playback workflow — REC PLAY..., PLAY, PAUSE.
2. Row write permission — REC ON on each HYDRA row.

The important rule:

REC ON must be active on a row before that row is allowed to write automation graph data.

REC PLAY NOTE & Automation

Use REC PLAY NOTE & Automation when you want to record notes and automation together.

This mode enables Renoise Edit Mode and starts a note-ready recording workflow.

This mode also prepares the Renoise target track:

1. HYDRA reads the active HYDRA / Panorama row.
2. HYDRA resolves the target track for that row.
3. Renoise switches to the Pattern Editor.
4. Renoise selected track is set to the target track.
5. Then recording can start.

Example:

You are currently looking at Renoise Mixer or Plugin view.
The active HYDRA row belongs to Track 3.
You press REC N&A.
HYDRA SANITY switches Renoise to Pattern Editor and selects Track 3 before note recording starts.

Pause-armed note recording

REC PLAY NOTE & Automation can wait for the first incoming MIDI Note On.

This gives two practical start methods:

This is useful when you want to prepare the recording state first, then begin exactly with the first played note.

REC PLAY Automation

Use REC PLAY Automation when you want to record automation without recording notes into the Renoise pattern.

This is the cleanest mode for writing only automation curves.

PLAY / PAUSE Safe Listen

Use PLAY / PAUSE when you want to listen safely without writing new automation.

HYDRA protects active REC / ARM states while you listen.

REC ON

REC ON is row-level write permission.

If REC ON is OFF:

• the row does not write new automation from controller movement,
• PLAY-only IRON / Sm can still process an existing graph,
• safe listening remains possible.

If REC ON is ON:

• live controller movement can write graph points,
• LATCH / STICKY / HOLD writer paths can work,
• Release Bridge and write protection logic are available.

LOOP — selected automation grid repeater

LOOP is a row-level automation repeater for selected Automation Graph grid groups.

It works with Renoise automation selections:

1. Select a group of automation grids in the Renoise Automation Graph.
2. Press LOOP in the HYDRA row.
3. Start PLAY REC.
4. HYDRA writes the selected automation map up to the current row position.
5. LOOP continues during PLAY REC.

LOOP is useful for:

• repeated automation movement,
• live automation recording,
• modulation phrase repetition,
• pattern-based sound design,
• fast automation sketching without manual copy / paste.

LOOP and Repeat TOPOLOGY

LOOP supports Renoise repeat topology:

The selected LOOP map stays aligned with the currently active repeated playback area.

STOP NO and LOOP boundaries

STOP NO controls what happens when Renoise reaches a repeat, wrap or jump boundary.

This makes LOOP predictable during live playback and prevents unclear graph ownership at transport boundaries.

LOOP runtime protection

LOOP is protected from conflicting graph ownership modes.

LOOP cannot run together with:

• STICKY,
• Sm.

If LOOP is active and one of these conflicting modes becomes active, LOOP is safely disabled.

Empty grid handling

If the selected LOOP source range contains rows without automation points, HYDRA transfers that empty state by clearing the corresponding target row.

This prevents old automation points from being left behind in the repeated target area.

TOPOLOGY buttons

The TOPOLOGY buttons are independent boolean controls:

• PATTERN LOOP,
• SEQUENCE LOOP,
• BLOCK LOOP.

Each button reflects its own Renoise transport state. HYDRA also performs a slow fallback check from the Renoise API every 700 ms, so button colors stay correct even when loop modes are changed directly inside Renoise DAW.

REC suppression during MUTE / SOLO

If a row is REC ON and its track becomes muted or effectively muted by solo logic, HYDRA temporarily suppresses writing for that row.

In the GUI this can appear as:

This means the row was armed before the MUTE / SOLO state, but HYDRA is safely holding it back until the track becomes active again. When the suppression is removed, the remembered REC ON state is restored.

LATCH, ARM ON, STICKY and LEAVE

Encoder / decoder movement is routed through the automation input path before row button routing, so a mapped encoder should not accidentally behave like a LATCH button. The GUI follows the real runtime STICKY state while graph writing is active.

GO TO ROW 00

GO TO ROW 00 jumps the playback cursor to the start of the current pattern.

This is useful when you want to retry a recording pass quickly.

DEL TRACK / Clear Del All Note

The delete / clear-note helper is intended for fast retry workflows.

If a note recording pass is bad, assign a hardware button to the delete helper and clear the current track / pattern note content quickly. Then you can immediately try a new take without leaving the HYDRA workflow.

