Airwin2Rack Documentation

Airwin2Rack provides the Airwindows collection in three distinct formats depending on your needs:

1. Static Library: A uniform registry and access pattern via the airwin-registry target. This is intended for developers who want to use Airwindows as a submodule in their own projects.
2. VCV Rack Module: Available via the Rack library or as Rack nightly builds.
3. DAW Plugin: A plugin format supporting CLAP, VST3, AU, LV2, and Standalone for use in digital audio workstations.

The Airwindows DSP code processes on a block sample basis. You can adjust the block size in the main menu to balance CPU load and latency.

• Smaller Block Sizes (e.g., 4 samples): Lower latency, but higher CPU usage because the pre-block setup stage occurs more frequently.
• Larger Block Sizes: Higher latency (due to more pre-cached information required), but lower CPU usage.

Supported values are powers of 2 between 4 and 64. The default is 4.

By default, the module runs a single instance of the effect and sums input voltages to a monophonic signal.

If you need to apply effects (like filters or accent effects) polyphonically:

1. Open the main menu.
2. Select "Polyphonic".

Note: In Polyphonic mode, the module creates an instance of the effect per channel and uses CV inputs polyphonically if they have polyphonic modulators applied. This can significantly increase CPU usage.

Because the collection contains over 350 effects, you can use Collections to narrow down the list.

• The default collection is "Recommended" (containing curated 'greatest hits').
• To change the view, open the "Filter by Collections" menu and select a specific collection.
• To see every available effect, select "All plugins" to remove all filtering.

The project has a complex licensing structure due to its different flavors:

• MIT License: The core Airwindows code, the airwin-registry CMake target, AirwinRegistry.h, the documentation in res/awdoc, the top-level CMakeLists.txt, and everything in src are MIT licensed. These are safe to use in closed-source projects.
• GPL3/GPL3+: Building the DAW plugin (which uses JUCE and VST3 SDK) or the Rack plugin (which uses the VCV Rack SDK) introduces GPL3 dependencies. Distributing products built from src-juce or src-rack may result in including GPL3 assets.

The interface is divided into three main regions:

1. Effect Selector (Top):
   • Use the 'hamburger' icon to open the menu.
   • Use jog buttons to scroll through effects.
   • Click the plugin name to activate typeahead-search (type partial names or categories to filter).
2. Parameters (Left Column):
   • Knobs: Drag to edit. Hold Shift for slower, fine-grained adjustments. Double-click a knob to reset to the default value.
   • Text Entry: Click the parameter value to open a text editor for precise input. (Note: Not supported for all parameters).
3. Documentation (Right Side): Displays a scrollable description of the currently selected effect.

Footer: Contains the settings menu (for color schemes, menu ordering, etc.) and build information (git hash and date).

The Airwindows Consolidated Plugin is available as a CLAP, AU, VST3, LV2, or Standalone plugin. Installation methods vary by operating system:

• Windows: Download and run the ...-Setup.exe installer. Alternatively, download the .zip file and manually place the plugins in your DAW's plugin folder.
• macOS: Download and run the signed .dmg installer.
• Linux: Download the .zip file and move the contents to your plugin directory.

Binaries are released on the GitHub Releases page whenever new Airwindows effects are added.

# No specific command provided; use OS-specific installers or manual file movement.

The UI is exposed to screen readers on macOS and Windows.

Navigation and Controls:

• Tab: Move between elements.
• Arrow Keys: Change parameter values.
• Shift + Arrow Keys: Change values in smaller increments.
• Home / End: Set value to extrema.
• Delete: Reset value to default.
• Shift + F10: Activate the text-entry area for a knob (if supported).

Documentation Accessibility: By default, the documentation region is a read-only label. For better screen reader compatibility, you can convert it to an editable region by pressing F7 or selecting the option in the settings menu. This setting is persistent (sticky) on your machine.

Each Airwindows effect includes its original documentation imported from the Airwindopedia. To view the documentation for the currently selected effect:

1. Locate the "?" button at the top of the module panel.
2. Press the "?" to overlay the help text.
3. Press the "?" again to close the overlay.

If you are maintaining a fork or contributing, you can update the internal Airwindows library using the provided script and then performing a clean build of the Rack plugin.

# 1. Pull the latest airwindows plugins
./scripts/updateToLatest.sh

# 2. Perform a test build (assuming RACK_DIR is set)
RACK_DIR=(path-to-sdk) make -j cleandep
RACK_DIR=(path-to-sdk) make -j clean
RACK_DIR=(path-to-sdk) make -j install

You can prepend your own text to the existing effect documentation by using the customDocs directory.

Steps to add documentation:

1. Open the plugin settings menu and select "Show Config Dir" to locate the configuration directory.
2. Navigate to the customDocs folder.
3. Create a .txt file named exactly after the effect (e.g., ToTape7.txt).
   • Note: Filename casing is critical on Linux and macOS (e.g., use ToTape7.txt, not totape7.TXT).
4. Add your text to the file and save.
5. In the plugin UI, switch to a different effect and then back to the target effect to force the documentation to reload.

The custom text will appear at the top, followed by a separator and the original documentation.