Overview & Studio Philosophy

Why Cave Recorder separates rehearsal Sessions into independent t=0 Takes, captures live stereo Prints, and keeps track-level Overdub Passes organized.

1.1 Why Cave Recorder Exists#

Cave Recorder (caverec) is a multitrack studio recorder, live mixing console, automatic phase-alignment processor, and band collaboration workstation purpose-built for rehearsal rooms, live tracking spaces, and project studios.

Traditional digital audio workstations are modeled around a single linear timeline designed for solo production at a desk. When a full band plugs into an 18-channel audio interface for a three-hour rehearsal or live tracking session, a single continuous timeline creates immediate studio bottlenecks: finding a specific song run-through requires scrolling through hours of waveforms, spontaneous jams are lost when nobody remembers to press Record, bandmates wait days for someone to bounce rough mixes, and multi-microphone phase cancellation hollows out the drum kit and bass rig.

Cave Recorder solves four specific studio and rehearsal problems:

1.1.1 Independent Zero-Based Takes Instead of a 3-Hour Linear Timeline#

In a band rehearsal or tracking session, musicians play multiple run-throughs of songs alongside spontaneous improvisations. In Cave Recorder, every time you press Record (R) with Overdub Mode turned off, the transport creates a brand-new, self-contained Take (Take 001, Take 002, Take 003, ...) that starts at its own zeroed timeline origin (00:00:00.000, sample 0).

Two different Takes are never appended end-to-end down a multi-hour timeline and are never stacked on top of one another in the same timeline view. Instead, switching the active Take in the Top Transport Deck (< TAKE 001 >) or via ALT + [ and ALT + ] immediately switches the Waveform Timeline and Mix Console playback to that song's 00:00:00.000 origin while keeping the room's microphone assignments, channel names, subgroup routing, and console mix intact.

1.1.2 30-Minute Retroactive Capture Memory (RAM & RETRO)#

The best moments in a rehearsal room often happen when the transport is stopped while the band is warming up or exploring a groove between songs. Whenever the audio interface is active and the green RAM indicator is lit in the Top Transport Deck, Cave Recorder continuously retains the last 30 minutes of live multi-channel audio across all record-armed channels in dedicated system memory.

Pressing the RETRO button in the Top Deck (or pressing SHIFT + R) immediately rescues the rolling 30-minute capture memory to disk as a new numbered Take (Take<NNN>), complete with individual pre-fader multitrack stems and a reference stereo file.

1.1.3 Simultaneous Live Console Print and Raw Multitrack Stems#

During every Take, Cave Recorder writes two distinct sets of audio files to disk in real time:

1. Raw Pre-Fader Multitrack Stems (rec/): Every record-armed input channel (CH01 through CH18) writes a discrete, uncompressed 32-bit floating-point mono .wav stem tapped directly after input gain trim and prior to channel insert processing and fader moves. This guarantees clip-free archival stems for later mixing or overdubbing.
2. Live Stereo Master Bus Print (mix/): Simultaneously, when 2-TRK is armed on the MST MASTER BUS, a dedicated 2-track recorder tapped at the post-limiter output of the Master Bus captures the live stereo console mix (Print001.wav) with automatic Plugin Delay Compensation (PDC) latency trimming, including all channel EQ, VCA compression, tape saturation, subgroup processing, and auxiliary reverb and delay returns.

With a single click on FLAC PRINT or MP3 PRINT in the Session Reel (or automatically upon cloud upload when AUTO-FLAC ON UPLOAD or AUTO-MP3 ON UPLOAD is enabled), Cave Recorder encodes the live stereo Print to 24-bit lossless .flac and/or 320 kbps CBR .mp3 (with a Xing/Info seek header for direct playback inside the Google Drive web browser player) and links it into the project-wide _Mixes/ folder. Band members walk out of rehearsal with finished stereo reference mixes ready for phone, browser, or car playback, while the engineer retains pristine 32-bit floating-point raw stems.

1.1.4 Console-First Layout and Automatic Multi-Mic Phase Alignment#

Cave Recorder eliminates nested plugin windows and hidden routing matrices in favor of a fixed, dark-chassis studio console interface. Input gain trim, polarity inversion (Ø), per-channel phase alignment (Φ), an 8-slot reorderable processor rack (12-band parametric EQ with dual-trace spectrum analyzer, analog-modeled VCA compressor, tape saturation, and CLAP audio plugins), stereo Aux Sends (RVB and DLY), Subgroup Bus routing (SUB 1..16), and 100 mm logarithmic faders are always accessible directly on the console faceplate.

When recording a drum kit or multi-miked guitar and bass cabinets, acoustic arrival-time differences between close microphones, overheads, and room microphones cause comb filtering and low-frequency cancellation. Clicking ALIGN ALL in the Top Deck (or pressing a custom shortcut assigned in KEYMAP) analyzes the recorded multi-channel performance against your chosen reference microphone and applies sub-sample time delay (us / smp) and polarity (Ø) corrections across the console in one step.

1.2 The Four-Tier Recording Hierarchy#

Cave Recorder organizes every recording into a strict four-tier studio hierarchy:

Project ---> Session ---> Take (t = 0) ---> Pass (Rec001 / Rec002-OD)

On disk, this hierarchy maps cleanly to human-readable folders and self-describing filenames inside your Cave Recorder Library Root:

<LibraryRoot>/
├── .caverec/
│   └── projects.json                      # Library project registry
└── GF/                                    # 1. PROJECT folder (Tag: GF)
    ├── .caverec_project.json              # Cloud sync manifest
    ├── _Mixes/                            # Project Prints & Mixdowns
    │   ├── GF_20261020-1_Take001_Print001_1947.flac
    │   ├── GF_20261020-1_Take001_Print001_1947.mp3
    │   ├── GF_20261020-1_Take001_Mix001_2130.flac
    │   └── GF_20261020-1_Take001_Mix001_2130.mp3
    └── GF_20261020-1_Rehearsal/           # 2. SESSION folder
        ├── GF_20261020-1_session.json     # Console, routing & markers
        ├── snapshots/                     # Point-in-time Snapshots
        │   ├── GF_20261020-1_Snap001_20261020T195012Z.json
        │   └── GF_20261020-1_Snap002_20261020T211500Z.json
        ├── Take001_1947_SongA/            # 3. TAKE 001 (t = 0)
        │   ├── GF_20261020-1_Take001_take.json
        │   ├── rec/                       # 4. PASS files (Base + OD)
        │   │   ├── GF_20261020-1_Take001_01-KickIn_Rec001_1947.wav
        │   │   ├── GF_20261020-1_Take001_02-SnrTp_Rec001_1947.wav
        │   │   ├── GF_20261020-1_Take001_04-GtrAmp_Rec001_1947.wav
        │   │   └── GF_20261020-1_Take001_04-GtrAmp_Rec002-OD_2015.wav
        │   ├── mix/                       # Live Prints & Mixdowns
        │   │   ├── GF_20261020-1_Take001_Print001_1947.wav
        │   │   ├── GF_20261020-1_Take001_Print001_1947.flac
        │   │   ├── GF_20261020-1_Take001_Print001_1947.mp3
        │   │   ├── GF_20261020-1_Take001_Mix001_2130.flac
        │   │   └── GF_20261020-1_Take001_Mix001_2130.mp3
        │   └── bounce/                    # Offline Stem Bounces
        │       └── GF_20261020-1_Take001_01-KickIn_Bounce001_2135.wav
        └── Take002_1958_ImprovJam/        # 3. TAKE 002 (t = 0)
            └── ...

1.3 Tour of the Studio Workspace#

Cave Recorder opens into a dark studio console workspace divided into three horizontal tiers: the persistent Top Transport & Session Header Deck, the Upper Inspector Wells, and the Lower Console Channel & Bus Strips.

1. Top Transport & Session Header Deck (Top): Remains pinned at the top of the screen across all six workspace views (MIX CONSOLE through KEYMAP). Houses project and session selection, Google Drive cloud sync status, 30-minute retroactive memory controls, main transport buttons, the active Take selector, high-precision digital timecode and sample counters, global multi-mic phase alignment controls, and latency diagnostics.
2. Upper Inspector Wells (Middle): Displays four side-by-side real-time visualizers and editors for the currently selected channel strip or Subgroup Bus:
   • 8-Slot Reorderable Processor Rack & Tape Controls (Left Well): Shows slots 1 through 8 (1:CLAP, 2:12B EQ, 3:VCA CMP, 4:AUX SND, ...), per-slot bypass (B), up/down slot reordering arrows, a dedicated TAPE saturator enable/bypass toggle with analog tape parameters (DRV, WRM, BIAS, HC, OUT, MIX), SWAP EQ/CMP, and channel RESET.
   • 12-Band Parametric EQ & Dual-Trace RTA Spectrum Analyzer (Center-Left Well): Interactive Bode magnitude curve with draggable filter nodes (BELL, LSHF, HSHF, HPF, TILT) superimposed over a pre-EQ and post-EQ real-time spectrum trace (20 Hz to 20 kHz).
   • VCA Compressor & Gain Reduction Transfer Curve (Center-Right Well): Displays the compressor knee and transfer curve (-48 dB to 0 dB), input/output threshold markers, sidechain high-pass filter (SC HPF), ratio presets (2:1, 4:1, 8:1), parallel blend (MIX 50%), and real-time Gain Reduction (GR) metering.
   • Upper Mini-Timeline & Multi-Tier Waveform Overview (Right Well): Displays the composite waveform of the active Take with playhead tracking, PASSES expansion shortcut, LOCK PH/CUR, -> CUR, and zoom controls (ZOOM +, ZOOM -, ZOOM 1:1).
3. Lower Console Strips (Bottom): Houses up to 18 Input Channel Strips (CH01..CH18), stereo Subgroup Bus Strips (DRUM BUS, INST BUS), dedicated stereo Aux Return Strips (AUX 1 REVERB with zero-latency convolution IR and AUX 2 TAPE DLY with capstan tape echo), and the MST MASTER BUS strip with Master Tape, Master Compressor, brickwall Limiter, live 2-TRK Print record arm, independent FLAC and MP3 format toggles, and one-click BOUNCE offline Mixdown render controls.

1.3.1 Top Deck Row 1: Session Identity, Transport, Timecode & Phase Controls#

The top row of the header deck is organized into three functional clusters from left to right:

1.3.2 Top Deck Row 2: Workspace View Tabs, Templates & Latency Diagnostics#

The second row of the Top Deck provides direct navigation across Cave Recorder's six workspace views on the left and session template and latency management on the right:

Hardware Setup, Audio Connections & First Session

Connecting multi-channel USB and ADAT interfaces, locking digital clocks, calibrating roundtrip loopback latency, and creating your first Project and Session.

2.1 Connecting Multi-Channel Audio Interfaces (USB, Thunderbolt & ADAT)#

Cave Recorder supports up to 18 simultaneous input channels (CH01 through CH18), making it an ideal match for rackmount 18-in / 20-out USB or Thunderbolt studio interfaces such as the Behringer UMC1820 + ADA8200, Focusrite Scarlett/Clarett 18i20 + OctoPre, RME Fireface UFX/UCX II + OctaMic, Audient iD44/EVO 16 + SP8, or Universal Audio Apollo x8p.

A standard 18-channel rehearsal and tracking rig combines three physical input groups into a single unified audio device:

1. Inputs 1-8 (Primary Interface Onboard Mic/Line Preamps): Eight XLR/TRS combo preamps on the main rack unit, typically dedicated to close drum microphones, guitar cabinet mics, rack and floor toms, and stereo drum overheads.
2. Inputs 9-10 (Coaxial S/PDIF or Auxiliary Line Return): Two digital coaxial S/PDIF channels or line inputs used for stereo hardware synthesizers, stage pianos, or drum machines (SpdifSynthL and SpdifSynthR).
3. Inputs 11-18 (8-Channel ADAT Optical Preamp Expander): Eight additional microphone and instrument preamps fed from an external 8-channel ADAT expander into the primary interface's ADAT OPTICAL IN port over a TOSLINK fiber-optic cable, dedicated to BassDi, BassAmp, GuitarL, GuitarR, KeysL, KeysR, LeadVocal, and RoomAmbience.

2.1.1 Studio Signal & Clock Wiring Diagram#

The diagram below illustrates the physical audio, optical ADAT, Word Clock, studio monitor, and loopback calibration connections for an 18-channel tracking room:

STAGE / LIVE ROOM MICROPHONES & DI BOXES
======================================================================
[CH 01..08: Drum Kit & Cab Mics]   [CH 11..18: Band & Room Mics]
Kick, Snare, Toms, Overheads       Bass DI/Amp, Guitars, Keys, Vocal
             |                                      |
     8x XLR Mic Cables                      8x XLR/TRS Cables
             v                                      v
+-------------------------------+  +---------------------------------+
| PRIMARY 18-IN / 20-OUT AUDIO  |  | EXTERNAL 8-CH ADAT MIC PREAMP   |
| INTERFACE (UMC1820 / 18i20)   |  | (ADA8200 / OctoPre / SP8)       |
|                               |  |                                 |
| Analog In 1-8    [CH01..CH08] |  | Analog Mic Pre 1-8              |
| S/PDIF Coax In   [CH09..CH10]<+-\|                                 |
| ADAT Optical In  [CH11..CH18]<+--+-- ADAT Optical Out (TOSLINK)    |
|                               | ||                                 |
| Clock: INTERNAL (48.0 kHz)    | || Clock Sync: SLAVE (Word Clock   |
| Word Clock Out (75-Ohm BNC) --+-++-> Word Clock In (75-Ohm BNC)    |
|                               | |+---------------------------------+
| Main Out 1-2  -> Monitors     | |
| Line Out 3-10 -> Headphones   | \-- [CH 09..10: Stereo Synth S/PDIF]
| Line Out 20   -> Patch In 1   |     (Coaxial 75-Ohm RCA Cable)
|                  (Loopback)   |
+-------------------------------+
             |
      USB-C / Thunderbolt
             v
+-------------------------------+
| WORKSTATION RUNNING CAVEREC   |
| Audio Device: 18 in / 20 out  |
| Sample Rate:  48.0 kHz | INT  |
+-------------------------------+

2.1.2 Recommended 18-Channel Full-Band Patch List#

Connecting instruments in a consistent console order allows you to reuse your saved Cave Recorder Session Templates (SAVE TEMPLATE) across every rehearsal without re-patching:

2.1.3 Digital Clock Synchronization (INT vs. External ADAT / Word Clock)#

Whenever two or more digital audio devices convert audio simultaneously (such as a primary USB interface and an external 8-channel ADAT optical preamp), every converter in the chain must lock to a single master sample clock. If both units run on their own internal crystal oscillators, slight clock drift causes periodic clicks, pops, and high-frequency distortion across the expanded channels.

Follow one of these two studio clocking topologies:

1. Topology A: Primary Interface as Master (INT), Expander Slaved via Word Clock or Bidirectional ADAT (Recommended):
   • Set your primary audio interface clock source to Internal (INT) at 48.0 kHz (displayed in the Cave Recorder Top Deck as 48.0 kHz | INT and in the console session bar as 48.0 kHz LOCKED).
   • Run a 75-ohm BNC Word Clock cable from the primary interface WORD CLOCK OUT to the ADAT expander WORD CLOCK IN (switching the expander's rear clock selector to WC IN with 75-ohm termination active), or run a second TOSLINK cable from the primary interface ADAT OUT to the expander ADAT IN and set the expander clock selector to ADAT IN.
2. Topology B: ADAT Expander as Master, Primary Interface Slaved to ADAT:
   • If your external 8-channel preamp has only an ADAT OUT port and no WORD CLOCK IN or ADAT IN port, set the external preamp to INTERNAL 48 kHz and set your primary audio interface clock source to External ADAT in its hardware control panel.

2.1.4 First-Launch Setup on macOS (Gatekeeper & Quarantine Clearance)#

The v0.1.0 macOS release of Cave Recorder (Cave_Recorder_0.1.0_macOS_Universal.dmg / Cave Recorder.app) is distributed as an unsigned application bundle. When opening an unsigned application downloaded from a web browser on macOS for the first time, macOS Gatekeeper places a quarantine flag on the bundle and displays an unverified developer prompt.

After dragging Cave Recorder.app into /Applications, clear the macOS Gatekeeper quarantine flag using either of these two methods before your first studio session:

1. Method A: macOS System Settings (Open Anyway):
   • Double-click Cave Recorder.app in /Applications and click Done (or Cancel) on the initial Gatekeeper prompt.
   • Open System Settings -> Privacy & Security, scroll down to the Security section, and click Open Anyway next to "Cave Recorder.app" was blocked from use because it is not from an identified developer.
   • Authenticate with Touch ID or your macOS administrator password and confirm Open.
2. Method B: Terminal Quarantine Removal (xattr -cr):
   • Open the macOS Terminal application and run xattr -cr "/Applications/Cave Recorder.app".
   • Launch Cave Recorder.app normally from /Applications or Spotlight, and click Allow when macOS prompts for microphone and audio interface access.

2.2 Configuring Audio Device Settings (AUDIO SETTINGS)#

Click the AUDIO SETTINGS button at the top right of the Top Transport Deck (or press CMD + , on macOS / CTRL + , on Windows and Linux) to open the Audio Device & Latency Settings modal (MODAL: AUDIO DEVICE & LATENCY SETTINGS).

2.2.1 Selecting Input and Output Devices#

• Input Device: Displays all active CoreAudio (macOS), ASIO/WASAPI (Windows), or ALSA (Linux) recording devices detected on the workstation, along with their available channel counts (for example, Behringer UMC1820 + ADA8200 (18 in / 20 out) or Behringer UMC202HD 192k (2 in / 2 out)). Click the desired interface button to bind Cave Recorder's input engine.
• Output Device: Select Same as Input whenever your studio monitors and headphone amplifiers are connected to the same multi-channel interface as your microphones. Using a single unified hardware device guarantees that input and output converters share the same sample clock and ensures deterministic roundtrip loopback calibration. Separate output devices remain selectable when monitoring through an independent desktop DAC.