Use this carefully. It is designed as a performance helper, not as an undo replacement.

FOLLOW

FOLLOW is a helper for manual editing.

When enabled, HYDRA can follow Renoise playback / row position so manual editing and GUI focus stay easier to track.

Automatic automation graph selection

When you move a mapped DEC / REL encoder or controller, HYDRA SANITY can automatically select the matching HYDRA DSP automation graph.

Typical behavior:

1. Move the mapped encoder / fader.
2. HYDRA identifies the row.
3. The correct HYDRA DSP target is brought into focus.
4. The matching automation graph is selected.
5. If REC ON is active, movement is written into the graph.

This makes HYDRA SANITY useful even when you are not manually selecting automation lanes in Renoise.

7. HYDRA SANITY respects Renoise DAW movement

HYDRA SANITY is not locked to one static view.

You can move around in Renoise:

• switch tracks,
• open Mixer,
• open Plugin view,
• select DSP devices,
• select automation targets,
• edit pattern data,
• move between instruments,
• use different GUI layouts.

HYDRA SANITY keeps its internal row / graph / target logic synchronized with Renoise where possible.

Bidirectional workflow

HYDRA can work in both directions:

Typical Renoise → HYDRA feedback:

1. Click a track, device or automation target in Renoise.
2. HYDRA compares the DAW focus with known HYDRA / PANORAMA targets.
3. The matching HYDRA row or PANORAMA row becomes active in the GUI.

This is useful when editing directly in the Automation Graph and then returning to the HYDRA workflow without manually searching for the row.

HYDRA parameter branch

When you click a Renoise Automation Graph or a parameter that is controlled by a HYDRA DSP row, HYDRA SANITY can detect the matching HYDRA row.

Typical behavior:

1. Click a parameter or Automation Graph target in Renoise.
2. HYDRA compares the selected Renoise parameter with known HYDRA row targets.
3. If a matching HYDRA row exists, HYDRA SANITY highlights that row in the GUI.

This is useful when you edit automation directly in Renoise and want HYDRA SANITY to immediately show which HYDRA row owns that target.

Panorama / MCU DAW-focus branch

When an active MCU / PANORAMA row controls a DSP parameter, HYDRA SANITY can also recognize the same target from Renoise DAW focus.

Typical behavior:

1. An MCU / PANORAMA row is assigned to a DSP parameter.
2. You click the same automation target or parameter in Renoise.
3. HYDRA SANITY recognizes that the target belongs to the MCU / PANORAMA row.
4. The matching MCU row becomes highlighted in the GUI.

This keeps the MCU row workflow connected to Renoise DAW editing without requiring manual row searching.

PAUSE-mode row ownership safety

In PAUSE, HYDRA SANITY protects a valid manually selected HYDRA row from passive MCU row refresh or idle topology detection.

MCU-MIDI-COM TRACK DSP can still refresh MCU rows when the active Renoise track changes. This is treated as an MCU row-model update, not as a HYDRA DSP topology change.

Practical meaning:

• HYDRA DSP add / delete / reorder can trigger structural scan / rebuild.
• MCU / PANORAMA row target refresh updates MCU rows and shadow ownership.
• MCU / PANORAMA row target refresh does not trigger full HYDRA DSP scan logic.
• The selected HYDRA row remains stable during PAUSE unless you explicitly select another row.

Important MIDI routing note

If the same physical MIDI input is enabled both in Renoise DAW and in HYDRA SANITY, Renoise may write encoder / controller stream data into pattern FX columns.

Fix:

Renoise Preferences > MIDI > Record & Play Filter > Pitchbend & Controllers

Turn off Pitchbend & Controllers for the shared MIDI input.

This allows HYDRA to receive the controller stream while Renoise does not write that stream into pattern FX columns.

8. IRON and Sm graph repair tools

IRON and Sm are graph-processing tools. They are useful after an automation graph already exists.

They can work with or without REC ON, depending on the workflow.

IRON — spike / edge repair

Use IRON when the automation shape is musically correct but contains unwanted artifacts:

• short graph shots,
• spikes,
• cliffs,
• edge artifacts,
• accidental jumps.

IRON repairs the graph while preserving the intended motion.

Sm — Smooth mode

Use Sm when the whole movement should become softer, more rounded and less stepped.

Sm can reduce harsh stair-step behavior and make automation curves feel more natural.

PLAY-only IRON / Sm safety

When REC ON is disabled and playback is running, IRON / Sm can refine only an existing graph.

In this state HYDRA does not:

• trigger WRITE IN,
• run STICKY / LATCH / HOLD writer paths,
• run Release Bridge,
• create a new automation lane.

