Audio nodes

CutWire Prism routes sound through the node graph, just like video. The main pieces are:

• the audio strip on a clip that has sound,
• Audio effect nodes for real-time DSP on a stream,
• the Audio Output node (where audio plays out),
• Mic Input nodes (microphone or line‑in),
• Audio Capture nodes (system / loopback audio from an output device),
• Audio Mixer nodes (blend multiple streams before an output), and
• Audio Script nodes (turn audio into live data for shaders and scripts).

Audio wires use two colours:

• Yellow — a single raw stream (clip audio, mic, effect in/out, mixer inputs).
• Orange — mixed or output-ready audio (mixer out, shader audio-in, output device ports).

Clip audio strip

When you add a Media File or other source that contains an audio track, its card grows an audio strip showing the current playback mode and delay, plus an Edit Audio button and a yellow audio port on the right.

Edit Audio button

Click Edit Audio (on the strip, or right‑click the card → Edit Audio) to open the Audio Settings dialog:

Setting	What it does
Playback Mode	Always play (while on either deck) — audio keeps playing whenever the clip is on A or B. Play when its deck is active — audio follows the crossfader and is only fully audible while that deck is the active side.
Audio Delay	Offset the audio in milliseconds (−5000 to +5000) to fix lip‑sync.

Per-stream volume and mute are set on the Audio Mixer when a clip is routed through one (see below), not in this dialog.

The clip's audio port lets you route that sound onward — for example through Audio effect nodes, into an Audio Mixer, into a shader's audio‑in port to make visuals react, or into an Audio Output device port.

Audio Output node

The Audio Output node is where routed audio leaves the graph. There can be only one in a session. Add it when you need to send sound to specific interfaces (a PA feed, a separate sound card, headphones) instead of relying on the system default alone.

Add it: right‑click the empty canvas → Add Audio Output.

The node lists every detected playback device — Default plus each output CutWire Prism finds. Each device has its own orange input port on the left; wire a stream (or a mixer's output) into the port for the device you want.

• Right‑click the node → Refresh Devices if you plug in hardware after opening the session.
• Wiring a stream directly to a device port automatically inserts an Audio Mixer in between when needed (see below).

Mic Input node

A Mic Input node brings a live microphone or line‑in into the graph — commentary, a stage mic, a music feed.

Add it: Add Element → Mic Input… (not from the canvas right‑click menu).

• The node has a yellow output port on the right — wire it into an Audio Mixer, through Audio effect nodes, into a shader's audio‑in, or to an Audio Output device port.
• Click Edit Mic (or right‑click → Edit Mic…) to pick the input device (System Default Mic, or any detected input).
• Volume and mute for a mic follow the mixer slot it is wired into, not the mic node itself.

Audio Capture node

An Audio Capture node brings system / loopback audio into the graph — the sound that is playing out of a chosen output device (speakers or headphones). Use it to react to or re‑route audio from other apps (a browser, a media player, a game) without a microphone or cables.

This captures an output device's sound. To capture a microphone or line‑in, use the Mic Input node instead.

Add it: right‑click the empty canvas → Add Audio Capture (or Add Element → Audio Capture…).

• The node has a yellow output port on the right — wire it into an Audio Mixer, through Audio effect nodes, into a shader's audio‑in or an Audio Script node, or to an Audio Output device port.
• Click Edit (or right‑click → Edit Audio Capture…) to pick the Playback Device to capture. The list starts with System Default Output and then every other output device. A hint below the dropdown confirms the monitor source Prism found — pick the device that is actually playing sound (e.g. speakers vs. headset).

Platform notes. Capture works out of the box with the default output on both Linux and Windows; you only choose a device if you want a specific one.

• Linux uses PipeWire — make sure the gst-plugin-pipewire GStreamer plugin is installed (the same one screen capture needs).
• Windows uses WASAPI loopback on the render endpoint.

Audio Mixer node

The Audio Mixer blends several yellow audio streams into one orange output. Use it when more than one source should play out of the same device, or when you need per-source level control.

Add it manually: right‑click the empty canvas → Add Audio Mixer.

CutWire Prism also inserts a mixer automatically when you wire a clip or mic to an Audio Output device port — you do not have to add one yourself for a simple single-source route.

Each connected input shows a row on the node:

• Double‑click a name to rename it (for example "Music" or "Commentary").
• Click Edit Mix to open faders for every connected input — horizontal level sliders with dB readouts, plus a mute toggle per channel.

The mixer has:

• one or more yellow inputs on the left (an empty slot always waits at the bottom for the next connection),
• one orange output on the right — wire this to the Audio Output port for the speaker or interface you want.

Putting it together

• Shape a clip before playback: clip audio port → Audio effect node (…) → Audio Output (device port).
• Hear a clip on a specific speaker: clip audio port → Audio Output (pick the device port). A mixer is added automatically if needed.
• Mix clip + mic to one PA: clip audio port → mixer input; Mic Input → mixer input → mixer out → Audio Output (PA port). Use Edit Mix for levels.
• Make a shader pulse to music: clip audio port (or Mic Input) → shader's audio‑in port, or route through an Audio Script node for control over the FFT/beat tuning.
• React to another app's sound: Audio Capture → Audio Script → shader audio‑in.
• Gate and limit a mic feed: Mic Input → Noise Gate → Limiter → Audio Output. See Audio effect nodes for the full list of effects and dial controls.

A reminder from the deck controls: the crossfader also affects deck audio when a clip uses Play when its deck is active, and the panic Blackout / Pause / Stay Tuned buttons cut deck audio.