2.2.2 Buffer Size (frames), Sample Rate & Bit Depth#

• Buffer Size (frames): Selectable from 32, 64, 128, 256, 512, 1024, or 2048 sample frames per hardware buffer cycle.
  • Low Buffer Sizes (32, 64, or 128 frames): Minimize live input-to-output foldback delay when a vocalist or guitarist is monitoring their own performance through Cave Recorder's built-in console EQ, VCA compressor, and AUX 1 REVERB.
  • Medium Buffer Sizes (256 or 512 frames): Provide generous processor headroom during 18-channel full-band tracking when musicians monitor via the audio interface's direct hardware mixer, or during mixing sessions with multiple third-party CLAP plugins.
• Sample Rate: Selectable between 44100 Hz, 48000 Hz, 88200 Hz, and 96000 Hz. Use 48000 Hz (48.0 kHz) for 18-channel USB/ADAT studio rigs and video-synchronized live sessions.
• Bit Depth: Shows the hardware converter transport word length (24-bit (Fixed by hardware format)). Regardless of the hardware interface's 24-bit converter format, Cave Recorder processes all internal signal paths and writes all on-disk multitrack stem files (rec/*.wav) in uncompressed 32-bit floating-point format.

2.2.3 30-Minute Retroactive Capture Memory (RAM)#

While your audio interface is active, the green RAM button in the Top Transport Deck controls Cave Recorder's continuous 30-minute retroactive capture memory. When RAM is enabled:

• Every record-armed channel strip (R engaged) continuously writes incoming 32-bit float audio into a dedicated 30-minute rolling capture memory even while the main transport is stopped.
• At 48.0 kHz, 30 minutes of 32-bit audio requires approximately 330 MB of system memory per armed channel (roughly 5.9 GB when all 18 channels are armed simultaneously).
• If you are working on a laptop with limited memory and do not need retroactive jam rescue, click RAM in the Top Deck to disable background capture memory.

2.3 Calibrating Roundtrip Loopback Latency (Measure Latency)#

When a musician records an Overdub Pass (Rec002-OD) while listening to playback of a Base Pass (Rec001), the backing track travels out through the digital-to-analog converter (DAC) to the musician's headphones, and the musician's new performance travels back in through the analog-to-digital converter (ADC) and USB or Thunderbolt bus.

Audio device drivers only report nominal buffer sizes (Estimated roundtrip: 13.33 ms, or 640 samples at 256 frames / 48.0 kHz). They do not account for the additional samples introduced by hardware oversampling filters, optical ADAT connections, and USB or Thunderbolt transport stages (which typically add 16 to 64 extra samples). Without hardware loopback calibration, every overdubbed track lands slightly late relative to the drums.

Cave Recorder includes a built-in hardware impulse loopback analyzer (ROUNDTRIP LOOPBACK CALIBRATION) that measures the exact physical sample delay from output jack to input jack:

1. Lower Monitor Volume: Turn down your studio monitor controller and headphone amplifiers completely so the calibration test impulse does not play through loudspeakers.
2. Patch a Physical Loopback Cable: Connect a balanced 1/4-inch TRS or XLR patch cable from your interface's dedicated loopback test output (Out 20 or Out 1) directly into any hardware analog input channel (such as Input 1). Ensure +48V phantom power is turned off on that input channel and set its physical preamp gain knob near unity (roughly 9 to 10 o'clock).
3. Select the Loopback Test Output: Open AUDIO SETTINGS (CMD + , / CTRL + ,) and locate the ROUNDTRIP LOOPBACK CALIBRATION panel at the bottom. Choose Out 20 (convenient on 20-output interfaces where Output 20 can stay permanently patched to an unused line input) or click Use Out 1 if patching from main Output 1. (For acoustic room delay tests through a speaker and microphone, toggle Acoustic loopback (speaker -> microphone)).
4. Run the Impulse Measurement: Click Measure Latency. Cave Recorder emits a short, high-precision measurement impulse out the selected output port, automatically detects which hardware input channel received the return signal, and correlates the exact sample arrival offset.
5. Verify the Measured Offset: Inspect the green confirmation readout at the bottom of the modal and the red badge under Estimated Latency: Auto-detected Input 1 <- Output 20 | Measured: 13.83 ms (664 samples, +24 vs driver, Electrical)
6. Close Audio Settings: Click CLOSE AUDIO SETTINGS at the top left of the modal.

2.4 Creating Your First Project and Session (PROJECT Modal)#

Press CMD + O on macOS (CTRL + O on Windows and Linux) or click the PROJECT button in the Top Transport Deck to open the Project and Session Browser modal.

2.4.1 Configuring the Library Root and Cloud Sync Remote#

At the top of the PROJECT modal, verify your storage paths before creating your first session:

1. Library Root: Displays the master local disk directory where all Projects, Sessions, and Takes are stored. Click Change Library Folder... to point Cave Recorder at a fast internal NVMe SSD or dedicated external Thunderbolt recording drive.
2. Cloud Sync Remote: Displays the configured Google Drive remote path (for example, gdrive:caverec). Click Check / Connect Drive to verify cloud credentials, Sync Library (Full) to synchronize complete session multitracks across machines, or Sync Library (Mixes) to synchronize only the lightweight <ProjectTag>/_Mixes/ reference folders.

2.4.2 Creating a New Project or Linking a Bandmate's Remote Project#

Every Session belongs to a Project (such as a band name, album project, or client ensemble) identified by an uppercase 1-to-8 character Project Tag (GF, TEST, MISC).

• To create a new local Project:
  • In the NEW SESSION panel, click + New Project... below the Project selector pills.
  • Enter the Project Name (for example, Grottfolk) and a short alphanumeric Project Tag consisting of 1 to 8 uppercase letters or digits (for example, GF).
  • Click Create Project. Cave Recorder creates <LibraryRoot>/GF/ along with <LibraryRoot>/GF/_Mixes/ and selects the new Project pill.
• To link a collaborator's shared Google Drive Project:
  • Click + Link Remote Project... to expand the Link Remote Shared Project form.
  • Paste a caverec://project/... share URI (copied from a bandmate's COPY SHARE LINK button) or a Google Drive folder URL, or click Scan 'Shared with me' to auto-discover Cave Recorder projects shared with your Google account.
  • Click Link Remote Project.

2.4.3 Selecting a Session Template and Starting a New Session#

Once your Project pill is selected (highlighted in burgundy):

1. Choose a Session Template: In the Session Template row, select a starting console layout:
   • Template: MicAndGuitar001 (Built-In Default Template): Pre-selected on startup, MicAndGuitar001 provides a ready-to-record 2-channel singer-songwriter and acoustic rehearsal setup with 0 Subgroup Buses and both stereo auxiliary returns (AUX 1 REVERB Plate Reverb and AUX 2 TAPE DLY Tape Delay) active:
   • Channel 1 (Mic, routed from IN 01 to MASTER BUS, Record Armed R): Pre-configured with an active 80 Hz Butterworth high-pass filter (HPF) on Band 1 and an enabled -8.0 dB Post-Fader (PST) send to AUX 1 REVERB (EMT 140 Plate).
   • Channel 2 (Guitar, routed from IN 02 to MASTER BUS, Record Armed R): Pre-configured with an active 80 Hz Butterworth high-pass filter (HPF) on Band 1 and unity 0.0 dB fader gain.
   • Template: GuitarBassDrumTrio001: Built-in 11-channel band template with three stereo Subgroup Buses (Guitar Bus, Drum Bus, and parallel Drum Crush Bus with 8:1 VCA compression), stereo guitars (Guitar L / Guitar R), Bass DI, Room Mic, 4-mic drum kit (Kick, Snare Top, Overhead L, Overhead R), and pre-assigned guitar/vocal overdub channels.
   • Template: 18ch Live Band: Full 18-channel band console (01KickIn through RoomAmbience) with DRUM BUS, INST BUS, EQ high-pass filters, and VCA compressor defaults.
   • Any custom studio setup you save via SAVE TEMPLATE in the Top Deck appears automatically in this list and can be filtered via the Filter templates... search box.
2. Enter Session Name and Session Tag: Type a descriptive Session Name in the left field (for example, Birthday Studio Session) and a short filesystem-friendly Session Tag in the right field (for example, BirthdayMix).
3. Verify the Folder Preview: Inspect the Folder Preview line (TEST/TEST_20261020-3_BirthdayMix). Cave Recorder automatically combines the Project Tag, the session date (using the 08:00 local time rollover rule), the daily session sequence number, and your Session Tag.
4. Launch the Session: Click New Session to initialize the session folder on disk and enter the MIX CONSOLE (CMD + 1 / CTRL + 1). To reopen an existing session instead, locate it in the RECENT SESSIONS table at the bottom (filtering by ALL, AVAILABLE, MISSING, EXTERNAL, or CLOUD) and click Open.

2.4.4 Pre-Session Track Naming, Input Routing & Gain Staging#

Before the band starts playing the first song, perform a 60-second console check in MIX CONSOLE (CMD + 1 / CTRL + 1):

1. Verify Hardware Input Routing (IN 01 v): On each channel strip, confirm the input selector dropdown (IN 01 v, IN 02 v, ...) matches the physical preamp jack where that microphone or DI box is plugged in.
2. Name Each Strip Clearly: Double-click any channel strip header (01KickIn, 02SnrTp, ...) to rename it. Clear strip names propagate automatically into every recorded .wav stem filename (01-KickIn_Rec001.wav) and Waveform Timeline lane.
3. Set Analog Preamp Gain and Digital Input Trim (TRM): Have the band play at full rehearsal volume:
   • Adjust your audio interface's physical analog preamp knobs so sustained signals average around -18 dBFS RMS (in the healthy green zone of the channel meter) and the loudest drum hits peak around -6 dBFS (in the lower amber zone, well below 0.0 dBFS hardware clipping).
   • Use each strip's digital TRM slider (-24.0 dB to +24.0 dB) to fine-tune the level feeding the 8-slot processor rack and recorded pre-fader stem.
4. Engage Record Arm (R) and Input Monitoring (I): Click R on every active input strip so it lights red, and confirm the Top Deck RAM indicator is lit green so 30-minute retroactive memory begins capturing immediately.
5. Save Your Room Template: Click SAVE TEMPLATE in Row 2 of the Top Deck, enter a template name for your room setup, and click SAVE AS TEMPLATE so future sessions load this exact configuration in one click.

Typical Studio & Rehearsal Workflows

Step-by-step guides for band rehearsal capture, 30-minute retroactive memory rescue, multi-mic drum phase alignment, overdub comping, and band mix sharing.

This chapter walks through five end-to-end studio workflows that cover the day-to-day operation of Cave Recorder: capturing a full-band rehearsal with instant stereo reference mixes, rescuing an unrecorded jam from the 30-minute retroactive memory, phase-aligning a multi-microphone drum kit and guitar rig, tracking and comping layered overdubs in Pass Lanes, and mixing with non-destructive Snapshots and Google Drive synchronization.

3.1 Workflow 1: Full-Band Rehearsal Capture & Instant Reference Prints#

Studio Scenario: A four- or five-piece band gathers for a two-hour evening rehearsal. You want to record every song run-through across 12 to 18 channels without slowing down the room, mark strong sections on the fly, and hand every band member compact 24-bit .flac and 320 kbps .mp3 stereo mixes before they finish packing up their gear.

3.1.1 Rehearsal Capture Procedure#

1. Launch the Session from Your Rehearsal Template:
   • Press CMD + O (macOS) or CTRL + O (Windows/Linux) to open the PROJECT modal.
   • Select your band's Project pill, click Template: 18ch Live Band (or your custom room template), type a Session Name (Tuesday Night Rehearsal) and Session Tag (Rehearsal), and click New Session.
2. Arm All Active Input Channels:
   • Press CMD + 1 (macOS) or CTRL + 1 (Windows/Linux) to view MIX CONSOLE.
   • Confirm that CH01 through CH18 (or all active mic and DI channels) have their red Record Arm (R) buttons engaged (click R on each strip, or select a strip and press SHIFT + A).
   • Verify that Overdub Mode (OD) in the Top Transport Deck is off (unlit) so each recording starts a fresh t = 0 Take.
3. Dial a Quick Monitor and Live Print Balance:
   • While the band warms up, verify input levels average around -18 dBFS RMS with peaks around -6 dBFS.
   • Set channel faders and stereo pans (OverheadL/OverheadR, GuitarL/GuitarR, KeysL/KeysR), blend in AUX 1 REVERB (RVB) on snare and vocals, and engage TAPE saturation, the brickwall LIM (CEIL -0.3dB), and the 2-TRK live Print button on the MST MASTER BUS strip. Because the live stereo Print records directly from the Master Bus output whenever 2-TRK is armed, this monitor balance becomes your immediate reference mix.
4. Start Recording Song 1 (Take 001):
   • Just before the drummer counts in, press R (or click Record ● in the Top Deck).
   • Cave Recorder creates Take 001 at 00:00:00.000 and simultaneously writes raw 32-bit float pre-fader stems (Rec001) into Take001/rec/ and the live stereo Master Bus mix (Print001.wav) into Take001/mix/.
5. Drop Cue Markers on the Fly (M):
   • Whenever a chorus groove locks in, a bridge arrangement changes, or a solo stands out during the performance, press M on the keyboard.
   • Cave Recorder drops a timestamped standalone marker (M005, M006, ...) at the exact live playhead sample without interrupting recording.
6. Stop at the End of the Song (SPACE):
   • When the final chord rings out, press SPACE (or SHIFT + SPACE).
   • Cave Recorder closes all open audio files for Take 001 and automatically captures a post-recording console Snapshot (Auto-Save (Post-Recording)).
7. Capture Subsequent Songs as Independent Takes (Take 002, Take 003, ...):
   • When the band counts in the next run-through or the next song, simply press R again.
   • Cave Recorder automatically increments to Take 002 with a brand-new 00:00:00.000 timeline origin. Repeat R, play the song, and press SPACE for every song of the night.
8. Tag Keeper Takes and Convert Live Prints to .flac and .mp3 (FLAC PRINT / MP3 PRINT / FLAC ALL PRINTS / MP3 ALL PRINTS):
   • At the end of rehearsal, press CMD + 4 (macOS) or CTRL + 4 (Windows/Linux) to open the SESSION REEL.
   • In the TAKES CATALOG, click EDIT TAKE 001 to assign a descriptive song tag (such as NewSong_Run1 or ChorusKeeper).
   • Click FLAC PRINT 001 or MP3 PRINT 001 on individual Takes, or click FLAC ALL PRINTS and MP3 ALL PRINTS in the Session Reel header bar to batch-encode every live stereo .wav Print to 24-bit lossless .flac and 320 kbps CBR .mp3 (with a Xing/Info seek header) and link both into <ProjectTag>/_Mixes/. (If you adjusted faders after recording and want an updated offline render instead of the live Print, toggle FLAC and/or MP3 on the MST MASTER BUS strip and click BOUNCE to render an offline Mix001.<flac|mp3> Mixdown).
9. Sync Reference Mixes to Bandmates' Phones and Browsers:
   • Click UPLOAD SES MIXES in the Session Reel header (or open the Top Deck CLOUD popover and click SYNC SESSION MIXES).
   • Cave Recorder uploads the compact .flac and .mp3 reference mixes to Google Drive in seconds so every band member can stream .mp3 mixes directly inside the Google Drive web browser preview player or download lossless .flac masters on the drive home.

3.2 Workflow 2: Rescuing an Unrecorded Jam with 30-Minute Retroactive Capture (RETRO)#

Studio Scenario: Between rehearsed songs, the transport is stopped while the guitarist tunes. The drummer and bassist start an improvised groove, the rest of the band joins in, and eight minutes later they finish the best song idea of the night. Nobody pressed Record.

Because Cave Recorder continuously maintains a rolling 30-minute retroactive capture memory across all armed inputs whenever RAM is active, the entire multi-channel performance is still in system memory waiting to be saved.

3.2.1 Retroactive Rescue Procedure#

1. Keep RAM Active and Channels Armed During Rehearsal:
   • At the start of your session, verify that the RAM button in the Top Transport Deck is illuminated green and all live studio channels (CH01..CH18) have their red R (Record Arm) buttons engaged.
   • Even while the transport is stopped (■), Cave Recorder continuously retains the most recent 30 minutes of incoming 32-bit float audio from every armed channel in memory.
2. Trigger Retroactive Capture (RETRO):
   • As soon as the unrecorded jam finishes (or even while the band is still playing), click the RETRO (0) button in the Top Transport Deck, or press SHIFT + R.
3. Verify the Rescued Take:
   • Cave Recorder immediately flushes the rolling multi-channel capture memory to disk as a new numbered Take (Take<NNN>), increments the Top Deck counter badge to RETRO (1), builds the multi-tier waveform overview, and switches the active console and timeline to the rescued Take.
4. Trim Pre-Jam Room Chatter into a Clean Song Take (SPLIT TAKE):
   • Press CMD + 2 (macOS) or CTRL + 2 (Windows/Linux) to switch to WAVEFORM TIMELINE.
   • Scrub or zoom (ZOOM IN (+) or =, or vertical/horizontal drag on the timeline ruler) to find the exact moment the drummer counted in the jam, and click to place the playhead just before the first beat.
   • Click SPLIT TAKE in the Waveform Timeline toolbar (or press M to drop a marker, open MARKERS & RANGES with CMD + 5 / CTRL + 5, and click NEW TAKE -> END on that marker row).
   • Cave Recorder extracts the jam from that marker forward into its own clean 00:00:00.000 Take and lets you move the earlier tuning Take to the session trash via TOMB TAKE 001 (or permanently remove an unwanted retroactive Take via PURGE RETRO 001) in SESSION REEL (CMD + 4 / CTRL + 4).

3.3 Workflow 3: Multi-Mic Drum & Guitar Cab Phase Alignment (ALIGN ALL & Φ)#

Studio Scenario: You are tracking a full band across 18 channels (CH01 01KickIn, CH02 02SnrTp, CH03 03OvrhdL, CH04 04GtrAmp, CH05 TomRack, CH06 TomFloor, CH07 OverheadL, CH08 OverheadR, CH09 SpdifSynthL, CH10 SpdifSynthR, CH11 BassDi, CH12 BassAmp, CH13 GuitarL, CH14 GuitarR, through CH18 RoomAmbience). Because acoustic wavefronts from the kick and snare travel several feet through the air before reaching the overhead and room microphones, and because a bass amp microphone lags behind a direct Bass DI box, summing the raw channels causes phase cancellation that thins out low-end punch and smears transient focus.