This makes IRON / Sm useful as safe graph processors during playback.

Practical rule:

9. Write-To-Graph engine

HYDRA SANITY writes only useful automation points. It avoids dense point spam and protects Renoise interpolation during live rewrite.

ACTIVE WRITE

Fresh encoder / fader movement writes the current value and cleans stale old graph points in the safe write span.

STICKY HOLD

STICKY keeps the last live value as a valid sparse hold anchor. Releasing the encoder while STICKY is still active does not mean “leave STICKY”. HYDRA routes that state to the HOLD writer and keeps the last live value drawn forward.

Interpolation Shelter

During active writing, HYDRA creates a short protected forward shelter so Renoise interpolation is not pulled toward stale nearby graph points.

Release Bridge

After ordinary live movement ends, HYDRA can write a short forward Release Bridge that reconnects safely toward preserved old graph data.

Release Bridge provides:

• correct cursor ownership,
• correct LATCH handoff,
• canonical value calculation,
• STICKY ownership gate,
• explicit STICKY exit handling,
• safe bridge creation after STICKY HOLD.

Fresh DEC / MIDI re-entry

A new fresh DEC / MIDI input after release or idle starts a new ACTIVE WRITE segment. It is treated as a new anchor and does not clean a long preserved graph span backward from an old writer cursor.

Automation Lane Resurrection

If a Renoise automation graph / lane is deleted manually, HYDRA SANITY revalidates its cached automation lane against the current Renoise pattern track. If the lane is gone, HYDRA clears the old cache, resets writer cursors and creates a new lane on the next write.

10. Global Aftertouch / AT

HYDRA SANITY includes a separate global Aftertouch tap for performance keyboards.

The AT path accepts:

• Channel Pressure,
• Poly Pressure.

AT is normalized to 0..1 and routed only to rows where the AT button is enabled.

AT is intentionally separate from normal controller MIDI slots. It reads Renoise-configured Master MIDI input names from Config.xml and ignores notes, ordinary CC and Pitch Bend in the AT path.

AT has the highest pending-input priority. If CC / PB / Panorama input and Aftertouch arrive in the same writer window, Aftertouch wins.

11. Advanced: MCU_COM Panorama OSC Bridge

This section is for users running the separate MCU MIDI COM / MCU_COM Panorama tool.

HYDRA SANITY remains the automation engine. MCU_COM owns the Panorama hardware ports, display, faders, encoders, buttons and LED feedback.

The realtime bridge is OSC-only.

What this enables

• PANORAMA_E1 ... PANORAMA_E8 rows in HYDRA.
• W.A. encoder capture from MCU_COM.
• LCK row protection.
• SGA graph absolute sync.
• Panorama ARM button support.
• OSC-only runtime IPC without song.comments.

Current W.A. attach / detach style

MCU_COM → HYDRA W.A. attach:

WA_ON WA3 WALCK WAN_E3:Sands05:Amount WATRK_4 WADEV_2 WAPAR_17

MCU_COM → HYDRA W.A. detach:

WA_OFF WA3

HYDRA treats the full WA... group as one atomic packet.

PANORAMA W.A. row shadowing

When a PANORAMA W.A. row targets the same Renoise DSP parameter as an existing HYDRA row, HYDRA SANITY treats the PANORAMA row as the active owner for that target.

In this case:

• the duplicate HYDRA row is moved into a shadowed state,
• the PANORAMA row remains visible and controls the target,
• the hidden HYDRA row is also blocked from MIDI / writer runtime input,
• WA_OFF releases the PANORAMA row and allows the HYDRA row to return if no other PANORAMA slot owns the same target.

PANORAMA target identity is stored as primitive row data and the shadow state is rebuilt after structural scans. This keeps W.A. rows stable during encoder movement, target refresh and GUI rebuilds.

LCK remains a lock modifier. It is not required for duplicate HYDRA / PANORAMA target detection.

Current SGA payload style

MCU_COM → HYDRA first REL / DEC_REL movement:

SEQ|184
SOURCE|MCU_COM
ENC|1
ENC_MODE|DEC_REL
DELTA|3
VALUE|0.000000
SGA

HYDRA → MCU_COM graph absolute return:

SEQ|39
SOURCE|H_S
ENC|1
VALUE|0.425300
SGA

12. Visual feedback and HYDRA DSP OUT 1-9 helper

HYDRA SANITY can provide MIDI feedback to supported controllers and direct GUI feedback inside the HYDRA panel.

Feedback can include:

• button LED states,
• REC / LATCH / STICKY / ARM indication,
• transport mode LEDs,
• MCU encoder rings,
• graph-following value,
• mute state display,
• IRON activity heartbeat,
• Sm playback pulse feedback,
• active HYDRA row / OUT helper indication.

For MIDI feedback to work, set the correct MIDI OUT slot and make sure its ROLE is not OFF.

Smooth visual feedback

Sm has clear runtime feedback:

• static blue = Sm is enabled but not actively processing during playback,
• blue → red → blue pulse = Sm is active during playback,
• the color change follows playback row movement.

STICKY visual feedback

STICKY now refreshes visually through the same GUI pulse path as IRON and Sm.

When STICKY is active and owns the writer state, the GUI can show a changing STICKY color instead of waiting for another row activation. When STICKY is explicitly ended through LEAVE, the GUI returns to LATCH and does not resurrect a false STICKY display on the next encoder movement.

HYDRA DSP OUT 1-9 helper display

HYDRA SANITY can show extended OUT helper information for HYDRA DSP outputs 1-9.

This helps you see where each HYDRA row is routed without opening extra dialogs or guessing from the row name alone.

The 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 buttons work as quick OUT helper-view selectors.

The helper display can show compact target information such as:

• HYDRA OUT number,
• track,
• device,
• parameter,
• assignment status.

This is useful when working with several automation targets, multiple HYDRA rows, or complex instrument / DSP routing.

13. Troubleshooting

Moving Mod Wheel makes HYDRA GUI refresh / freeze

Check Renoise native MIDI Mapping first.

If Mod Wheel CC1 was accidentally learned to:

Tools > Zorgan > Hydra Sanity > Show GUI

then every Mod Wheel value can trigger the GUI action again and again.

Fix:

1. Press Ctrl+M in Renoise.
2. Find Tools > Zorgan > Hydra Sanity > Show GUI.
3. Remove the accidental CC1 mapping.
4. Use a keyboard shortcut or a real hardware button for Show GUI.

HYDRA SANITY RESET ALL CC does not remove Renoise native MIDI Mapping.

Encoder data appears in Renoise pattern FX columns

Disable:

Renoise Preferences > MIDI > Record & Play Filter > Pitchbend & Controllers

for the shared MIDI input.

Controller LED feedback does not work

Check:

1. The matching MIDI OUT slot is selected.
2. The output ROLE is not OFF.
3. The learned mapping shows the correct device / channel route.
4. The controller actually supports LED / ring feedback for that control.

Relative encoder starts from the wrong value

Use LINKING TO GRAPH only with relative modes:

• REL1
• REL2
• REL3
• MCU

ABS and PB inputs ignore Linking to Graph because they already send an absolute target value.

Automation graph was deleted manually

HYDRA SANITY can recreate the automation lane automatically when writing resumes. Move the mapped controller again.

STICKY does not draw a Release Bridge when I only release the encoder

Correct behavior.

Plain encoder release inside STICKY is not STICKY exit. HYDRA keeps holding the last live value and continues the HOLD forward shelter.

I want STICKY to reconnect to the old graph

Use LEAVE, the STICKY / LATCH button, or the mapped MIDI button to explicitly end STICKY. That path allows Release Bridge and reconnects from the held value to the preserved graph.

IRON / Sm does not create a graph when REC ON is OFF

Correct behavior.

PLAY-only IRON / Sm is a safe graph-processing mode. It can refine an existing automation graph, but it does not create a new automation lane when REC ON is disabled.

I cannot see enough HYDRA OUT target detail

Use GUI FULL and the OUT 1-9 helper buttons at the bottom of the HYDRA DSP area.

Tooltips on the OUT helper display can show the exact target path, including track, device, parameter and assignment status.

HYDRA rows do not update after adding or deleting HYDRA DSP devices

HYDRA SANITY uses smart topology detection.

Stop or pause playback and let the GUI refresh. If needed, close and reopen the GUI.

REC ON is shown with a disabled color during MUTE / SOLO

This can be correct behavior.

If a row was REC ON and the track becomes muted or effectively muted by SOLO logic, HYDRA temporarily suppresses writing. The GUI can show REC ON with a disabled / off-style color to indicate that the REC state is remembered, but writing is currently blocked by MUTE / SOLO.

When the track returns to an active state, the remembered REC ON state is restored.

PANORAMA W.A. hides a HYDRA row

This can be correct behavior.