3.3.1 Multi-Mic Phase Alignment Procedure#

1. Record a 10-to-15 Second Full-Kit & Band Reference Pass:
   • Arm all drum and multi-miked instrument channels (R) in MIX CONSOLE (CMD + 1 / CTRL + 1).
   • Press R and have the drummer play a 10-to-15 second groove that hits the kick, snare, toms, hi-hat, and cymbals clearly while the bassist and guitarist play locked eighth notes.
   • Press SPACE to stop recording.
2. Verify the Timing Reference Channel (0us):
   • Look at the phase delay readout directly beneath each channel strip's top identifier badge (CH01 01KickIn shows -2.4dB 0us).
   • By default, CH01 (01KickIn or Overhead L) serves as the 0us acoustic timing anchor against which correlated channels are measured.
3. Run Automatic Multi-Mic Phase Alignment (ALIGN ALL):
   • Click the green ALIGN ALL button in the Top Transport Deck (or Φ ALIGN ALL in the session toolbar bar).
   • To align only a single channel strip (such as aligning CH12 BassAmp to CH11 BassDi), select that strip and click its individual Φ button. Both Trigger Global Multi-Mic Phase Align and Trigger Phase Align on Inspected Track can also be bound to custom keyboard shortcuts in KEYMAP (CMD + 6 / CTRL + 6).
   • To manually flip 180-degree polarity (Ø) on the currently inspected channel strip at any time, click Ø or press SHIFT + P while in MIX CONSOLE.
4. Inspect Sub-Sample Delay (us) and Polarity (Ø) Corrections:
   • Cave Recorder cross-correlates the recorded multi-channel waveforms and engages the green Φ phase button and blue Ø polarity button where needed:
   • On CH02 02SnrTp, notice the readout updates to +1.5dB 420us with both polarity inversion (Ø blue) and phase delay (Φ green) engaged to lock the snare transient in phase with the kick and overheads.
   • On CH03 03OvrhdL, notice the readout updates to +0.0dB 1850us with Φ engaged to compensate for the acoustic propagation distance between the close mics and overheads.
5. A/B Audition the Phase Alignment (PHASE: ALIGN vs. PHASE: BYP):
   • Press SPACE to play back the drum recording through your studio monitors.
   • Click PHASE: ALIGN in the Top Deck (or PHASE A/B in the session sub-header) to toggle between PHASE: ALIGN (active) and PHASE: BYP (bypassed).
   • Listen to the low-frequency weight of the kick drum, the body of the snare, and the phantom center image of the kit snap into focus when PHASE: ALIGN is engaged. All subsequent Takes in the Session inherit these aligned delay and polarity settings automatically.

3.4 Workflow 4: Layered Guitar & Vocal Overdubs with Pass Lane Comping (OD)#

Studio Scenario: The band has tracked a solid rhythm section performance in Take 001. Now the guitarist or lead vocalist wants to loop the chorus section, record three alternate solo or vocal passes (Rec002-OD, Rec003-OD, Rec004-OD) inside Take 001, and select the best performance using Pass Lanes.

3.4.1 Overdub Tracking & Pass Lane Comping Procedure#

1. Select the Target Take (TAKE 001):
   • Use < TAKE 001 > in the Top Deck (ALT + [ / ALT + ]) or click LOAD TAKE 001 in SESSION REEL (CMD + 4 / CTRL + 4) so the rhythm Take is loaded at 00:00:00.000.
2. Disarm Rhythm Tracks and Arm Only the Overdub Channel:
   • In MIX CONSOLE (CMD + 1 / CTRL + 1), click the red R buttons on the drum and bass strips (CH01..CH03, CH05..CH12) to disarm them so they play back their PASS 01 (Rec001) stems from disk.
   • On the target overdub channel (for example, CH04 04GtrAmp or CH17 LeadVocal), engage both R (Record Arm, or press SHIFT + A while the strip is selected in MIX CONSOLE) and I (Input Monitor, or press SHIFT + I) so the performer hears their live input blended with playback.
3. Latch Overdub Mode (OD) and Low-Latency Monitoring:
   • Click OD in the Top Transport Deck (or press O) so the OD button illuminates bright red.
   • Click Low-Latency Monitoring in Row 2 of the Top Deck so any high-latency plugins on non-armed buses are bypassed in the live monitoring path.
4. Define the Section Loop Range (K, L & ⇄):
   • Press CMD + 2 (macOS) or CTRL + 2 (Windows/Linux) to open WAVEFORM TIMELINE.
   • Place the playhead two bars before the solo or chorus entrance and press K (or click RANGE START (K)).
   • Place the playhead a bar after the section ends and press L (or click RANGE END (L)).
   • Press C (or click Cycle/Loop ⇄ in the Top Deck) to enable loop playback across the range.
5. Record Multiple Overdub Passes (OD 02, OD 03, OD 04):
   • Press R to start overdub recording inside Take 001. While the rhythm tracks play back, Cave Recorder captures the new performance onto CH04 as Rec002-OD (displayed as OD 02) and automatically applies your calibrated roundtrip loopback offset (-640 smp (-13.3ms)).
   • Press SPACE at the end of the pass, return to the start of the range, and press R again to capture OD 03 (Rec003-OD) and OD 04 (Rec004-OD).
6. Expand Pass Lanes in the Waveform Timeline (E):
   • In WAVEFORM TIMELINE (CMD + 2 / CTRL + 2), press E (or click EXPAND ALL PASSES in the timeline toolbar, or click the red pass-count pill v (2) on an individual track header) to expand the track's Pass Lanes. Press SHIFT + E (or click COLLAPSE ALL PASSES) at any time to fold them back into a single compact track row.
   • The top slice of the expanded track displays PASS 01 (BASE PASS), followed by stacked slices for each recorded Overdub Pass (OD 02, OD 03, OD 04, each badged OVERDUB with its sample span Span: 0..48000 smp and net record-offset -640 smp (-13.3ms)). Notice that the Mix Console channel strip badge also updates to show OD 02 in amber when an Overdub Pass is active.
7. Audition and Select Active Pass Lanes (Use PASS 01 / ★ OD 02):
   • The currently selected pass on a track is badged ACTIVE COMP LANE and displays a green star button (★ PASS 01 or ★ OD 02), while every other pass is badged STANDBY COMP LANE with a clickable Use PASS 01 or Use OD 02 button.
   • While looping playback (SPACE), click Use PASS 01, Use OD 02, or Use OD 03 on any Pass Lane row to promote that pass immediately as the active playback lane for the track.
   • To silence a pass temporarily without changing selection, click M (Mute) on that Pass Lane row, or click Del to remove a flawed pass from the Take.

3.5 Workflow 5: Mixing, Non-Destructive Snapshots & Band Cloud Sharing#

Studio Scenario: Tracking and overdub selection are complete. Now you want to shape a polished mix using Subgroup Buses and Aux Sends, save several mix variations as Snapshots, compare a vocal-up mix against an earlier Snapshot using Present Stash, render an offline Mixdown and Stem Bounces, and synchronize the project to Google Drive.

3.5.1 Bus Mixing, Snapshot A/B & Cloud Sync Procedure#

1. Organize Channels into Subgroup Buses (DRUM BUS & INST BUS):
   • In MIX CONSOLE (CMD + 1 / CTRL + 1), click the output routing selector (OUT: SUB 1 v) on all drum channels (CH01..CH08, CH18) to route them to SUB 1 (DRUM BUS).
   • Route synths, bass, guitars, and keys (CH09..CH16) to OUT: SUB 2 v (INST BUS), and route lead vocals (CH17) directly to OUT: MST v (MASTER BUS).
2. Apply Bus Processing and Spatial Aux Sends (RVB & DLY):
   • Click SEL on the DRUM BUS strip to load its 8-slot processor rack into the Upper Inspector Wells.
   • In the 12-Band Parametric EQ well (2:12B EQ), sculpt a low-shelf boost around 60 Hz and a gentle presence lift at 4.5 kHz while watching the pre/post Dual-Trace RTA spectrum.
   • In the VCA Compressor well (3:VCA CMP), select a 4:1 ratio, engage the sidechain high-pass filter (SC HPF), and set MIX 50% for punchy New York-style parallel drum compression.
   • Use each channel's RVB and DLY send sliders (toggling PST for post-fader send operation) to feed AUX 1 REVERB (EMT 140 Plate zero-latency convolution reverb) and AUX 2 TAPE DLY (CAPSTAN TAPE echo with WOW 18%, DMP 4.2k, and PP ping-pong stereo widening).
3. Save Named Mix Variations as Manual Snapshots (SNAP MANUAL):
   • Press CMD + S on macOS (CTRL + S on Windows and Linux) from any workspace view, or press CMD + 4 / CTRL + 4 to open SESSION REEL and click SNAP MANUAL in the HISTORY toolbar, to capture your baseline mix as Snap 004 [MANUAL].
   • Return to MIX CONSOLE (CMD + 1 / CTRL + 1) and try a more aggressive mix variation (for example, pushing DRIVE +4.5dB on the Master Tape saturator and riding the lead guitar +2.0 dB).
4. A/B Compare Historical Snapshots with Present Stash (A/B PRESENT STASH):
   • In SESSION REEL (CMD + 4 / CTRL + 4), scroll to the SNAPSHOTS & PRESENT STASH table and click AUDITION SNAP 001 (or AUDITION SNAP 004).
   • Cave Recorder automatically backs up your live, unsaved console adjustments into the Present Stash and displays the AUDITION MODE: SNAP 001 control bar.
   • While playback is rolling, click A/B PRESENT STASH repeatedly to toggle instantaneously between the historical Snapshot and your live working mix with zero audio dropouts.
   • Click RETURN TO PRESENT (or press BACKSPACE) to restore your live working mix, or click COMMIT SNAPSHOT if you prefer the historical Snapshot and want to adopt it as the new working session state.
5. Render Offline Mixdowns and Stem Bounces:
   • When your mix is finished, select FLAC (24-bit lossless), MP3 (320 kbps CBR), or both on the MST MASTER BUS strip in MIX CONSOLE (CMD + 1 / CTRL + 1) and click BOUNCE to render an offline stereo Mixdown (Mix001.flac / Mix001.mp3) linked directly into <ProjectTag>/_Mixes/, or trigger offline per-track Stem Bounces (Bounce001.wav) for archival delivery.
6. Synchronize to Google Drive (UPLOAD SES MIXES / UPLOAD SES FULL):
   • Click UPLOAD SES MIXES in SESSION REEL (CMD + 4 / CTRL + 4) to push all stereo .flac and .mp3 Prints and Mixdowns to Google Drive for rapid band review.
   • Click UPLOAD SES FULL to synchronize the entire session folder (including 32-bit float rec/ stems, snapshots/, and session history) so remote bandmates who have linked the project can open the full multitrack session on their own studio workstations.

Mix Console, Signal Flow & Channel Strips

Channel strip zones, input routing, reorderable 8-slot processing racks, Subgroup Buses, Aux Sends and Returns, Master Bus controls, and precision fader and knob operation.

The Cave Recorder Mix Console (CMD + 1 on macOS, CTRL + 1 on Windows and Linux) models an in-line large-format studio recording and mixing desk. Every input channel, subgroup bus, stereo auxiliary return, and master bus stage is visible on a single dark-chassis surface without hidden routing matrices or nested sub-menus.

This chapter details the end-to-end audio signal path from physical preamplifiers to disk stems and main monitors, the seven functional zones of an Input Track channel strip, the architecture of Subgroup Buses, Aux Returns, and the Master Bus, and the mouse and keyboard modifiers used for precision console mixing.

4.1 Console Architecture & End-to-End Signal Flow#

Understanding where audio is tapped for multitrack disk capture versus monitor and bus mixing is fundamental to operating Cave Recorder with confidence during live band tracking.

+====================================================================+
|             CAVE RECORDER END-TO-END CONSOLE SIGNAL FLOW           |
+====================================================================+
  PHYSICAL AUDIO INPUT (IN 01 .. IN 18)
         |
         v
  [Input Trim (TRM: -24.0 to +24.0 dB)] -> [Polarity Invert (Ø: 180°)]
         |
         v
  [Sub-Sample Phase Align (Φ: 0.00 to +50.00 ms / 0 to 50,000 us)]
         |
         +-------------------------------+
         | (Armed [R] + Record)          | (When Input Mon [I] is OFF)
         v                               v
  +=============================+ +==================================+
  | RAW PRE-FADER STEM RECORDER | | DISK PASS LANE PLAYBACK READER   |
  | <Take>/rec/..._Rec001.wav   | | Active Pass: PASS 01 or OD 02..N |
  | (Pre-inserts & pre-fader!)  | | (See Chapter 6 for Pass Comping) |
  +=============================+ +==================================+
         +---------------+---------------+
                         | <-- AUX TAP: [PRE] (Pre-Insert / Pre-Fader)
                         v
  +==================================================================+
  | 8-SLOT REORDERABLE CHANNEL PROCESSING RACK (Slots 1..8 + TAPE)   |
  |  * Input TAPE Saturation (DRV, WRM, BIAS, HC, OUT, MIX)          |
  |  * 12-Band Parametric EQ (2:12B EQ) <-- AUX TAP: [EQ] (Post-EQ)  |
  |  * Analog VCA Compressor (3:VCA CMP) & CLAP Plugins (1..8:CLAP)  |
  |  * Movable Aux Send Tap Slot (4:AUX SND)                         |
  +==================================================================+
                         |
                         v
  [Channel Fader (-inf to +12.0 dB), Pan (PAN) & Mute/Solo (M/S)]
         |
         +---------------+---------------+--> AUX TAP: [PST] (Default)
         | (OUT: SUB 1 / SUB 2 / MST)    | (Aux Send Bus Summing)
         v                               v
  +=============================+ +==================================+
  | STEREO SUBGROUPS (SUB 1..16)| | STEREO AUXILIARY RETURNS         |
  | DRUM BUS, INST BUS          | | * AUX 1 REVERB (EMT 140 Plate)   |
  |  * Trim (TRM), LINK & SEL   | |   LC, Pre-Delay (PD), Decay (DCY)|
  |  * 8-Slot SUB RACK & Sends  | | * AUX 2 TAPE DLY (Capstan Echo)  |
  |  * Balance (BAL), M/S, Fader| |   WOW, DMP, Time (TM), FB, PP    |
  +=============================+ +==================================+
         +---------------+---------------+
                         | (Summing into Master Bus)
                         v
  +==================================================================+
  | STEREO MASTER BUS (MST MASTER BUS)                               |
  |  1. Master Tape (TAPE: DRIVE 0.0..+24.0 dB, WARM 0..100%)        |
  |  2. Master Bus Glue Compressor (COMP: Shared Threshold THR)      |
  |  3. Brickwall Limiter (LIM: THR -48..0 dB, CEIL -6.0..0.0 dB)    |
  |  4. Master Fader (-inf..+12.0 dB), Mute (M) & 40-Segment Meter   |
  +==================================================================+
         | (Main Monitor Outputs 1/2)    | (When [2-TRK] Enabled)
         v                               v
  [STUDIO CONTROL ROOM MONITORS]  [CONCURRENT LIVE STEREO PRINT WAV]
                                  (Plus [FLAC]/[MP3] + [BOUNCE] -> _Mixes/)

4.1.1 Dual-Path Capture: Raw Pre-Insert Stems Plus Live Processed Prints#

In traditional rehearsal spaces and project studios, engineers face a dilemma when tracking a full band:

1. The Safe But Uninspiring Approach: Record flat tracks with zero processing so nothing can be ruined by an overly aggressive compressor or EQ setting, leaving the band with dry, unmixed rough bounces at the end of the night.
2. The Inspiring But Risky Approach: Print heavy compression, EQ, and tape saturation directly onto the multitrack stems, risking permanent distortion or pumping if a guitarist boosts a pedal mid-song.

Cave Recorder resolves this dilemma through a split capture topology:

• Raw Pre-Fader Multitrack Stems (<TakeFolder>/rec/): Every armed Input Track (R) writes its 32-bit floating-point WAV file (Rec001 Base Pass or Rec002-OD Overdub Pass) immediately after Input Trim (TRM), Polarity (Ø), and Phase Alignment (Φ), before the 8-slot insert rack and channel fader. You can dial in aggressive 8:1 drum compression, heavy tape drive, high-pass filters, or experimental CLAP plugins on the console during rehearsal knowing the underlying multitrack stem on disk remains 100% clean and unclipped.
• Concurrent Live Stereo Master Print (<TakeFolder>/mix/): Simultaneously, while the transport is recording a Take, the Master Bus (2-TRK enabled) captures the complete post-fader, post-subgroup, post-reverb, and post-limiter stereo mix in real time to a Print<NNN> WAV file with automatic Plugin Delay Compensation (PDC) latency trimming. Selecting FLAC and/or MP3 and clicking BOUNCE on the Master Bus renders a 24-bit .flac mix file, a 320 kbps CBR .mp3 mix file, or both simultaneously and links them into the Project's _Mixes/ folder for immediate band sharing and cloud sync, while you retain every raw multitrack stem for later remixing or offline stem bouncing (covered in Chapter 7: Session Reel, Mixdowns, Snapshots, Disk Layout & Cloud Sync).

4.2 Input Track Channel Strips (Zone by Zone)#

Cave Recorder supports up to 18 Input Track channel strips (CH01 through CH18) alongside Subgroup Buses, Aux Returns, and the Master Bus. Each Input Track strip is organized vertically from top to bottom in strict signal-flow order.

4.2.1 Input Track Control Reference Table#

4.2.2 Zone 1 & Zone 2: Track Header, Input Routing, Polarity, Phase & Trim#

At the top of each Input Track strip (CH01 through CH18), the Track Header displays the channel badge (CH01 highlighted in emerald when selected) and the custom scribble-strip name (01KickIn, 02SnrTp, 03OvrhdL, 04GtrAmp). A crimson outline borders the entire selected channel strip to show at a glance which track is currently loaded into the four Upper Console Wells (on the Mix Console view, CMD/CTRL + 1) and the full-screen CHANNEL INSPECTOR view (CMD/CTRL + 3). Immediately beneath the track name, a compact dual telemetry line reports the current fader gain and the sub-sample phase delay offset in microseconds (such as -2.4dB 0us on CH01, +1.5dB 420us on CH02, and +0.0dB 1850us on CH03).

Clicking the Physical Input Selector (IN 01 v) opens the CH NN PHYSICAL INPUT popover menu, allowing you to bind the channel strip to any physical hardware input (IN 01 through IN 18) on your connected USB, Thunderbolt, or ADAT audio interface, or select NONE (PLAYBACK) for dedicated mixdown or virtual instrument return tracks.

Directly to the right of the input dropdown sit two phase-conditioning switches:

• Ø (Polarity Invert, SHIFT + P on the inspected strip): Reverses the positive and negative waveform excursions by 180°. It illuminates cyan when active (for example, on CH02 02SnrTp when phase-aligning a snare microphone against overheads or a bottom snare mic).
• Φ (Sub-Sample Phase Alignment): Illuminates emerald when automatic or manual multi-mic time alignment is active on the channel, applying a positive delay between 0.00 ms and +50.00 ms (0 us to 50,000 us) as shown in the header telemetry line. See Chapter 5: Built-In Processors, Phase Alignment & CLAP Plugins for the complete multi-mic alignment workflow.

Below the input and phase row, the horizontal Input Trim (TRM) bar adjusts pre-insert gain from -24.0 dB to +24.0 dB around a center 0.0 dB detent. Use TRM to normalize hot or quiet microphone preamplifiers so that raw stems hit disk around -18 dBFS to -12 dBFS RMS with generous headroom before entering the 8-slot processing rack.

4.2.3 Zone 3 & Zone 4: Insert Rack Summary, Active Pass Badge & Aux Sends#

Zone 3 provides instant status feedback for both insert processing and track-level Pass selection:

• N OF 8 SLOTS: Reports how many of the channel's eight reorderable processor slots are currently populated (for example, 3 OF 8 SLOTS when 12B EQ, VCA CMP, and AUX SND are active).
• Active Pass Badge (PASS 01 / OD 02): Displays in gold which track-level Pass is currently active inside the loaded Session Take. PASS 01 indicates the original Rec001 Base Pass captured when the Take began at 00:00:00.000, while OD 02, OD 03, and higher indicate subsequent track-level Overdub Passes (Rec002-OD, Rec003-OD) recorded inside that same Take.

Zone 4 houses the two stereo Auxiliary Sends:

• RVB (Aux 1 Reverb Send): Feeds the console's stereo convolution reverb processor (AUX 1 REVERB), adjustable from -inf (-60.0 dB) to +12.0 dB by dragging horizontally across the crimson send bar.
• DLY (Aux 2 Tape Delay Send): Feeds the console's stereo capstan tape echo processor (AUX 2 TAPE DLY), adjustable from -inf (-60.0 dB) to +12.0 dB.
• 3-Way Send Tap Selector (PRE / EQ / PST): Clicking the tap button to the right of either send cycles through three pickoff points in the channel signal path:
  • PRE (Pre-Insert / Pre-Fader): Taps the signal immediately after TRM, Ø, and Φ, unaffected by channel EQ, compression, fader moves, or channel Mute (M). Ideal for feeding a dedicated musician headphone cue mix.
  • EQ (Post-EQ / Pre-Fader): Taps the signal immediately after the 12B EQ slot (so low-cut filters and resonant notch cuts clean up the send) but before the VCA compressor and channel fader.
  • PST (Post-Fader, Default): Taps the signal after the channel insert rack, fader, and Mute switch so that riding the channel fader up or down naturally scales its wet reverb and delay contribution in proportion.

4.2.4 Zone 5, Zone 6 & Zone 7: Output Routing, Switch Bank, Fader & 40-Segment Meter#

Zone 5 controls where the channel's post-fader stereo image is summed:

• Output Bus Selector (OUT: SUB 1 v, OUT: SUB 2 v, OUT: MST v): Assigns the channel to a stereo Subgroup Bus (illuminated in crimson when routed to a Subgroup such as OUT: SUB 1 v for DRUM BUS) or directly to the stereo Master Bus (OUT: MST v). In the expanded CHANNEL INSPECTOR view (CMD/CTRL + 3), clicking the Output Bus selector opens the multi-bus routing popover, where a single track or subgroup can route to multiple Subgroup Buses and the Master Bus simultaneously for parallel bus processing.
• Stereo Pan Bar (PAN): Positions the signal between left (L 100%), center (C), and right (R 100%) using a studio -3.0 dB constant-power panning law so a signal panned hard left or right maintains the same perceived loudness as when centered.

Zone 6 provides the four primary console switches (M, S, R, I). All four switches can be clicked directly on any strip or toggled via SHIFT shortcuts on the currently inspected channel (leaving unmodified single keys free for global transport and marker actions):

1. M (Mute, SHIFT + M on inspected strip): Silences the post-fader output and PST aux sends. Unmodified M drops a cue marker on the timeline without muting audio, and muting a channel on the Mix Console never interrupts pre-fader multitrack stem recording on an armed track.
2. S (Solo, SHIFT + S on inspected strip): Engages Solo-in-Place on the monitor bus so you can inspect an individual microphone or subgroup in stereo context while keeping multitrack recording untouched.
3. R (Record Arm, illuminates red, SHIFT + A on inspected track): Arms the track for multitrack WAV capture when transport Record (R) is engaged, and includes the channel in the rolling 30-minute retroactive memory capture (RAM / RETRO, triggered via SHIFT + R). Even when software Input Monitoring (I) is off, any record-armed track (R) continuously feeds live physical input signal to its 40-segment LED meter and the Dual-Trace Pre/Post-EQ RTA so you can verify preamp headroom and spectral balance during zero-latency hardware direct-monitoring sessions without doubling the monitor signal in the headphones.
4. I (Input Monitor, SHIFT + I on inspected track): Switches the channel strip's audible monitor source between automatic disk playback of the active Pass Lane (PASS 01 / OD 02) and live audible monitoring of the physical hardware input (IN 01..IN 18) through the channel's insert rack and fader. Enable I when rehearsing parts through console effects or checking microphone placement while playing back an existing Take.

Zone 7 contains the Logarithmic Studio Fader and 40-Segment Peak/RMS Meter:

• Fader Cap, Scale & Direct Numeric Entry: Provides smooth logarithmic resolution around the 0.0 dB unity gain mark, ranging from +12.0 dB down to -inf (-60.0 dB), with a dedicated numeric dB readout at the bottom of the meter well (-2.4 dB, +1.5 dB, +0.0 dB). Clicking the numeric dB readout below any fader opens an inline text entry box where you can type an exact decibel value (such as -3.5 or 0) and press ENTER.
• 40-Segment LED Bargraph: Combines instantaneous digital sample peak detection (including a floating yellow peak-hold segment and red 0.0 dBFS overload latch) with continuous RMS loudness ballistics:
  • Emerald Segments (-48 dB to -12 dB): Nominal tracking and mixing operating zone.
  • Amber Segments (-12 dB to -3 dB): Healthy transient peak zone.
  • Red Cap (-3 dB to 0.0 dBFS): Digital full-scale peak warning. Click CLR CLIP on the Master Bus or in the Channel Inspector (or press X in the Channel Inspector) to clear latched clip indicators.

4.3 Subgroup Buses, Aux Returns & Master Bus#

To the right of the Input Track strips sit the console's stereo summing and return strips: Subgroup Buses (DRUM BUS, INST BUS, expandable up to 16 stereo subgroups), two dedicated Stereo Aux Returns (AUX 1 REVERB and AUX 2 TAPE DLY), and the Master Bus (MST MASTER BUS).

4.3.1 Stereo Subgroup Buses (DRUM BUS / SUB 1, INST BUS / SUB 2 .. SUB 16)#

Subgroup Buses let you sum related Input Tracks (such as all drum microphones into DRUM BUS, or guitars and keys into INST BUS) so you can process the entire group through a shared 8-slot insert rack and control its overall level with a single stereo fader.

Each Subgroup Bus strip provides:

• Crimson Bus Header & Stereo Readout: Displays the custom bus name (DRUM BUS, INST BUS) and current stereo fader gain (+0.0dB STEREO).
• SEL (Select Bus for Inspection): Clicking SEL loads the Subgroup Bus into the four Upper Console Wells (CMD/CTRL + 1) and the CHANNEL INSPECTOR view (CMD/CTRL + 3). Every Cave Recorder Subgroup Bus owns a full 8-Slot Reorderable SUB RACK with its own Tape Saturation stage, 12-Band Parametric EQ with Dual-Trace RTA, Analog VCA Bus Compressor, and CLAP plugin slots.
• LINK (Stereo Dynamics & Gain Link): Illuminates crimson when enabled, locking left and right detector sidechains and gain stages across the stereo bus so off-center floor tom or guitar hits never skew the stereo center image.
• Subgroup Trim (TRM, -24.0 dB to +24.0 dB): Gain-stages the summed multi-channel signal before it enters the Subgroup's 8-slot SUB RACK. If summing eight hot drum tracks drives the subgroup bus compressor too hard, pull back TRM on DRUM BUS rather than disturbing your individual drum fader balance.
• SUB RACK Status (3 OF 8 SLOTS): Indicates how many processors are active in the subgroup's insert rack.
• Subgroup Aux Sends (RVB & DLY): Sends the entire post-rack subgroup mix to AUX 1 REVERB (default -12.0 dB) or AUX 2 TAPE DLY (default -15.0 dB, range -inf to +12.0 dB) to place a whole drum kit or horn section into the same acoustic room.
• Output Bus Selector (OUT: MST v) & Stereo Balance (BAL): Routes the subgroup to the MASTER BUS (or cascades into downstream higher-numbered subgroups via the multi-bus routing popover in the Channel Inspector) and adjusts left/right stereo balance (L 100%..C..R 100%).
• Bus Mute (M), Solo (S), Fader (-inf to +12.0 dB) & 40-Segment Meter: Controls final subgroup level and solo isolation. Soloing a Subgroup Bus automatically solos its contributing post-fader input channels in the monitor path.

4.3.2 Dedicated Stereo Aux Returns (AUX 1 REVERB & AUX 2 TAPE DLY)#

Cave Recorder includes two hardwired, zero-latency stereo effect return strips so you never have to sacrifice Input Track slots or configure third-party plugins just to set up studio plate reverb and tape slapback during a session:

For complete acoustic modeling details and studio tuning recipes for AUX 1 REVERB and AUX 2 TAPE DLY, see Section 5.5 in Chapter 5.

4.3.3 The Stereo Master Bus (MST MASTER BUS)#

The rightmost strip on the Mix Console is the Master Bus (MST MASTER BUS), which sums all Subgroup Buses, direct Input Tracks, and Stereo Aux Returns into the final stereo program bus feeding your control room monitors and the concurrent Live Stereo Print Recorder.

+-------------------------------------------------------------------+
|                   MST MASTER BUS PROCESSING CHAIN                 |
+-------------------------------------------------------------------+
  Summed Stereo Bus (Subgroups + Direct Tracks + Aux Returns)
         |
         v
  [1] MASTER TAPE SATURATION ([TAPE] Toggle, Amber when Active)
      * DRIVE: 0.0 dB to +24.0 dB (default +4.5 dB)
      * WARM:  0% to 100% harmonic density (default 35%)
         |
         v
  [2] MASTER BUS GLUE COMPRESSOR ([COMP] Toggle)
      * Stereo VCA bus compression controlled by THR (-48.0..0.0 dB)
         |
         v
  [3] LOOKAHEAD BRICKWALL LIMITER ([LIM] Toggle, Crimson when Active)
      * THR (Threshold): -48.0 dB to 0.0 dB (default -12.0 dB)
      * CEIL (True-Peak Ceiling): -6.0 dB to 0.0 dB (default -0.3 dB)
         |
         v
  [4] MASTER FADER (-inf to +12.0 dB) & MASTER MUTE ([M])
         |
         +---> Main Hardware Monitor Outputs (Channels 1 & 2)
         +---> [2-TRK] Live Stereo Print WAV + [FLAC]/[MP3] + [BOUNCE]

Every control on the MST MASTER BUS strip is designed for immediate tactile operation during tracking and mixing:

• DRIVE & WARM Drag Bars: Adjust the input drive (0.0 dB to +24.0 dB, shown at +4.5dB) and analog transformer/oxide warmth (0% to 100%, shown at 35%) of the Master Tape stage.
• TAPE, COMP & LIM Processor Toggles: Independently engage or bypass the Master Tape stage (TAPE, amber), Master Bus Glue VCA Compressor (COMP), and Lookahead Brickwall Limiter (LIM, crimson).
• THR (Threshold) & CEIL (Brickwall Ceiling) Drag Bars: THR (-48.0 dB to 0.0 dB, default -12.0dB) sets the compression and limiting threshold, while CEIL (-6.0 dB to 0.0 dB, default -0.3dB) locks the absolute digital output ceiling so live rehearsal Print files and offline Mixdown renders never clip inter-sample converter reconstructions.
• 2-TRK (Live 2-Track Print Toggle): When enabled, every transport Record pass automatically records the post-Master-Bus stereo mix in real time to <TakeFolder>/mix/<SessionID>_Take<NNN>_Print<PPP>_<Stamp>.wav with automatic Plugin Delay Compensation (PDC) latency trimming so the printed stereo master aligns sample-accurately with the recorded multitrack stems.
• FLAC, MP3 & BOUNCE (Master Mixdown Format Toggles & Trigger): The FLAC and MP3 buttons independently toggle 24-bit lossless .flac and 320 kbps CBR .mp3 export formats (either or both can be enabled at once). Clicking BOUNCE renders a faster-than-realtime master mixdown of the active Take (<SessionID>_Take<NNN>_Mix<MMM>_<Stamp>.<flac|mp3>, with a Xing/Info seek header on .mp3 files for instant scrubbing in the Google Drive web player) and links the output files into <ProjectTag>/_Mixes/ for immediate band listening and Google Drive synchronization.
• CLR CLIP (Clear Clip Latches): Resets latched red peak-overload indicators across the Master Bus and all channel meters.
• Master Mute (M), Master Fader (-inf to +12.0 dB) & Stereo 40-Segment Meter: Provides final control room level control and high-resolution peak/RMS metering.

4.4 Precision Mouse & Keyboard Modifiers for Faders and Knobs#

All faders, horizontal value bars (TRM, RVB, DLY, PAN, BAL, PD, DCY, TM, FB, DRIVE, WARM, THR, CEIL), rotary knobs, and interactive graph nodes across the Mix Console and Channel Inspector share a unified set of studio mouse gestures and modifier keys.

Built-In Processors, Phase Alignment & CLAP Plugins

12-Band Parametric EQ with Dual-Trace Spectrum Analyzer, Analog VCA Compressor, Tape Saturation, Convolution Reverb, Stereo Tape Delay, Multi-Mic Phase Alignment, and CLAP plugins.

Every Input Track (CH01 through CH18) and every stereo Subgroup Bus (SUB 1 through SUB 16) in Cave Recorder includes a dedicated, reorderable 8-Slot Processing Rack powered by zero-latency 64-bit internal studio processors alongside external .clap plugin hosting, automatic multi-mic phase alignment, and dedicated stereo Auxiliary Returns.

This chapter covers the dual-view inspection workflow (Upper Console Wells vs. full-screen CHANNEL INSPECTOR), the Tape Saturation (TAPE) stage, the 12-Band Parametric EQ & Dual-Trace Spectrum Analyzer (EQ & RTA), the Analog VCA Compressor (VCA COMPRESSOR & GR), the Stereo Convolution Reverb (AUX 1 REVERB) and Stereo Tape Delay (AUX 2 TAPE DLY), Automatic Multi-Mic Phase & Polarity Alignment (ALIGN ALL & Φ), and CLAP Audio Plugin Hosting (1:CLAP, PDC & Low-Latency Monitoring).

5.1 Upper Console Wells vs. Dedicated CHANNEL INSPECTOR View#

Cave Recorder provides two complementary workspaces for viewing and shaping the processors on any Input Track or Subgroup Bus:

1. The Four Upper Console Wells (MIX CONSOLE View, CMD/CTRL + 1): Docked permanently along the upper deck of the Mix Console so you can adjust inserts, EQ curves, and compression while keeping all channel faders and bus meters in view.
2. The Dedicated CHANNEL INSPECTOR View (CMD/CTRL + 3): Expands the selected channel or subgroup across the entire screen with a high-resolution Dual-Trace Real-Time Spectrum Analyzer, dedicated rotary parameter knobs, multi-bus output routing popovers, and a scrolling Gain Reduction history trace.

5.1.1 The Four Upper Console Wells (MIX CONSOLE)#

Clicking any Input Track header (CH01..CH18) or clicking the SEL button on any Subgroup Bus (DRUM BUS, INST BUS) immediately binds the four Upper Console Wells to that strip:

5.1.2 Full-Screen CHANNEL INSPECTOR View (CMD/CTRL + 3)#

Pressing CMD + 3 (macOS) or CTRL + 3 (Windows/Linux) switches to the dedicated CHANNEL INSPECTOR view. Along the top selector bar, single-click pills (01 Kick In, 02 Snare Top, 03 Overhead L, 04 Guitar Amp, DRUM BUS, INST BUS) let you step across every Input Track and Subgroup Bus in the session without returning to the Mix Console.