If a PANORAMA W.A. row targets the same DSP parameter as a HYDRA row, the HYDRA row is shadowed so both rows do not fight for the same automation target. Use WA_OFF to release the PANORAMA row and allow the HYDRA row to return.

LOOP does not follow the repeated pattern area

Check the Renoise pattern length first.

For reliable LOOP testing, the pattern length should be musically complete for the current LPB setting. If the last beat / bar is incomplete, Renoise can repeat at a musically unexpected point and the selected grid group can appear shifted.

Practical check:

1. Verify the current LPB.
2. Verify pattern.number_of_lines.
3. Make sure the final beat / bar is complete for that LPB.
4. Test LOOP again with STOP NO ON if you want LOOP to continue through repeat boundaries.

TOPOLOGY button color does not match Renoise

HYDRA checks the Renoise API fallback every 700 ms. If a TOPOLOGY button was changed directly in Renoise DAW, wait briefly for the fallback refresh.

If the color still does not match, close and reopen the HYDRA GUI after confirming the Renoise transport loop state.

Notes are not recorded in automation-only mode

Use REC PLAY NOTE & Automation if you want Renoise Edit Mode ON and note recording active.

14. Practical summary

Use HYDRA SANITY when you want Renoise automation to behave more like a hardware mixing console:

• prepare instruments, tracks and HYDRA DSP devices,
• learn your encoder / fader / button controls once,
• select an automation grid group and use LOOP to repeat it during PLAY REC,
• use Repeat TOPOLOGY support with Pattern Loop, Sequence Loop or Block Loop,
• use STOP NO when LOOP should continue through repeat / wrap boundaries,
• move a controller and let HYDRA select the correct automation graph,
• write only meaningful graph points,
• protect audio interpolation during live rewrite,
• record notes and automation together with REC N&A,
• let REC N&A prepare the active HYDRA target track for note recording,
• keep STICKY holding stable after encoder release,
• reconnect from STICKY to the old graph only when STICKY is explicitly ended,
• use ARM ON and LATCH for controlled live automation writing,
• use PANORAMA W.A. rows without duplicate HYDRA rows fighting for the same target,
• keep REC ON memory visible during MUTE / SOLO suppression,
• repair or smooth automation curves with IRON / Sm,
• refine an existing graph with IRON / Sm during PLAY without enabling REC ON,
• inspect HYDRA DSP OUT 1-9 target routing directly in GUI FULL or GUI SLIM,
• keep hardware feedback synchronized,
• recover from manually deleted automation lanes,
• select targets in Renoise DAW and let HYDRA activate the matching row,
• keep TOPOLOGY buttons synchronized with the real Renoise API state,
• continue working safely in live production.

15. Changelog

HYDRA SANITY v8.69 FINAL — PAUSE MCU Row Stability / DAW Focus / Internal Cleanup

• Promoted HYDRA SANITY to v8.69 Ready to Work.
• Fixed the main PAUSE workflow issue with MCU-MIDI-COM TRACK DSP refresh. MCU / PANORAMA row target refresh is no longer treated as a HYDRA DSP topology change.
• Separated HYDRA DSP topology scan logic from MCU / PANORAMA row refresh logic.
• HYDRA DSP add / delete / reorder remains a structural scan / rebuild / purge case.
• MCU / PANORAMA row target refresh now stays in the MCU row-model / GUI refresh / shadow sync path and does not trigger unnecessary scan_and_arm().
• Improved selected HYDRA row stability in PAUSE when MCU-MIDI-COM refreshes MCU rows for the active Renoise track.
• Improved PAUSE selected-row ownership guards so passive DAW-focus sync, delayed pending focus and MCU graph-link activity do not steal a valid selected HYDRA row.
• Preserved manual MCU row button selection.
• Preserved physical MCU ENC / DEC value processing.
• Preserved PLAY and REC PLAY behavior.
• Preserved PANORAMA W.A. duplicate-target shadow behavior. A HYDRA row can still be shadowed when an MCU row owns the same DSP parameter, and it can return when the MCU row disappears.
• Added clearer Renoise DAW focus documentation for HYDRA parameter branch and Panorama / MCU DAW-focus branch.
• Consolidated selected-row validation helpers for cleaner PAUSE ownership checks.
• Removed duplicate cleanup calls and no-op event passthrough handlers.
• Added short cached lookup for Renoise active_middle_frame to reduce repeated window API calls during graph-focus policy checks.
• Consolidated MUTE / SOLO hold runtime state from three parallel tables into one structured state table.
• Cleaned English comments and removed obsolete historical comments from modular files.
• No new runtime timer, no new Renoise observable, no new OSC protocol and no parallel writer engine were added.