In the CHANNEL INSPECTOR view, the left column anchors a full-height channel strip (complete with active Pass selector * PASS 01 on Input Tracks or STEREO SUBGROUP / SUBGROUP BUS badges on Subgroups, Output Bus selector, M, S, REC, MON, Ø, Φ, TRIM, rotary PAN, full-scale calibrated meter with +12 dB to -48 dB markings, and CLR CLIP), while the main workspace expands:

• EQ & DUAL-TRACE 4096-PT RTA: Adds direct band-select buttons for all 12 bands (B1 through B12), all seven filter shape buttons (BELL, LSHF, HSHF, HPF, LPF, NTCH, TILT), and dedicated precision rotary knobs on the right (FREQ, GAIN, Q).
• VCA COMPRESSOR & GR TRACE: Adds a continuous scrolling Gain Reduction (GR Trace) timeline, extended ratio and parallel blend buttons (SC HPF, LINK, 2:1, 4:1, 8:1, 20:1, MIX 100%, MIX 50%), and six dedicated rotary knobs on the right (THRESH, RATIO, ATTACK, RELEASE, MAKEUP, MIX).
• Multi-Bus Output Routing Popover: Clicking the green OUT: MST or crimson OUT: SUB 1 button in the left inspector strip opens the OUTPUT BUSES popover ([x] MASTER BUS, [ ] SUB 2: INST BUS), allowing any track or subgroup to feed multiple buses in parallel.
• Bottom Track Waveform & Pass Action Bar: Below the compressor graph, the inspector waveform strip provides quick Pass Lane actions for the active Take: PASSES (or E) expands Pass Lanes, PASS 01 selects the active pass, AUD P1 auditions that pass in isolation, MUTE P1 mutes the pass, and DEL P1 deactivates and hides the pass from playback.
• Dedicated Inspector Keyboard Shortcuts: While inspecting any strip, press H to toggle the compressor Sidechain High-Pass Filter (SC HPF), X to clear the channel peak overload latch (CLR CLIP), E to expand or collapse Pass Lanes (PASSES), or SHIFT + M / S / A / I / P to toggle Mute, Solo, Record Arm, Input Monitor, or Polarity (Ø).

5.1.3 Reordering the 8-Slot Rack, SWAP EQ/CMP & RESET#

In Well 1 (01 Kick In or DRUM BUS), the eight processing slots (1 through 8) execute sequentially from Slot 1 down to Slot 8:

• Clicking a Slot Pill to Assign Built-In Processors: Clicking any slot pill (1 through 8) opens the rack slot assignment picker, where you can assign any of the built-in zero-latency studio processors (12-Band Dynamic EQ, VCA Compressor, Tape Saturation, or Aux Send Tap) or clear the slot to Empty / Bypassed (---).
• Dragging :: or Clicking ^ / v: Reorders any processor (1:CLAP, 2:12B EQ, 3:VCA CMP, 4:AUX SND) to an earlier or later slot in real time without audio clicks or dropouts. Moving 4:AUX SND above 3:VCA CMP, for example, taps the channel's Aux Sends before compression even when the send is set to rack-tap mode.
• SWAP EQ/CMP Button: Instant one-click macro in the top-left rack header that swaps the slot positions of the 12B EQ and VCA CMP processors. Use SWAP EQ/CMP to audition whether filtering low-end mud before the compressor detector (EQ -> CMP) or shaping tonal balance after dynamic peak control (CMP -> EQ) sounds more natural on a vocal, bass, or drum bus.
• B (Slot Bypass) & RESET: Clicking B next to any slot (or on the 12B EQ / VCA CMP badge) bypasses that single processor in place (illuminated amber). Clicking the crimson RESET button returns all built-in processors on the selected strip to their flat factory defaults.

5.2 Tape Saturation & Input Drive (TAPE)#

Located in Well 1 beneath the 8-slot rack, the built-in Tape Saturation (TAPE) processor models the non-linear magnetic hysteresis, transformer core warmth, bias asymmetry, and head-bump high-frequency roll-off of a calibrated analog multitrack tape machine running at 15 or 30 IPS.

Click the TAPE pill in the Well 1 header to engage or bypass the tape stage on the selected Input Track or Subgroup Bus.

5.2.1 Tape Saturation Parameter Reference#

5.2.2 Studio Tape Recipes for Tracking & Mixing#

5.3 12-Band Parametric EQ & Dual-Trace Spectrum Analyzer (EQ & RTA)#

Each Input Track and Subgroup Bus features a precision 12-Band Parametric Equalizer (2:12B EQ) paired with a Dual-Trace High-Resolution Real-Time Spectrum Analyzer (EQ & DUAL-TRACE 4096-PT RTA). Designed for zero-zipper-noise live adjustment, the equalizer handles everything from steep sub-bass rumble filtering and surgical snare-ring notch removal to broad, musical spectral tilt shaping.

5.3.1 12-Band EQ Parameter & Filter Shape Reference#

5.3.2 Operating Interactive EQ Nodes & Reading the Dual-Trace RTA#

You can shape EQ either via the right-hand rotary knobs (FREQ, GAIN, Q) in the CHANNEL INSPECTOR view (CMD/CTRL + 3) or by manipulating the colored band nodes directly inside the EQ & RTA graph on both the Mix Console and Channel Inspector:

• Click + Drag Node Horizontally / Vertically: Sweeps FREQ (20 Hz to 20 kHz) and GAIN (-24.0 dB to +24.0 dB) simultaneously.
• Mouse Scroll Wheel (or SHIFT + Vertical Drag) Over a Node: Narrows or widens the filter Q (0.10 to 18.00).
• SHIFT + Drag Node: Engages 10x fine precision (0.1 dB gain steps and sub-Hz frequency resolution) for locking onto exact room resonances.
• Double-Click Node (or OPT/ALT + Click): Resets the band's GAIN to 0.0 dB.

Behind the white composite EQ curve, the Dual-Trace High-Resolution Real-Time Spectrum Analyzer (4096-PT RTA) renders two live acoustic traces simultaneously:

1. Pre-EQ Input Spectrum (Darker Shaded Trace): Shows the raw frequency energy entering the 12B EQ slot.
2. Post-EQ Output Spectrum (Bright Emerald Trace): Shows the resulting frequency energy leaving the 12B EQ slot after all active bands are applied.

Because the high-resolution analyzer resolves narrow intervals down into the lowest bass octaves (20 Hz to 250 Hz), you can visually distinguish between the 55 Hz fundamental of a kick drum and the 82 Hz low E string of a bass guitar, place a narrow BELL or NTCH node directly on a ringing 480 Hz snare overtone spike, and watch the emerald post-EQ trace flatten out in real time. On any record-armed track (R), the Dual-Trace RTA remains active even when software Input Monitoring (I) is turned off, allowing you to inspect live microphone spectrum and dial in high-pass or notch filters during zero-latency hardware direct-monitoring sessions.

5.4 Analog VCA Compressor & Gain Reduction Meter (VCA COMPRESSOR & GR)#

The Analog VCA Compressor (3:VCA CMP) models a classic studio voltage-controlled amplifier dynamics processor (inspired by large-format British console bus compressors and fast American VCA limiters). It combines punchy transient control with a built-in Sidechain High-Pass Filter (SC HPF, shortcut H in the Channel Inspector) and New York Parallel Mix (MIX) stage.

5.4.1 VCA Compressor Parameter Reference#

5.4.2 Interactive Transfer Curve & Real-Time Gain Reduction (GR) Trace#

The VCA COMPRESSOR & GR graph displays input level (-48 dB to 0 dB) on the horizontal axis against output level (-24 dB to 0 dB) on the vertical axis:

• Interactive Threshold & Knee Nodes: Drag the highlighted gold node along the diagonal line to set THRESH, and drag the upper slope handle (or click 2:1, 4:1, 8:1, 20:1) to tilt the compression ratio above threshold.
• Scrolling Gain Reduction (GR Trace): As audio passes through the compressor, a shaded crimson trace sweeps across the graph showing instantaneous and historical gain reduction depth in decibels. Watching the GR Trace alongside the waveform makes it easy to dial ATTACK and RELEASE so the compressor breathes cleanly between snare hits or vocal phrases.

5.4.3 Studio Starting Settings for Common Sources#

5.5 Stereo Convolution Reverb (AUX 1 REVERB) & Stereo Tape Delay (AUX 2 TAPE DLY)#

To keep CPU overhead near zero while providing authentic vintage studio ambience during live tracking and mixing, Cave Recorder provides two dedicated stereo Aux Return processors fed by the RVB and DLY send bars on every Input Track and Subgroup Bus.

5.5.1 AUX 1 REVERB: Zero-Latency Acoustic Convolution Reverb#

AUX 1 REVERB uses a zero-latency real-time acoustic convolution engine (FFT CONV IR / ZERO-LATENCY) loaded with studio impulse responses, headed by the classic EMT 140 Plate alongside Studio Wood Room, Live Stone Chamber, and Vintage Spring Tank spaces.

5.5.2 AUX 2 TAPE DLY: Capstan Analog Tape Delay#

AUX 2 TAPE DLY models a multi-head magnetic capstan tape echo unit (CAPSTAN TAPE / TAPE ECHO) complete with mechanical transport wow and flutter, oxide saturation, high-frequency head damping, and stereo ping-pong regeneration.

5.6 Automatic Multi-Mic Phase & Polarity Alignment (ALIGN ALL & Φ)#

When recording a drum kit, guitar cabinet, acoustic piano, or horn section with multiple microphones, physical distance differences between capsules create acoustic arrival-time offsets. Sound travels through studio air at approximately 343 meters per second (1,125 feet per second), meaning every 34.3 cm (13.5 inches) of extra distance between a close microphone and an overhead or room microphone delays the acoustic wavefront by 1.0 millisecond (1000 microseconds, or 48 samples at 48.0 kHz).

5.6.1 Why Multi-Mic Time Offsets Cause Comb Filtering & Hollow Low End#

When two microphones capture the same instrument at slightly different arrival times and are summed together on DRUM BUS or MST MASTER BUS:

• Frequencies whose half-wavelength matches the time offset arrive 180° out of phase and cancel each other out, carving deep, hollow notches across the frequency spectrum (known as comb filtering).
• A snare drum captured by both 02SnrTp (close dynamic mic) and 03OvrhdL (condenser mic 63 cm / 25 inches above the snare) suffers a 1.85 ms (1850 us) arrival delay at the overhead capsule. Without phase alignment, summing the overheads with the close snare mic thins out the 200 Hz snare body and smears the initial stick transient into a double flam.
• Similarly, a snare bottom microphone pointed upward at the snare wires moves in the opposite mechanical direction from the top snare microphone, requiring a 180° polarity inversion (Ø) in addition to time alignment.

5.6.2 Running ALIGN ALL & Auditioning with PHASE: ALIGN / PHASE A/B#

Cave Recorder eliminates manual waveform sliding and guesswork through its built-in Sub-Sample Multi-Mic Phase & Polarity Alignment engine:

1. Record a Short Pass or Play Back an Existing Take: Have the drummer play the full kit for a few bars (or load any recorded Take on the timeline).
2. Click ALIGN ALL in the Top Deck (or Φ ALIGN ALL on the Console Bar): Cave Recorder analyzes the active Take's recorded multi-track Broadcast Wave .wav files on disk (or the live rolling capture memory if no recorded Take files exist yet) using sub-sample bandpass (150 Hz to 6 kHz) GCC-PHAT cross-correlation within a +-25 ms acoustic window, delaying closer microphones forward in time to match the furthest reference microphone. The entire multi-track phase and polarity alignment operation is captured as a single undoable step so you can revert or reapply it at any time with CMD/CTRL + Z.
3. Inspect Per-Channel Ø and Φ Readouts: Within milliseconds, each aligned channel strip updates its header telemetry and phase buttons:
   • Ø (Cyan Polarity Badge, SHIFT + P on inspected strip): Engages automatically on any channel whose acoustic waveform is inverted 180° relative to the reference microphone (such as CH02 02SnrTp or a bottom snare mic).
   • Φ (Emerald Phase Align Badge) & Microsecond Readout: Engages sub-sample time alignment (0.00 ms to +50.00 ms, displayed in microseconds from 0us to 50000us, such as 420us on CH02 and 1850us on CH03) so all wavefronts arrive at the subgroup summing bus at the exact same sub-sample instant.
4. A/B Audition Globally (PHASE: ALIGN / PHASE A/B): Click the emerald PHASE: ALIGN button in the Top Deck (or the PHASE A/B button on the Mix Console toolbar) to toggle all phase and polarity corrections in and out across the entire console simultaneously. You will immediately hear the kick and snare low-end punch tighten up and the stereo center image snap into focus. Both Run Multi-Mic Phase Alignment and Toggle Global Phase A/B can also be bound to custom keyboard shortcuts in the KEYMAP view (CMD/CTRL + 6).

5.7 Hosting External CLAP Audio Plugins (1:CLAP, PDC & Low-Latency Monitoring)#

While Cave Recorder's built-in TAPE, 12B EQ, VCA CMP, AUX 1 REVERB, and AUX 2 TAPE DLY processors cover 95% of studio tracking and mixing tasks with zero added latency, any of the eight insert slots (Slots 1..8) on any Input Track or Subgroup Bus can also host third-party CLAP (Clever Audio Plug-in, .clap) effects processors.

5.7.1 Scanning & Loading .clap Plugins into the 8-Slot Rack#

Cave Recorder automatically scans the standard operating system CLAP plugin directories on startup:

• macOS: /Library/Audio/Plug-Ins/CLAP and ~/Library/Audio/Plug-Ins/CLAP
• Windows: C:\Program Files\Common Files\CLAP and %LOCALAPPDATA%\Programs\Common\CLAP
• Linux: ~/.clap and /usr/lib/clap

To manage slots and CLAP plugin processing on an Input Track or Subgroup Bus:

1. Select the target track or click SEL on the target Subgroup Bus, then look at the 8-slot rack in Upper Well 1 (CMD/CTRL + 1) or the left column of CHANNEL INSPECTOR (CMD/CTRL + 3).
2. Click any slot (1 through 8) to open the slot assignment picker for built-in zero-latency processors (12-Band Dynamic EQ, VCA Compressor, Tape Saturation, Aux Send Tap, or Empty / Bypassed), or click an active 1:CLAP slot pill to inspect the hosted plugin. (Note: Interactive per-slot selection of third-party external .clap plugins from the rack picker is scheduled for a post-v0.1.0 release with a dedicated Plugin Manager.)
3. Use the slot's :: drag handle or ^ / v arrows to position the 1:CLAP slot anywhere in the signal chain (for example, placing 1:CLAP ahead of 2:12B EQ and 3:VCA CMP).
4. Click the slot's B button at any time to bypass the slot in place.

5.7.2 Automatic Plugin Delay Compensation (PDC) & Transparency Breakdown#

All built-in Cave Recorder processors (TAPE, 12B EQ, VCA CMP, AUX 1 REVERB, AUX 2 TAPE DLY) operate with zero internal sample latency (0 smp / 0.00 ms). However, when you insert a third-party CLAP plugin that uses internal lookahead buffering (such as linear-phase equalizers or lookahead limiters), that plugin reports its processing delay (in samples) to Cave Recorder.

To prevent phase cancellation or timing drift between parallel tracks and subgroups, Cave Recorder performs Automatic Plugin Delay Compensation (PDC) across the entire mixing graph:

• The Top Deck displays a live PDC: N smp (X.XX ms @ 48 kHz) status pill at all times.
• Clicking the PDC pill in the Top Deck opens the Latency & PDC Transparency Breakdown popover (shown in Figure 5.4 above), which reports every latency stage in your studio system in both Samples (smp) and Milliseconds (ms):
  • Audio I/O: Current hardware buffer size (256 frames @ 48000 Hz), input buffer latency (In: 64 smp / 1.33 ms), output buffer latency (Out: 64 smp / 1.33 ms), and calibrated hardware Roundtrip I/O (640 smp / 13.33 ms).
  • Total Graph PDC & Effective Playback PDC: Total delay compensation applied across parallel tracks and buses (Max Safe Ceiling: 96,000 smp / 2000.00 ms).
  • Playhead Lag & Overdub Record-Offset: Exact negative sample offset (-640 smp / 13.33 ms) applied automatically when writing new Overdub Passes (Rec002-OD) to disk so that everything a musician plays against playback lands sample-accurately on the timeline.
  • Filterable Per-Channel Table (ALL, ARMED, COMPENSATED, BYPASSED): Lists every Input Track (Track 1 [ARMED]..Track 18), Subgroup 1..2, Aux 1 (Reverb), Aux 2 (Delay), and Master Bus with its individual sample and millisecond compensation state.

5.7.3 Low-Latency Monitoring During Overdubs#

When you are late in a mix and have inserted a high-latency lookahead mastering plugin or linear-phase EQ on a track or Subgroup Bus, recording a last-minute vocal or guitar overdub through that high-latency plugin would introduce a distracting echo in the musician's headphones.

Clicking Low-Latency Monitoring in the Top Deck solves this immediately:

• Cave Recorder temporarily bypasses high-latency CLAP plugins only on record-armed (R) live monitoring paths and their downstream buses, dropping the musician's headphone monitoring latency back down to pure zero-latency built-in console processing (0 smp graph PDC).
• All unarmed playback tracks continue playing with full Plugin Delay Compensation.
• As soon as you finish recording the Overdub Pass and disarm the track (or toggle Low-Latency Monitoring off in the Top Deck), the high-latency CLAP plugins re-engage automatically without losing a single plugin parameter setting.

Waveform Timeline, Pass Lanes, Markers & Ranges

2D waveform scrub-zooming, expandable Pass Lanes for overdub comping, dropping cue markers on the fly, defining loop ranges, and splitting Takes.

Every multitrack recording in Cave Recorder is a self-contained Take with its own timeline starting at 00:00:00.000 (t = 0). Rather than stringing an entire evening of rehearsals along a multi-hour horizontal scroll bar or stacking separate songs on top of one another, the timeline always focuses on one active Take at a time. Within that active Take, you can scrub and zoom sample-accurate waveforms, expand Pass Lanes to comp track-level overdubs, drop timestamped cue markers on the fly, loop rehearsal sections, and split long jams into individual song Takes.

6.1 Navigating the WAVEFORM TIMELINE View & Upper Mini-Timeline Well#

Cave Recorder provides two synchronized timeline viewports for the currently active Take:

1. Upper Mini-Timeline Well (TIMELINE & 3-TIER LOD on the Mix Console): Located in the right-hand well of the Upper Inspector Row on the MIX CONSOLE view (CMD/CTRL + 1). It displays the waveform of the currently inspected track alongside quick-access transport and zoom keys so you can scrub, zoom, and switch Passes without leaving the faders.
2. Full-Screen WAVEFORM TIMELINE Workspace (CMD/CTRL + 2): Displays all active tracks simultaneously with dedicated Marker (MKR) and Range (RNG) lanes, per-track headers, expandable Pass Lanes, and a two-row editing toolbar.

6.1.1 Three-Tier Waveform Detail (3-TIER LOD) & Viewport Readouts#

Both the Upper Mini-Timeline Well and the full-screen WAVEFORM TIMELINE view render audio using three-tier waveform detail (3-TIER LOD), covering full-song overview envelopes, medium phrase zoom, and individual sample-level waveform display. As you zoom from a 30-minute rehearsal jam down to a single snare transient, the display transitions across pre-computed resolution tiers so transient peaks remain sharp at every scale without frame drops.

The upper-left readout of the WAVEFORM TIMELINE toolbar displays the current horizontal resolution in samples per pixel (Zoom: 48.0 smp/px) and the visual waveform gain offset (Gain: +0.0 dB), while the right-hand status readout confirms the active Take number, cursor timestamp, and total Take duration (TAKE 001 | CUR: 00:00:00.853 | LEN: 00:00:01.000).

6.1.2 Upper Mini-Timeline Well Controls#

At the bottom of the TIMELINE & 3-TIER LOD well on the Mix Console (Chapter 4: Mix Console, Signal Flow & Channel Strips), six dedicated hardware buttons control the inspected track's timeline:

6.1.3 Full-Screen WAVEFORM TIMELINE Toolbar & Track Headers#

Pressing CMD/CTRL + 2 (or clicking WAVEFORM TIMELINE in the navigation bar) opens the multi-track timeline workspace. Above the waveform canvas, two toolbar rows provide direct access to zoom, lane visibility, marker placement, and Take splitting:

• Row 1 (Viewport & Lane Controls):
  • ZOOM IN (+) / ZOOM OUT (-) / 1:1 ZOOM: Step horizontal zoom in (=), step out (-), or reset horizontal zoom to the default 1:1 span (0).
  • 5M SPAN: Sets the visible horizontal window to a standard 5-minute (300.0 s) rehearsal span. New sessions and live recordings initialize to this 5-minute span automatically.
  • H- / H+ (Track Lane Height): Steps the vertical height of all track waveform lanes between 56 px (compact 18-channel overview) and 220 px (tall surgical transient inspection). Track header heights on the left stay locked 1:1 with their waveform lanes.
  • LOCK PH/CUR & -> CUR: Identical to the Mini-Timeline well controls, allowing coupled or decoupled Playhead and Position Cursor operation.
  • MKR LANE & RNG LANE: Toggle visibility of the dedicated MARKERS and RANGES ruler lanes above the audio tracks.
  • EXPAND ALL PASSES & COLLAPSE ALL PASSES: Unrolls (E) or collapses (SHIFT + E) the overdub Pass Lanes across every track in the active Take simultaneously.
• Row 2 (Markers, Ranges & Take Split Bar):
  • + MARKER (M) / RANGE START (K) / RANGE END (L): Drops a cue marker at the Playhead (M) or defines the start (K) and end (L) boundaries of a loop or song range.
  • NEW TAKE & SPLIT TAKE: Extracts the active range as a new self-contained Take (NEW TAKE) or divides the active Take into two consecutive Takes at the current Playhead/Cursor position (SPLIT TAKE).
  • |< FIRST / < PREV / NEXT > / LAST >|: Jumps the Playhead to the first marker (SHIFT + [ or HOME), previous marker ([), next marker (]), or final marker (SHIFT + ] or END) in the active Take.

Each row in the left-hand TRACK LANES & OVERDUB PASSES column displays the track number and scribble-strip name (01 Kick In), the Pass Lane disclosure button (▶ (1) or ▶ (2) showing the number of recorded Passes on that track in the current Take), Mute (M), Solo (S), Record Arm (R), and Input Monitor (I) switches, the active Pass badge (PASS 01 or OD 02), the output bus assignment (OUT: SUB 1 or OUT: MST), the channel fader readout (-2.4 dB), and the sample span summary (Span: 0..48000 smp (1.00s) | 2 pass(es)).

6.1.4 Complete Reference of Timeline Navigation & Zoom Gestures#

Cave Recorder supports fast one-handed 2D Scrub-Zooming directly on the timeline ruler and waveform canvas, alongside standard mouse wheel, trackpad, and keyboard navigation:

6.2 Recording Overdubs (OD) & Comping in Expandable Pass Lanes (PASSES)#

In Cave Recorder, session-level songs and track-level overdubs are strictly separated so your timeline never becomes cluttered:

• Base Pass (Rec001, labeled PASS 01): When Overdub Mode (OD) is off (the default), pressing Record (R) creates a brand-new session Take starting at 00:00:00.000. Every armed channel strip records its initial multitrack stem as Rec001 (PASS 01).
• Overdub Pass (Rec002-OD, Rec003-OD, ..., labeled OD 02, OD 03, ...): When you want to layer a second guitar solo, punch in a vocal fix, or try three alternate bass lines inside the currently active Take, latch the red OD button in the Top Deck transport bar (O) and arm only the target track(s). Pressing Record (R) plays back the existing tracks of the active Take from 00:00:00.000 while recording a new Overdub Pass (OD 02, OD 03, ...) into the active Take's rec/ folder and appending a new Pass Lane under each armed track.

6.2.1 Step-by-Step: Recording Multi-Pass Overdubs on a Track#

1. Load the Target Take: Use the < / > buttons beside TAKE 001 in the Top Deck (ALT + [ / ALT + ]) or click LOAD TAKE in the SESSION REEL view (CMD/CTRL + 4) to load the Take you want to overdub onto.
2. Disarm Backing Tracks & Arm the Overdub Track: On the Mix Console or in the left track header column of the WAVEFORM TIMELINE view, disarm (R off) the backing band tracks (drums, rhythm section) so they stream from disk, and arm (R lit crimson) only the channel(s) you are overdubbing. Enable input monitoring (I / MON) if you are monitoring through Cave Recorder's console EQ and compression.
3. Latch Overdub Mode (OD): Click OD in the Top Deck transport bar (or press O) so the OD indicator illuminates red.
4. Optional Pre-Roll or Cycle Range: Position the Playhead a few bars before the section you want to overdub, or enable Cycle Loop (⇄, C) across a defined range (Section 6.3).
5. Record the Overdub Pass: Press Record (R) to begin playback and capture OD 02. Press Stop (SPACE or SHIFT + SPACE) when finished. Cave Recorder automatically promotes the newly recorded Overdub Pass (★ OD 02) as the active playback Pass on that track and captures a post-recording Snapshot.

6.2.2 Expanding Pass Lanes, Auditioning Passes & Comping Phrases#

When a track within the active Take has more than one recorded Pass, the disclosure badge in the track header displays the total Pass count (for example, ▶ (2) on 02 Snare Top and 03 Overhead L).

• Expand or Collapse a Single Track's Pass Lanes:
  • Click the ▶ (N) / ▼ (N) badge in the track header on the WAVEFORM TIMELINE view.
  • Or select the track and click PASSES in the Upper Mini-Timeline Well (or press E while in the CHANNEL INSPECTOR view).
• Expand or Collapse All Tracks' Pass Lanes:
  • Click EXPAND ALL PASSES (E) or COLLAPSE ALL PASSES (SHIFT + E) in the upper-right WAVEFORM TIMELINE toolbar.

When expanded, each track unrolls its vertical stack of Pass Lanes in chronological order (BASE PASS PASS 01 at the top, followed by OVERDUB OD 02, OD 03, and so on):

• Visual Active vs. Standby Distinction: The currently active Pass Lane (labeled ACTIVE COMP LANE with a green ★ PASS 01 or ★ OD 02 badge) renders its waveform in bright amber-copper. Inactive Pass Lanes (labeled STANDBY COMP LANE with a Use PASS 01 or Use OD 02 button) render in muted slate-grey so you can immediately see which Pass is feeding the Mix Console channel strip.
• Auditioning & Promoting Passes:
  • Promoting a Pass on the WAVEFORM TIMELINE View: Click Use PASS 01 (or Use OD 02, Use OD 03) in any standby Pass Lane header to promote that Pass as the active playback lane (ACTIVE COMP LANE) immediately. Because playback readers pre-buffer ahead of the Playhead, switching Passes during playback crossfades cleanly without clicks.
  • Promoting a Pass from the MIX CONSOLE or CHANNEL INSPECTOR View: Click PASSES in the Upper Mini-Timeline Well (or press E in the CHANNEL INSPECTOR view) to expand the inspected channel's Pass Lanes, and click Use PASS <NN> or Use OD <NN> on the Pass you want to hear.
• Per-Pass Mute (M) & Soft Delete (Del):
  • Click M on a Pass Lane to silence that Pass without changing your channel strip Mute state.
  • Click Del on a flawed Pass Lane to mark that Pass as deleted in the session history. Because deletion is non-destructive, pressing CMD/CTRL + Z restores the Pass immediately.
• Comping Phrases Across Multiple Passes:
  • When an overdub was punched in over a specific chorus or solo section (for example, Span: 240000..480000 smp), promoting that Overdub Pass plays your new performance across its recorded span while allowing you to compare it directly against the underlying PASS 01 Base Pass or alternate OD 03 passes. Every Pass promotion is recorded in the Undo history and stored in Console Snapshots (Chapter 7: Session Reel, Mixdowns, Snapshots, Disk Layout & Cloud Sync) so you can save and compare multiple comp combinations across the session.

6.3 Dropping Cue Markers & Defining Cycle Loop Ranges (MARKERS & RANGES)#

During a live rehearsal jam or playback review, you can drop timestamped Markers and define bounded Ranges without stopping the transport. Markers and Ranges appear both as interactive flags in the MKR and RNG lanes of the WAVEFORM TIMELINE view and as sortable, searchable rows in the dedicated MARKERS & RANGES workspace (CMD/CTRL + 5).

6.3.1 Dropping & Navigating Cue Markers on the Fly (M)#

Every Take automatically initializes with two boundary markers (M001 Take Start at 00:00:00.000 and M002 Take End at the end of the longest recorded stem, forming the default R001 Full Take range). To mark song transitions, solo entrances, or mix notes:

1. Drop a Marker (M): Press M at any time during live recording or playback (or click + MARKER (M) in the WAVEFORM TIMELINE toolbar or ADD MARKER (M) in the MARKERS & RANGES toolbar). Cave Recorder places a cyan standalone marker flag (M005 Marker 05, M006 Marker 06) at the exact sample position of the rolling Playhead (or at the Position Cursor when transport is stopped).
2. Reposition a Marker by Dragging: In the MKR MARKERS lane of the WAVEFORM TIMELINE view, hover over any cyan marker flag to inspect its metadata, or click and drag the marker handle left or right to fine-tune its sample timestamp.
3. Jump Between Markers: Use the toolbar buttons or keyboard shortcuts to navigate between cue points instantly:
   • Previous Marker (< PREV / < PREV MKR): Press [.
   • Next Marker (NEXT > / NEXT MKR >): Press ].
   • First Marker in Take (|< FIRST / |< FIRST MKR): Press SHIFT + [ or HOME.
   • Last Marker in Take (LAST >| / LAST MKR >|): Press SHIFT + ] or END.

6.3.2 Defining Ranges (K / L) & Cycle Loop Playback (⇄)#

A Range (R001, R003, ...) is a named time span bounded by a RANGE START marker and a RANGE END marker. Ranges are used for Cycle Loop playback, overdub punch/loop rehearsal, zooming to a song section, and extracting a song section as a new Take.

1. Mark Range Start (RANGE START (K)): Move the Playhead or Position Cursor to the beginning of the phrase (or press it live as the band hits the downbeat) and press K (or click RANGE START (K) / SET RANGE START (K)). An amber status pill (RNG T01: START @ 00:00:00.853) appears in the toolbar indicating that a range start boundary is pending.
2. Mark Range End (RANGE END (L)): When playback reaches the end of the section, press L (or click RANGE END (L) / SET RANGE END (L)). Cave Recorder pairs the start and end boundaries, creates a new numbered Range span (such as R003 Range 03) in the amber RNG RANGES lane, and selects it as the active loop range.
3. Cancel a Pending Boundary (ESC): If you pressed K by mistake, press ESC or click CANCEL PENDING RANGE to discard the uncompleted boundary.
4. Select, Drag, or Cycle Overlapping Ranges: In the RNG RANGES lane above the waveforms, click any amber range bar to make it the active range (clicking repeatedly on overlapping spans cycles through them). Drag the left [ or right ] handle of any range bar in the RNG lane to adjust its start or end sample directly on the timeline.
5. Toggle Cycle Loop Playback (⇄): Click the Cycle Loop button ⇄ in the Top Deck transport bar (or press C). When ⇄ is illuminated amber, playback loops continuously between the start and end boundaries of the active Range (or across R001 Full Take if no sub-range is selected).

6.3.3 Managing, Renaming & Filtering in the MARKERS & RANGES View#

Pressing CMD/CTRL + 5 (or clicking MARKERS & RANGES in the workspace navigation bar) opens the MARKERS & RANGES management workspace, divided into two synchronized tables: MARKERS (top) and RANGES (bottom).

• Session-Wide vs. Per-Take Filtering: Use the top filter bar (ALL TAKES (SESSION), FILTER TAKE 001, FILTER TAKE 002) to view cue points across every Take in the evening's Session at once, or isolate markers belonging to a single Take. Clicking VIEW TAKE 001 TIMELINE jumps directly to WAVEFORM TIMELINE with that Take loaded.
• Marker Type Filtering & Automatic Color Badges: Filter the upper table by ALL, STANDALONE (crimson STANDALONE badges, such as M005), or BOUNDARY (slate RANGE START and RANGE END badges paired to a Range, such as RANGE START (R003)), or type into Search markers... to filter by marker name or description note.
• Per-Marker Actions (GO TO, EDIT, -> RNG START, -> RNG END, DEL):
  • GO TO: Loads the owning Take (if not already active) and snaps the transport Playhead directly to that marker's exact sample position.
  • EDIT: Opens inline editing fields to update the marker's Name (for example, Verse 2 Harmonies) and free-form Description note (SAVE M<NNN> / CANCEL), or click PRESET MARKER HIGHLIGHT M<NNN> to emphasize key cue points.
  • -> RNG START / -> RNG END: Promotes an existing standalone cue marker into the start or end boundary of a Range so you can drop single-key M markers during a live jam and turn them into bounded song ranges afterward.
  • DEL: Deletes the marker (reversible via Undo CMD/CTRL + Z).
• Range Filtering (ALL / FROM STANDALONE) & Per-Range Actions (ZOOM RANGE, NEW TAKE, EDIT, DEL):
  • FROM STANDALONE Filter Pill: Filters the RANGES table (alongside ALL) to show only Ranges whose start or end boundaries were promoted from standalone cue markers via -> RNG START / -> RNG END.
  • ZOOM RANGE: Switches to the WAVEFORM TIMELINE view and zooms the horizontal viewport to frame that exact Range from edge to edge.
  • EDIT: Opens inline fields to rename the Range (for example, R003 Chorus Loop or Song 2 - Midnight Drive) and update its description.

6.4 Non-Destructive Take Splitting (Split Take at Playhead / Split by Markers)#

During a band rehearsal, musicians often hit Record once and play a continuous 25-minute block containing warm-up banter, three separate songs, and an improvised jam. Cave Recorder lets you carve that long continuous capture into independent, self-contained t = 0 Takes (Take 002, Take 003, Take 004) so each song gets its own 00:00:00.000 timeline, its own song tag, and its own stereo mixdown.

6.4.1 Three Ways to Split or Extract Independent Takes#

Cave Recorder provides three non-destructive workflows depending on whether you want to divide a Take in two or extract a specific marker/range span:

6.4.2 How Non-Destructive Splitting Preserves Stems, Passes & Phase Offsets#

When you divide a Take with SPLIT TAKE or extract a span with NEW TAKE:

1. Zero Destructive File Overwrites & Full Undo: None of your original .wav files on disk are ever overwritten or deleted. Both SPLIT TAKE and NEW TAKE are tracked in the Session's Undo history, so pressing CMD/CTRL + Z reverses the split or extraction immediately.
2. Sample-Zero (t = 0) Alignment: Every multitrack stem in the newly created Take (Take<NNN>) starts at its own 00:00:00.000 timeline zero aligned to the split or range start point, with Broadcast Wave (bext) timecode metadata preserved.
3. Pass Structure & Console Routing Preserved: All recorded Base Passes (Rec001) and Overdub Passes (Rec002-OD) that overlap the extracted span are preserved in their respective Pass Lanes, along with per-track phase alignment offsets, latency compensation metadata, and internal markers shifted relative to the new 00:00:00.000 origin.
4. Immediate Session Reel Registration: The newly created Take appears immediately in the SESSION REEL catalog (Chapter 7: Session Reel, Mixdowns, Snapshots, Disk Layout & Cloud Sync) ready for tagging, live Print conversion, or offline Mixdown rendering.

Session Reel, Mixdowns, Snapshots, Disk Layout & Cloud Sync

Managing Takes, converting live Prints to FLAC and MP3, rendering offline Mixdowns and Stem Bounces, comparing Snapshots with Present Stash, disk naming rules, and Google Drive collaboration.

A typical three-hour band rehearsal or studio tracking night produces anywhere from five to twenty recorded Takes alongside evolving console mixes, overdub passes, and stereo mixes for the band group chat. Cave Recorder centralizes all session management inside the SESSION REEL workspace (CMD/CTRL + 4), combining a searchable Takes Catalog, one-click Print-to-FLAC and Print-to-MP3 conversion, offline Master Mixdowns and Stem Bounces, non-destructive Console Snapshots with Present Stash protection, a self-documenting disk layout, and built-in two-way Google Drive Cloud Sync.

7.1 Managing Takes in the SESSION REEL View#

Pressing CMD/CTRL + 4 (or clicking SESSION REEL in the workspace navigation bar) opens the Session Reel ledger for the currently open Session.