HYDRA SANITY v8.68 — Change Update, Fix Bug GUI FULL HYDRA ROW is no longer just a technical OUT monitor. It is a readable target monitor: where OUT is going, to which device, to which parameter, and in the correct row/track context.

HYDRA SANITY v8.67 — Change Update, Fix Bug

1. MIDI MAPPER stability fix Fixed a crash that could happen when opening MIDI MAPPER with tooltips disabled. HYDRA SANITY now keeps tooltip handling safe even when tooltip preference is missing or turned off. This prevents Renoise GUI overload errors during MIDI MAPPER activation.
2. MCU LED feedback restored. Fixed MCU feedback mode where LED feedback could stop working when another encoder mode flag was active. MCU ON mode now correctly keeps sending button LED feedback again, including transport / REC / LATCH / STICKY related LED states.
3. REC PLAY NOTE & AUTOMATION — native Renoise MIDI note detection – > Improved PAUSE NOTE and AUTOMATION REC PLAY workflow for detect push Note with Renoise MIDI HW device ( H.S. HW device before working ) HYDRA SANITY can now resume from PAUSE not only when the first MIDI note comes through the HYDRA SANITY mapped MIDI input, but also when a note is written by a hardware MIDI device used directly through Renoise native MIDI input. This makes REC PLAY NOTE & AUTOMATION more flexible for setups where the keyboard or controller is assigned only inside Renoise DAW. Internal cleanup : The new detector uses the existing REC PLAY resume logic and does not add a new transport mode, timer, MIDI router, OSC route, or GUI rebuild path. The implementation stays lightweight and only checks for the required PAUSE N&A condition.

HYDRA SANITY v8.66 FINAL — LOOP / Repeat TOPOLOGY / DAW Selection Feedback

• Added the new LOOP function for selected automation grid groups in the Renoise Automation Graph.
• Added memory-based LOOP automation copy during PLAY REC. The selected map is written forward up to the current row position and continues while recording is active.
• Added Repeat TOPOLOGY support for PATTERN LOOP, SEQUENCE LOOP and BLOCK LOOP.
• Integrated STOP NO with LOOP boundary behavior: with STOP NO ON, active LOOP can continue through pattern, sequence and song loops; with STOP NO OFF, native loop / wrap boundaries can stop LOOP automatically.
• Fixed LOOP domain wrap behavior for repeated pattern areas, multi-pattern sequence loops and song wrap from the end of the song back to pattern 1 / row 00.
• Fixed selected automation grid group movement so the visible selected LOOP map follows the active repeated playback area.
• Added empty-grid copy behavior. Rows without automation points in the source selection clear the corresponding target row instead of leaving stale old automation points behind.
• Added LOOP runtime protection against conflicting graph ownership modes. LOOP is blocked or disabled when STICKY or Sm owns the graph state.
• Changed TOPOLOGY buttons to independent boolean controls instead of radio-style behavior.
• Added TOPOLOGY button API feedback from Renoise transport state, including a slow 700 ms fallback refresh so button colors stay correct when loop modes are changed directly inside Renoise DAW.
• Improved Renoise DAW selection feedback. Selecting the matching track, device or automation target in Renoise can activate the corresponding HYDRA row in the GUI.
• Improved lower global button row layout with visual groups for REC, ARM, IRON, STOP NO and Track / OUT helper information.
• Kept the existing modular architecture. No new Renoise observable, no new runtime timer, no new OSC route and no parallel writer engine were added. The fallback uses the existing HYDRA idle scheduler.

HYDRA SANITY v8.65 FINAL — GUI Row Stability / PANORAMA W.A. Shadow / MIDI Button Router

• Updated the HYDRA SANITY GUI title and documentation to v8.65.
• Improved GUI row stability for renamed, removed or rebuilt HYDRA DSP devices by using safe primitive GUI label snapshots instead of stale live device references.
• Improved PANORAMA row target resolving by using fresh current-song indices instead of validating stale cached Renoise parameter objects.
• Improved PANORAMA W.A. row persistence during encoder / decoder movement.
• Added PANORAMA W.A. shadow logic for duplicate targets: when a PANORAMA W.A. row targets the same DSP parameter as a HYDRA row, the duplicate HYDRA row is hidden and runtime-blocked while the PANORAMA row owns the target.
• Added W.A. pending-shadow handling so duplicate detection no longer depends on LCK being pressed later.
• Rebuilt active PANORAMA shadows after structural scans from primitive target row data, so target cache resets do not require LCK to restore the correct shadow state.
• Improved MIDI button routing so REC / LATCH / MUTE / SOLO buttons are separated from encoder / decoder / PB / AT movement.
• Fixed LATCH / ARM button release handling so button OFF messages do not cancel ARM ON or STICKY unexpectedly.
• Improved ARM ON → STICKY transition: the first real movement promotes the row into STICKY writing, and the GUI now follows the real runtime state.
• Added REC suppression visual state for MUTE / SOLO. A row that was REC ON but temporarily suppressed can show REC ON with a disabled color instead of looking like a normal user REC OFF.
• Added STICKY GUI pulse refresh through the existing IRON / Sm visual refresh path.
• Fixed false STICKY visual resurrection after LEAVE / LATCH. GUI STICKY now follows active sticky runtime ownership, not stale sticky intent.
• Kept the stable Write-To-Graph engine intact. No new Renoise observables, no new runtime timer, no new OSC route and no parallel writer engine were added.

HYDRA SANITY v8.63a — REC N&A Target Track Preflight

• Added REC PLAY NOTE & Automation preflight for note-record context.
• When REC N&A is started, HYDRA resolves the active HYDRA / Panorama row target track.
• Renoise is switched to the Pattern Editor before note recording.
• Renoise selected track is set to the active HYDRA row target track before recording starts.
• This improves instrument-per-track workflow and reduces accidental note recording into the wrong track.
• REC PLAY Automation and PLAY / PAUSE Safe Listen remain unchanged.
• No new Renoise observables, no new runtime timer, no new OSC route, no writer-engine change and no parallel transport engine were added.

HYDRA SANITY v8.62 FINAL — DeviceParameter-safe GUI Labels / v8.61 Stable Baseline

• Promoted the tested 861zy param-signature fix branch to HYDRA SANITY v8.62 FINAL.
• Fixed repeated terminal spam: HYDRA_IDLE ERROR gui_labels: unknown property or function '__tostring' for an object of type 'DeviceParameter'.
• Replaced unsafe tostring(param) focus signatures with a safe metadata-based signature using selected track, selected device, parameter index and parameter name.
• Added a defensive fallback through the existing safe object-id helper when the selected-device path cannot resolve the parameter directly.
• Preserved the complete v8.61 workflow / graph / GUI behavior: PLAY-only IRON / Sm, STICKY / LATCH workflow, GUI FULL MINI navigation, OUT 1-9 helper visibility and Smooth persistence.
• No new Renoise observables, no new runtime timer, no new OSC route, no second GUI label engine and no parallel writer path were added.

HYDRA SANITY v8.61 FINAL — PLAY-Only IRON / Sm / STICKY Workflow / OUT 1-9 Visibility

• Promoted the tested v8.61 branch to HYDRA SANITY v8.61 FINAL.
• Added PLAY-only IRON / Sm graph processing. IRON and Smooth can now process an existing automation graph during normal playback even when REC ON is disabled.
• Preserved full REC ON Write-To-Graph behavior.
• Added safety gate for PLAY-only IRON / Sm: no WRITE IN, no STICKY / LATCH / HOLD writer path, no Release Bridge and no new automation lane creation when REC ON is OFF.
• Improved Smooth button runtime feedback with static blue state and blue → red → blue playback pulse.
• Fixed Smooth state persistence across GUI FULL / GUI SLIM layout switching.
• Improved GUI FULL MINI workflow: ▲ / ▼ row navigation now also selects the newly visible HYDRA row.
• Added / refined HYDRA DSP OUT 1-9 helper display for clearer target visibility in GUI FULL and GUI SLIM.
• Added clearer OUT helper tooltips showing output slot, track, device, parameter and assignment status.
• Preserved v8.60 stable STICKY / ARM ON / LATCH graph workflow, audio-safe graph rewrite and smooth graph continuation.
• No new Renoise observables, no new runtime timer, no new OSC route and no second writer engine were added.

HYDRA SANITY v8.60 FINAL — Stable Live Write / Sticky-Safe Release / Audio-Safe Graph Recovery

• Promoted the tested v8.60e branch to HYDRA SANITY v8.60 FINAL.
• Added Fresh Re-Entry Anchor Guard.
• Added STICKY Release No-RELEASE-WRITE.
• Added STICKY Hold Forward Shelter.
• Added STICKY Live Release Routing.
• Added STICKY Idle Exit Release Bridge.
• Added STICKY Release Bridge Zero-RW.
• Preserved v8.59 lane resurrection, Release Bridge cursor ownership, Release Bridge → LATCH handoff and Release Bridge Sticky Gate.
• No new Renoise observables, no new runtime timer, no new OSC route, no new writer engine, no new cache and no parallel legacy path were added.