7.1.1 The Session Header & Undo/Redo History Bar#

At the top of the SESSION REEL view, two horizontal control bars summarize the active Session and its edit history:

• Session Metadata & Global Actions Bar:
  • Displays the parent Project badge (PROJ: TEST), the permanent Session ID (TEST_20261020-2), the human-readable Session display title (Birthday Studio Session), the optional folder tag (TAG:BirthdayMix), the hardware sample rate (48000 Hz), and the count of active and soft-deleted Takes.
  • EDIT SESSION & CLEAR SES TAG: Rename the Session's display title or edit/clear its <SessionTag>. Editing a Session tag cleanly renames the Session folder on disk and updates all relative links in <ProjectTag>/_Mixes/ without renaming any audio files inside.
  • Deleted Takes Toggle & EMPTY TRASH: Toggle visibility of soft-deleted Takes in the catalog (paired with the ALL+TOMB filter pill below) or click the red EMPTY TRASH button when soft-deleted Takes are present to permanently remove their audio files from disk.
  • FLAC ALL PRINTS, MP3 ALL PRINTS, AUTO-FLAC ON UPLOAD & AUTO-MP3 ON UPLOAD: Batch-convert all uncompressed live stereo Prints across the Session to lossless 24-bit .flac or 320 kbps CBR .mp3 files, or automatically convert Prints to .flac and/or .mp3 whenever uploading to cloud storage.
  • UPLOAD SES FULL / UPLOAD SES MIXES / CLOSE SESSION: Trigger a full or mixes-only cloud sync for the entire Session, or close the Session and return to the PROJECT browser modal (CMD/CTRL + O).
• HISTORY Bar (Reversible Undo/Redo & History Pruning):
  • Every fader drag, EQ node move, phase alignment, marker edit, Pass promotion, and Take deletion is tracked as a reversible step in the Session's command history (Rev:13 | Undo:13 | Redo:0). Continuous knob or fader gestures automatically group into a single undo step when you release the mouse button.
  • Click UNDO (CMD/CTRL + Z) or REDO (CMD/CTRL + SHIFT + Z) to step backward or forward through your session adjustments.
  • Click COMPACT TAIL to prune the oldest entries from a long undo history. Cave Recorder only compacts older undo steps when an earlier saved Snapshot on disk already covers that historical revision, ensuring no earlier console state is ever lost.
  • Click SNAP MANUAL (CMD/CTRL + S) to capture an immediate point-in-time Console Snapshot (Section 7.3).

7.1.2 Switching, Starring, Renaming & Deleting Takes in the TAKES CATALOG#

The TAKES CATALOG table lists every Take recorded or split during the Session. You can filter the catalog using the search box (Search takes, tags...) or the filter pills: ACTIVE (default, showing non-deleted Takes), ALL+TOMB (showing both active Takes and soft-deleted Takes), OVERDUBS (showing only Takes that contain Rec002-OD overdub passes), and UNSYNCED (showing Takes with local changes not yet uploaded to Google Drive).

Each row in the TAKES CATALOG provides the following status columns and actions:

7.2 Live Stereo Prints vs. Offline Mixdowns & Stem Bounces#

Cave Recorder provides three distinct stereo and multitrack export workflows so you can share rough rehearsal recordings with the band in seconds or export studio-grade stems for external mastering.

7.2.1 Comparison of Export & Bounce Outputs#

7.2.2 Converting Live Stereo Prints to Lossless FLAC (FLAC PRINT) & 320 kbps MP3 (MP3 PRINT)#

While you are tracking a Take, Cave Recorder writes the live 2-track Master Bus print as an uncompressed .wav file (Print001_<Stamp>.wav) with automatic Plugin Delay Compensation (PDC) latency trimming so the audio engine expends zero processor time on compression during live recording. Once the transport stops:

1. Convert a Single Take's Print: In the SESSION REEL view (CMD/CTRL + 4), click FLAC PRINT 001 (for a lossless 24-bit .flac file) or MP3 PRINT 001 (for a 320 kbps CBR .mp3 file with a Xing/Info seek header for instant web-player scrubbing) in the ACTIONS column of that Take row.
2. Convert All Prints in the Session: Click FLAC ALL PRINTS or MP3 ALL PRINTS in the Session Reel header bar to convert every unconverted .wav Print across all active Takes in one batch.
3. Safe Write & Project _Mixes/ Linking: Cave Recorder encodes the 24-bit .flac counterpart (50-60% smaller than the source .wav file) or 320 kbps CBR .mp3 counterpart in the background before finalizing the file on disk. If local disk space ever runs out during encoding, any incomplete file is removed immediately so corrupt files never appear on disk. Once converted, the FLAC PRINT 001 or MP3 PRINT 001 button illuminates in its active state and Cave Recorder automatically places a relative link to the converted file inside the top-level <ProjectTag>/_Mixes/ folder.

7.2.3 Rendering Offline Stereo Mixdowns & Stem Bounces#

After you refine channel EQ, VCA compression, multi-mic phase alignment (Chapter 5: Built-In Processors, Phase Alignment & CLAP Plugins), or overdub Pass selections (Chapter 6: Waveform Timeline, Pass Lanes, Markers & Ranges), you can render an updated stereo Mixdown (Mix<NNN>) or multitrack Stem Bounce (Bounce<NNN>) faster than real time:

1. Load and Verify the Take: Load the target Take into the console (LOAD TAKE <NNN>) and verify your mute, solo, active Pass Lane, and Master Bus limiter settings.
2. Render an Offline Stereo Mixdown (Mix<NNN>): On the Master Bus strip (Chapter 4: Mix Console, Signal Flow & Channel Strips), toggle FLAC (24-bit lossless .flac), MP3 (320 kbps CBR .mp3 with a Xing/Info seek header), or both simultaneously, and click BOUNCE. Cave Recorder processes the entire Take from 00:00:00.000 through the full console signal path, increments the sequential mix number (Mix001, Mix002, ...), writes the rendered file(s) into <TakeFolder>/mix/, and links them into <ProjectTag>/_Mixes/. When both FLAC and MP3 are selected, a single BOUNCE click renders both files under the same Mix<MMM> number.
3. Render Processed Track or Subgroup Stems (Bounce<NNN>): When exporting stems for an external mix or mastering session, Cave Recorder renders Individual Track Stems (01-Kick-In, 02-Snare-Top, ...) and/or Stereo Subgroup Bus Stems (Bus01-Drum-Bus, Bus02-Guitar-Bus, ...) into <TakeFolder>/bounce/ in WAV or FLAC. Every bounced stem starts at exact sample 0 (00:00:00.000) with full Plugin Delay Compensation applied so all stems line up sample-accurately when dragged into any external workstation.

7.3 Non-Destructive Console Snapshots & Present Stash (SNAPS)#

A Console Snapshot (Snap 001, Snap 002, ...) is a complete, point-in-time capture of your entire mixing console and timeline comp state stored as a compact JSON file inside <SessionFolder>/snapshots/. Because Snapshots reference your existing audio stems rather than duplicating .wav files on disk, you can save dozens of mix variations per Session with near-zero disk footprint.

7.3.1 What a Snapshot Captures & Automatic Snapshot Policies#

Every Snapshot records:

• All input channel strip parameters (input trim, 180-degree polarity invert, microsecond acoustic phase delay, reorderable 8-slot processing rack order, 12-band Parametric EQ nodes, VCA Compressor settings, Tape Saturation, CLAP plugin states, Aux send levels and tap points, pan, fader gain, mute, solo, and output bus routing).
• All stereo Subgroup Bus (SUB 1..16), Aux Return (AUX 1 Convolution Reverb, AUX 2 Stereo Tape Delay), and Master Bus parameters.
• Active Pass Lane selections (PASS 01, OD 02, ...) and per-pass mute states across every Take in the Session.
• The complete compact Undo/Redo history stack at that moment in time, so restoring a Snapshot also restores its undo timeline.

Snapshots are created in three ways and can be filtered in the SNAPSHOTS & PRESENT STASH table at the bottom of the SESSION REEL view using the ALL, MANUAL, and AUTO pills:

1. Manual Snapshot ([MANUAL]): Click SNAP MANUAL in the Session Reel history bar or press CMD/CTRL + S from any view to save a named milestone (for example, Manual Snapshot 04 or Pre-Vocal-Overdub Balance).
2. Post-Recording Auto-Save ([POST-REC]): Automatically captured immediately after every normal recording stop (Auto-Save (Post-Recording)), preserving the exact monitor mix and Pass state that was active when the band finished the Take. (If you abort a false start using the clean-restart discard stop command, the post-recording auto-save is suppressed.)
3. Periodic 20-Minute Auto-Save ([AUTO]): Automatically captured every 20 minutes while a Session is open, provided at least one console or timeline action has occurred since the last saved Snapshot.

7.3.2 Auditioning Historical Snapshots with Present Stash Protection#

In traditional mixing consoles, loading an old scene or snapshot overwrites your current unsaved fader moves unless you remember to save a temporary file first. Cave Recorder eliminates this hazard with Present Stash:

1. Click AUDITION SNAP <NNN> to Enter Audition Mode: The moment you click AUDITION SNAP 001 on any row in the SNAPSHOTS & PRESENT STASH table while working on a live mix, Cave Recorder automatically saves your current unsaved working console state into Present Stash in memory and illuminates the burgundy AUDITION MODE: SNAP 001 | VIEWING: HISTORICAL SNAPSHOT banner (see Figure 7.2).
2. Click Through Multiple Historical Snapshots Freely: While in Audition Mode, you can click AUDITION SNAP 002, AUDITION SNAP 003, AUDITION SNAP 004, and so on across five or more historical Snapshots to compare balances. Your original working mix remains safely locked inside Present Stash the entire time.
3. Instant Zero-Latency Comparison (A/B PRESENT STASH): Click A/B PRESENT STASH in the Audition Mode banner to toggle directly between the historical Snapshot and your stashed present mix while audio is playing. All fader, EQ, and dynamics changes transition via sample-accurate smoothing ramps (5 to 10 ms) without audio clicks.
4. Restore Your Working Mix (RETURN TO PRESENT or BACKSPACE): Click RETURN TO PRESENT in the Audition Mode banner (or press BACKSPACE while in the SESSION REEL view) to exit Audition Mode and restore your exact working console state from Present Stash with zero lost fader or EQ moves.
5. Adopt the Historical Snapshot (COMMIT SNAPSHOT): If you decide you prefer the historical Snapshot over your previous working state, click COMMIT SNAPSHOT to promote that Snapshot as your active live session mix.

7.4 Self-Documenting Disk Folder Structure & File Naming Rules#

Cave Recorder stores all Projects, Sessions, Takes, Passes, Prints, Mixdowns, Stem Bounces, and Snapshots in an open, human-readable directory hierarchy on your drive (defaulting to ~/Music/caverec/ on macOS and Linux, and %USERPROFILE%\Music\caverec\ on Windows). Every folder and audio filename states which Project, Session, Take, Channel, and Pass it belongs to, so any engineer can open the folder in macOS Finder, Windows Explorer, Linux file managers, or any external audio editor ten years from now with zero proprietary database lock-in.

7.4.1 Complete Project & Session Directory Tree on Disk#

Conceptual studio hierarchy (Project -> Session -> Take -> Pass / Prints / Mixdowns / Snapshots):

ProjectName/
└── SessionName/
    ├── session.json
    ├── Snapshots/
    ├── Mixdowns/
    ├── Prints/
    │   └── Take001_LiveMix.flac
    └── Takes/
        └── Take001_SongName/
            ├── Pass001_Base/
            │   └── Ch01_Kick.wav
            └── Pass002_Overdub/
                └── Ch09_LeadGtr.wav

On disk inside your Cave Recorder Library Root (~/Music/caverec/), this hierarchy is organized on disk using self-identifying prefixed filenames and a project-wide _Mixes/ index folder:

~/Music/caverec/                         # Library Root folder
├── .caverec/
│   ├── projects.json                    # Local Project registry
│   ├── drive_sync_state.json            # Cloud sync state ledger
│   └── templates/
│       ├── MicAndGuitar001.json         # Default 2-ch session template
│       └── GuitarBassDrumTrio001.json   # 11-ch band session template
├── GF/                                  # Project ("Grottfolk")
│   ├── .caverec_project.json            # Cloud Project index
│   ├── _Mixes/                          # Flat links to Mix* & Print*
│   │   ├── GF_20261015-2_Take001_Print001_1947.flac
│   │   ├── GF_20261015-2_Take001_Print001_1947.mp3
│   │   ├── GF_20261015-2_Take001_Mix001_2315.flac
│   │   └── GF_20261015-2_Take001_Mix001_2315.mp3
│   └── GF_20261015-2_Jam/               # Session folder (tag "Jam")
│       ├── GF_20261015-2_session.json   # Console & marker manifest
│       ├── snapshots/                   # Saved Console Snapshots
│       │   └── GF_20261015-2_001_2026-10-15_19-34-12.json
│       ├── Take001_1947_Improv/         # Take 001 folder
│       └── Take002_0015_SongB/          # Late-night Take (same day)
└── MISC/                                # Built-in default project
    └── _Mixes/

Inside each individual Take folder (Take001_1947_Improv/), raw multitrack passes, stereo prints/mixdowns, and stem bounces are separated into clean subfolders:

Take001_1947_Improv/                     # Take 001 (tag "Improv")
├── GF_20261015-2_Take001_take.json      # Take metadata & notes
├── rec/                                 # Base (Rec001) & Overdub (-OD)
│   ├── GF_20261015-2_Take001_01-Kick-In_Rec001_1947.wav
│   ├── GF_20261015-2_Take001_02-Snare-Top_Rec001_1947.wav
│   ├── GF_20261015-2_Take001_09-LeadGtr_Rec001_1947.wav
│   ├── GF_20261015-2_Take001_09-LeadGtr_Rec002-OD_2210.wav
│   └── GF_20261015-2_Take001_09-LeadGtr_Rec003-OD_20261019-1922.wav
├── mix/                                 # Live Prints & Mixdowns
│   ├── GF_20261015-2_Take001_Print001_1947.wav
│   ├── GF_20261015-2_Take001_Print001_1947.flac
│   ├── GF_20261015-2_Take001_Print001_1947.mp3
│   ├── GF_20261015-2_Take001_Mix001_2315.flac
│   └── GF_20261015-2_Take001_Mix001_2315.mp3
├── bounce/                              # Track & Subgroup Bounces
│   ├── GF_20261015-2_Take001_01-Kick-In_Bounce001_2315.wav
│   └── GF_20261015-2_Take001_Bus01-Drum-Bus_Bounce001_2315.wav
└── .cache/                              # Waveform display cache

7.4.2 Canonical File & Folder Naming Reference#

Every file created by Cave Recorder follows consistent, predictable naming rules so files sort chronologically and never collide when dragged into an external folder or shared across operating systems:

Key studio rules governing disk files:

• 08:00 Local Time Session-Day Rollover: A studio session day runs from 08:00 to 07:59 local time the following morning. If your band starts rehearsing on October 15 at 21:00 and records a Take after midnight at 01:30 on October 16, that late-night recording still belongs to session date 20261015 and receives a four-digit <Stamp> (0130). If you open the same Session four days later on October 19 to record a guitar overdub, <Stamp> automatically expands to include the calendar date (20261019-1922).
• Permanent File IDs vs. Editable Folder Tags: The <SessionID>, Take numbers (Take001, Take002), Pass numbers (Rec001, Rec002-OD), and timestamps are assigned once at creation and never change, and numbers are never reused after a deletion. Editable tags (<SessionTag> like Jam and <TakeTag> like Improv) appear only in folder names, never inside .wav or .flac filenames. As a result, you can rename song tags and display titles freely at any time without breaking file references or re-uploading gigabytes of audio to the cloud.
• Broadcast Wave (bext) Headers & Sample-Zero Alignment: Every .wav stem is written with standard Broadcast Wave (bext) metadata embedding the wall-clock origin timecode while aligning the start of the Take to sample 0 (00:00:00.000).

7.5 Band Collaboration & Google Drive Cloud Sync (CLOUD)#

Cave Recorder includes built-in two-way Google Drive Cloud Sync designed specifically for bands and production teams. Bandmates can pull lightweight stereo .flac and .mp3 Prints, Mixdowns, and Console Snapshots to their laptops or stream .mp3 files directly in the Google Drive web player immediately after rehearsal, while selectively downloading multi-gigabyte raw multitrack stems only for the Takes they want to remix or overdub at home.

7.5.1 Connecting a Project to Google Drive & Reading the CLOUD Badge#

1. Authenticate with Google Drive: Click PROJECT in the Top Deck (CMD/CTRL + O) to open the Project & Session Browser modal (or click the CLOUD: IDLE status badge in the Top Deck). In the top Cloud Sync Remote row, click Check / Connect Drive. When a Google OAuth Client ID is configured, Cave Recorder launches your default web browser for the loopback OAuth 2.0 + PKCE (127.0.0.1) sign-in flow and stores your refresh credentials inside your operating system's user configuration folder. If no OAuth Client ID is configured yet on your workstation, Cave Recorder displays DRIVE: OAUTH NOT CONFIGURED with inline setup guidance for placing gdrive_oauth_client.json in your Cave Recorder configuration directory (~/Library/Application Support/caverec/ on macOS, ~/.config/caverec/ on Linux, or %APPDATA%\caverec\ on Windows) or setting the CAVEREC_GDRIVE_CLIENT_ID environment variable.
2. Monitor the Top Deck CLOUD Status Pill:
   • CLOUD: IDLE: Connected and ready, with no transfer currently running.
   • CLOUD: SYNCING: Actively uploading or downloading session manifests, mixes, or stems in the background.
   • CLOUD: SYNCED: All local Session changes match the remote Google Drive project index.
3. Automatic Real-Time Recording Guard: If a background cloud upload or download is running when you press Record (R) on the transport bar, Cave Recorder automatically pauses and terminates the background transfer immediately so disk and network activity never compete with live multitrack audio capture.