HYDRA SANITY v8.59 FINAL — Release Bridge / Lane Resurrection / Sticky-Safe Graph Writing

• Added Automation Lane Resurrection after manually deleted Renoise automation graph / lane.
• Added safe cached lane validation against live p_track.automation.
• Added safe create_automation() handling through protected calls.
• Extended lane invalidation to reset writer cursors from the 8.55-8.56 Write-To-Graph engine.
• Fixed Release Bridge cursor ownership so the next ACTIVE WRITE does not erase bridge points.
• Fixed Release Bridge → LATCH handoff so LATCH does not launch a second fade over the freshly written bridge.
• Refined canonical Release Bridge interpolation across the release gap from the last real encoder-written point.
• Added Release Bridge Sticky Gate. Release Bridge is blocked while STICKY / STICKY HOLD owns the value.
• No new Renoise observables, no new runtime timer, no new OSC route, no second lane cache and no parallel writer engine were added.

HYDRA SANITY v8.58 FINAL — Button Learn Note Gate

• Rebuilt from the v8.56 audio-safe Write-To-Graph baseline.
• Fixed learned NOTE button mappings by evaluating active Button Learn before non-MCU note passthrough.
• Kept ENC / DEC detection unchanged.
• No new observables, timers, OSC routes, writer-engine changes or parallel fallback button engine were added.

HYDRA SANITY v8.56 FINAL — Interpolation Shelter / Audio-Safe Automation Rewrite

• Added ACTIVE WRITE / STICKY +4 flat interpolation shelter with same-value guard anchor.
• Added RELEASE +4 forward bridge from the current playback-safe position toward preserved old graph data.
• Improved live audio stability while rewriting existing automation graph data during playback.
• Preserved old graph data beyond the safe bridge region.
• No new timer, observable, OSC route, GUI toggle or parallel writer engine was added.

HYDRA SANITY v8.55 FINAL — Stable Write-To-Graph / High BPM-LPB Graph Safety

• Stabilized fresh MIDI / encoder writing even at very high BPM and LPB.
• Fixed fresh input so realtime movement reliably overwrites old graph data instead of leaving stale points behind.
• Defined core semantics: fresh MIDI = write, held MIDI = no unnecessary write, no-fresh LIVE areas = delete-only cleanup.
• Improved STICKY graph cleanup using the last live / ENC value as a valid sparse hold anchor.
• Preserved the principle of writing only necessary automation points instead of flooding Renoise with dense point spam.

HYDRA SANITY v8.52 FINAL — HW Profile Auto-Select / SWAP HW

• Added STUDIO and TRAVEL hardware profiles.
• Added manual hardware profile switching.
• Added safe HW Profile Auto-Select at boot, song load, GUI open and MIDI listener start.
• Added profile-scoped MIDI routing preferences and profile-scoped MIDI Learn persistence.
• Added SWAP HW for exchanging stored STUDIO / TRAVEL profile contents.
• Kept one MIDI Learn engine and one runtime input parser.

HYDRA SANITY v8.51 FINAL — Note-On Resume / Tooltip Gate / MIDI MAPPER Help Icons

• Added pause-armed REC PLAY NOTE & Automation.
• First MIDI Note On can resume playback and start note + automation recording.
• Mode switching while paused preserves PAUSE state.
• Added MIDI MAPPER / MIDI Learn help icons.
• Added global TOOLTIP ON/OFF preference.
• Documented Instrument-per-track workflow.

HYDRA SANITY v8.50 FINAL — Full MIDI Learn Detection

• Replaced manual MIDI ENC / MIDI DEC / FA decision path with detection-driven INPUT Learn.
• Added automatic detection for ABS CC, Pitch Bend, Arturia REL1, REL2, REL3, wide two’s-complement REL2 and MCU sign-magnitude.
• Added guarded ABS classification so relative clusters are not saved too early.
• Changed MCU MODE to a signal-only indicator.
• Gated LINKING TO GRAPH to learned relative input modes only.
• Button Learn keeps real off/on value pairs.

Older history

Older versions introduced the modular runtime, OSC-only MCU_COM IPC, Aftertouch, topology detection, MIDI feedback route visibility, reset mapping buttons, STOP NO, ARM / REC Gate, Panorama rows, and the earlier APEX recording workflow. For full development history, keep the detailed archived changelog from previous README versions.