7.5.2 Selective Sync Tiers: MIXES vs. FULL, AUTO-FLAC ON UPLOAD & AUTO-MP3 ON UPLOAD#

Because an evening of 18-channel 48 kHz / 24-bit multitrack stems can total 10 to 30 GB while stereo .flac and .mp3 Prints and Console Snapshots take only a few megabytes, Cave Recorder supports two explicit transfer modes for both uploading and downloading:

7.5.3 Sharing a Project with Bandmates (+ Link Remote Project...)#

Each Project in Cave Recorder is an independent sync root, allowing you to keep personal projects in your own Google Drive while linking band projects hosted in a bandmate's Google Drive:

1. Share the Project Folder: The bandmate who created the Project shares its <ProjectTag> folder in Google Drive with the band's Google accounts (or clicks COPY SHARE LINK in the PROJECT modal to copy a caverec:// project link to the clipboard).
2. Link the Remote Project: On each bandmate's computer, open the PROJECT modal (CMD/CTRL + O) and click + Link Remote Project....
3. Auto-Discovery or Link Paste: Cave Recorder automatically lists all Cave Recorder projects found in your Google Drive "Shared with me" view for one-click linking, or lets you paste a Google Drive folder URL or caverec:// share URI directly.
4. Automatic Tag Collision Resolution: Because every Project in your local library must have a unique <ProjectTag>, if a linked remote project uses a tag (such as GF) that already exists on your machine, Cave Recorder prompts you with three clear choices:
   • RENAME LOCAL PROJECT TAG...: Re-tags your existing local project (for example, GF to GF2) to free GF for the shared band project.
   • MERGE SAME PROJECT (ADOPT REMOTE): Used when two bandmates independently created the GF project before linking, adopting the shared cloud project identity cleanly.
   • CANCEL: Aborts linking without changing local files.

7.5.4 Exclusive Session Write-Locking (Read-Only Preview) & Zero-Loss Conflict Merging#

When multiple bandmates collaborate on the same Session across different computers, Cave Recorder prevents accidental overwrites using Exclusive Session Write-Locking paired with Snapshot-Backed Conflict Merging:

• Automatic Write Lock on Open & Release on Close:
  • When you open a Session while online, Cave Recorder acquires an exclusive edit lock for your computer and automatically pulls any newer cloud metadata if your local copy has no unsaved edits.
  • When you close the Session (CLOSE SESSION) or quit Cave Recorder while online, the edit lock is released automatically so another bandmate can open the Session for editing.
• Opening a Session Locked by a Bandmate (Read-Only Preview Mode):
  • If a bandmate currently has the Session open on another computer, Cave Recorder alerts you and offers OPEN READ-ONLY PREVIEW (recommended), BREAK LOCK & TAKE WRITE ACCESS, or CANCEL.
  • In Read-Only Preview mode, an amber READ-ONLY (LOCKED BY <MACHINE>) badge appears in the header. You have full playback, timeline scrubbing, and live in-memory console mixing (faders, solos, 12-band EQ, VCA compression, and Snapshot auditioning), while transport Record / Overdub and background disk writes are disabled so you never conflict with your bandmate's live recording session.
  • If you dial in a great mix while in Read-Only Preview mode, click SAVE AS LOCAL SNAPSHOT in the header bar to preserve your mix settings locally, or click TAKE LOCK once your bandmate finishes.
• Zero-Loss Merging of Offline Edits, Takes & Deletions:
  • Audio files in rec/, mix/, and bounce/ are never overwritten, and new recordings and bounces are always saved as new numbered files. Pulling a MIXES update onto the studio computer that holds the raw rec/ multitrack WAV stems adds new mixes and snapshots without ever deleting local multitrack stems.
  • Takes or Passes that were marked as deleted in the session history on one machine remain marked as deleted across syncs so purged false starts are never re-downloaded.
  • If two bandmates both edit a Session's mix while offline and later sync to Google Drive, Cave Recorder detects that both computers edited the Session while offline, combines all newly recorded Takes, Passes, Mixdowns, and Snapshots from both machines, and prompts you to choose either KEEP LOCAL MIX & SAVE CLOUD MIX AS SNAPSHOT or ADOPT CLOUD MIX & SAVE LOCAL MIX AS SNAPSHOT. The alternate mix is automatically saved into snapshots/ so zero fader or EQ work is ever lost, and you can immediately compare both bandmates' mixes side by side using Present Stash (Section 7.3.2).

Action, Mouse Gesture & Keyboard Shortcut Reference

Complete reference for all 58 keyboard actions across macOS, Windows, and Linux, mouse interaction gestures, the Keymap View, and command-line options.

Cave Recorder is engineered for fast, eyes-on-the-band operation during live rehearsals and studio tracking sessions. Every transport command, workspace switch, marker placement, channel strip toggle, timeline zoom action, and snapshot operation can be triggered from the keyboard or with direct mouse and trackpad gestures.

This chapter provides the complete reference for all 58 keyboard-assignable studio actions across macOS, Windows, and Linux, all mouse and trackpad modifiers across the console and timeline, the interactive KEYMAP configuration workspace (CMD + 6 on macOS, CTRL + 6 on Windows and Linux), and the command-line options for automated studio verification and visual inspection.

8.1 Complete Keyboard Shortcut Reference (All 58 Actions by Scope)#

Cave Recorder organizes its 58 bindable actions into seven execution scopes so that single-key shortcuts can be reused across different workspace views without colliding:

• Platform Modifier Mapping: Cave Recorder supports four modifier keys across platforms: the primary command modifier maps to CMD on macOS and CTRL on Windows and Linux, the alt modifier maps to OPT (ALT) on macOS and ALT on Windows and Linux, the shift modifier maps to SHIFT on all platforms, and the secondary control modifier maps to CTRL on macOS and SUPER (WIN) on Windows and Linux. Keymap profiles saved on one operating system automatically translate to the native modifiers on the other platforms.
• Modal Priority (PROJECT MODAL): While the PROJECT (Project & Session Browser) modal is open, only PROJECT MODAL actions (ENTER and ESC) respond to keyboard input.
• View-Specific Priority & Global Fallback: When a workspace view tab (MIX CONSOLE, WAVEFORM TIMELINE, CHANNEL INSPECTOR, SESSION REEL, or MARKERS & RANGES) is active, Cave Recorder checks that view's dedicated shortcuts first and then falls back to GLOBAL actions. Unmodified single-letter keys (R, O, C, M, K, L) remain reserved for global transport and cue marker actions, while channel strip toggles on the Mix Console use SHIFT combinations (SHIFT + M, SHIFT + S, SHIFT + A, SHIFT + I, SHIFT + P) so you never accidentally mute or disarm a track while dropping a marker.

8.1.1 Global Transport & Record (GLOBAL TRANSPORT)#

These 10 actions belong to the GLOBAL / TRANSPORT category (GLOBAL scope) and are active from every workspace view whenever the Project Browser modal is closed.

8.1.2 Global Navigation & Modals (GLOBAL NAVIGATION & MODALS)#

This group includes the 9 GLOBAL / NAVIGATION actions (GLOBAL scope) used to switch workspace tabs and open studio configuration dialogs, plus the 2 MODAL / PROJECT actions (PROJECT MODAL scope) active inside the Project & Session Browser modal.

8.1.3 Global Undo, Snapshots & Markers (GLOBAL UNDO / SNAPSHOTS / MARKERS)#

This group covers the 5 GLOBAL / SESSION actions (Undo, Redo, Capture Manual Console Snapshot, Template popover, and Cloud Sync popover), the 9 GLOBAL / MARKERS cue and range hotkeys, and the 3 VIEW / MARKERS TAB table filter actions scoped to the MARKERS & RANGES view.

8.1.4 Mix Console View (MIX CONSOLE VIEW)#

These 7 actions belong to the VIEW / MIX CONSOLE category (MIX CONSOLE scope) and operate on the currently inspected Input Track or Subgroup Bus when the MIX CONSOLE tab (CMD/CTRL + 1) is active.

8.1.5 Waveform Timeline View (WAVEFORM TIMELINE VIEW)#

These 6 bindable actions belong to the VIEW / TIMELINE category (WAVEFORM TIMELINE scope) and are active when the WAVEFORM TIMELINE tab (CMD/CTRL + 2) is selected, supplemented by the direct left/right arrow cursor step keys.

8.1.6 Channel Inspector View (CHANNEL INSPECTOR VIEW)#

These 4 actions belong to the VIEW / INSPECTOR category (CHANNEL INSPECTOR scope) and are active when the CHANNEL INSPECTOR tab (CMD/CTRL + 3) is selected.

8.1.7 Session Reel View (SESSION REEL VIEW)#

These 3 actions belong to the VIEW / SESSION REEL category (SESSION REEL scope) and are active when the SESSION REEL tab (CMD/CTRL + 4) is selected.

8.2 Complete Mouse & Trackpad Gesture Reference#

All faders, rotary knobs, horizontal drag bars, meter overload lamps, processor rack slots, interactive EQ and compressor graphs, and timeline rulers share consistent mouse and trackpad gestures across Cave Recorder.

8.3 Customizing Shortcuts in the KEYMAP View (CMD/CTRL + 6)#

Pressing CMD + 6 on macOS (CTRL + 6 on Windows and Linux) or clicking KEYMAP in Row 2 of the Top Transport Deck opens the KEYMAP & SHORTCUT CONFIGURATION workspace.

8.3.1 Searching by Action Name, Reverse-Searching by Key Chord & Filtering by Scope#

The KEYMAP view provides three complementary ways to inspect bindings across all 58 studio actions:

1. Text Search (Search actions or keys...): Type any action name (Phase Align, Snapshot, Pass Lanes), action identifier (transport_record), scope name (MIX CONSOLE), or key chord (SHIFT + M, CMD + 1) into the left search box to filter the table in real time. Click CLR to clear the text query.
2. Interactive Reverse-Search by Shortcut (FIND BY SHORTCUT:): Click inside the CLICK & PRESS KEYS TO FIND... capture well in the top header bar. Its status indicator switches from IDLE to LISTENING... and the prompt changes to HOLD MODIFIERS OR PRESS KEY...:
   • Hold Modifier Keys (MODS: [...]): Hold down any combination of modifiers (CMD/CTRL, OPT/ALT, SHIFT) without pressing a letter key to filter the table immediately to every action whose shortcut includes those held modifiers.
   • Press a Trigger Key (EXACT: [...]): Press any non-modifier key (such as SPACE, R, or 1) to lock the complete key chord and isolate the exact action(s) bound to that shortcut across all scopes.
   • Clear Reverse Search (CLR KEY): Click CLR KEY beside the capture box to clear the key filter and restore all 58 rows.
3. Scope & Status Quick-Filter Pills: Click any of the eight filter pills in the toolbar (58/58 ROWS) to isolate a specific subset of actions:
   • ALL: Displays all 58 bindable studio actions.
   • GLOBAL: Displays the 33 global actions (GLOBAL / TRANSPORT, GLOBAL / NAVIGATION, GLOBAL / MARKERS, and GLOBAL / SESSION).
   • CONSOLE: Displays the 7 VIEW / MIX CONSOLE channel strip actions.
   • TIMELINE: Displays the 6 VIEW / TIMELINE zoom and Pass Lane actions.
   • INSPECTOR: Displays the 4 VIEW / INSPECTOR processor and clip-reset actions.
   • REEL/MRK: Displays the VIEW / SESSION REEL, VIEW / MARKERS TAB, and MODAL / PROJECT actions.
   • BOUND: Displays only actions that currently have an active keyboard shortcut assigned (44/58 by factory default).
   • MODIFIED: Displays only actions whose current shortcut differs from the factory default (marked with an amber * in the DEFAULT column and counted in the MOD: telemetry badge at the top right).

8.3.2 Recording Custom Shortcuts, Unbinding & Resetting Defaults#

Every row in the KEYMAP table includes an interactive SHORTCUT (CLICK TO ASSIGN) capture well and row action buttons on the far right:

1. Enter Capture Mode (ASSIGN or Click Capture Well): Click the ASSIGN button on the target row, or click directly inside its SHORTCUT (CLICK TO ASSIGN) box (UNBOUND - CLICK TO SET). The row's capture well highlights and prompts PRESS KEYS, THEN APPLY, while the right-hand action column switches to APPLY, CANCEL, and UNBIND.
2. Press Your Desired Key Combination: Hold any desired modifier keys (CMD/CTRL, OPT/ALT, SHIFT) and press a character key (A..Z, 0..9, [, ], -, =, ,, .), function key (F1..F12), or named navigation key (SPACE, ENTER, TAB, BACKSPACE, DELETE, HOME, END, PGUP, PGDN, UP, DOWN, LEFT, RIGHT). Shifted punctuation symbols (such as { or +) are automatically normalized to their canonical physical base key (SHIFT + [ or SHIFT + =) for consistent cross-platform matching.
3. Commit the Binding (APPLY): Click APPLY to validate and save the captured key chord, or click CANCEL (or click outside the capture well) to exit without changing the shortcut.
4. Unbind or Reset Individual Actions (UNBIND / RESET): Click UNBIND on any row to clear its shortcut to UNBOUND, or click RESET to restore that single action to its factory default binding.
5. Restore Factory Defaults Across the Entire Studio (RESET ALL DEFAULTS): Click RESET ALL DEFAULTS at the top right of the KEYMAP header to restore all 58 actions to their original factory keybindings in one step.

8.3.3 Live Scope Conflict Detection, Shared Non-Conflicting Scopes & OS Warnings#

When you assign a custom shortcut, Cave Recorder validates the key chord against two safety layers before writing to disk:

1. Scope Clash Detection (CLASH DETECTED Confirmation Banner):
   • Overlapping Scopes (Blocked Without Confirmation): Because GLOBAL shortcuts are active across every workspace view, assigning the same key chord to two GLOBAL actions, to two actions in the same workspace view, or to a GLOBAL action and a workspace view action creates an ambiguous collision. When you click APPLY on a colliding chord, Cave Recorder pauses and displays the amber Clash Detection Banner at the top of the KEYMAP view (CLASH DETECTED: [SPACE] conflicts with "Play / Pause Transport" (GLOBAL) in overlapping scope [GLOBAL]. Overwrite and unbind existing?). Click CONFIRM OVERWRITE to assign the shortcut and automatically unbind the conflicting action, or click CANCEL to keep your existing bindings untouched.
   • Non-Conflicting Sibling Views (Allowed & Highlighted in Green): Because only one workspace view tab is visible at a time, sibling view scopes (MIX CONSOLE, WAVEFORM TIMELINE, CHANNEL INSPECTOR, SESSION REEL, and MARKERS & RANGES) never conflict with each other, and PROJECT MODAL only runs while the modal browser is open. When two actions in separate views share the same key (such as E bound to Expand All Track Pass Lanes in WAVEFORM TIMELINE and Toggle Pass Lanes on Inspected Channel in CHANNEL INSPECTOR), the DESCRIPTION, SCOPE & WARNINGS column highlights SHARED IN NON-CONFLICTING SCOPE: CHANNEL INSPECTOR in emerald green.
2. Operating System Shortcut Conflict Warnings (OS WARN):
   • If you assign a key combination commonly intercepted by the host desktop environment, Cave Recorder displays an amber OS WARN (<Platform>): <System Function> badge in the row description so you know the operating system may capture the key press first:
   • macOS Warnings: CMD + Q (Quit Application), CMD + H (Hide Window), CMD + M (Minimize Window), CMD + W (Close Window), CMD + SPACE (Spotlight Search), CMD + TAB (Application Switcher), CMD + SHIFT + 3/4/5 (System Screenshot), and CTRL + Arrow keys (Mission Control / Desktop Spaces).
   • Windows & Linux Warnings: ALT + F4 (Close Window), ALT + TAB (Window Switcher), ALT + SPACE (Window Menu), CTRL + W / CTRL + Q (Close / Quit), CTRL + SHIFT + ESC (Task Manager), CTRL + ALT + T / DELETE (Terminal / Session Dialog), and SUPER (WIN) + L/D/E/R/I/TAB/SPACE/Arrow keys.

8.3.4 Persisting, Backing Up & Sharing Studio Keymap Profiles (keymap.json)#

Every change you make in the KEYMAP view is saved immediately to a human-readable JSON profile (keymap.json) inside your user configuration folder (stored alongside preferences.json and recent.json):

• macOS: ~/Library/Application Support/caverec/keymap.json
• Linux: $XDG_CONFIG_HOME/caverec/keymap.json (or ~/.config/caverec/keymap.json when XDG_CONFIG_HOME is unset)
• Windows: %APPDATA%\caverec\keymap.json (or %USERPROFILE%\AppData\Roaming\caverec\keymap.json)

{
  "schema_version": 1,
  "bindings": {
    "console_trigger_group_phase_align": {
      "modifiers": {
        "command": false,
        "control": false,
        "alt": false,
        "shift": true
      },
      "key": {
        "kind": "character",
        "value": "G"
      }
    }
  }
}

To transfer your custom studio keymap to a second rehearsal computer or back it up to version control:

1. Copy keymap.json from the source workstation's configuration directory into the target workstation's caverec configuration directory while Cave Recorder is closed, and launch caverec.
2. On startup, Cave Recorder automatically normalizes character symbols, maps command: true to CMD on macOS and CTRL on Windows and Linux, populates any omitted actions with their factory defaults, and sanitizes the table so no two overlapping scopes can ever load with a conflicting shortcut.

8.4 Command-Line & Automated Studio Verification Reference#

In addition to launching Cave Recorder from your desktop application menu, studio engineers and system integrators can run caverec from a terminal shell to execute automated 18-channel signal-path verification or generate offscreen workspace captures for studio documentation and rig sign-off.

# 1. Standard interactive desktop studio launch
caverec

# 2. Run the 18-channel studio self-test & signal-path verification
caverec --self-test
caverec --stress-test

# 3. Render all 15 workspace & modal inspection screenshots
caverec --screenshot-dir .tmp/caverec-shots

# 4. Render a single workspace preset at custom dimensions
caverec --screenshot-dir .tmp/caverec-shots \
  --screenshot-view console-18ch \
  --screenshot-size 1680x960

8.4.1 Command-Line Arguments Reference#

8.4.2 Studio Environment Variables#

Cave Recorder also recognizes the following optional environment variables on startup:

Studio Glossary & Alphabetical Index

Canonical definitions of Cave Recorder terminology, Take vs. Pass disambiguation, and an alphabetical subject index.

This chapter defines the canonical studio terminology used across every console faceplate, timeline lane, session file, and workflow in Cave Recorder (caverec), followed by the complete Alphabetical Index of the manual.

9.1 Take vs. Pass Disambiguation (Quick Guide)#

Traditional desktop digital audio workstations use the word "Take" for both an entire song recording and an overdubbed layer on a single track, causing constant confusion during band rehearsals. Cave Recorder enforces a strict four-tier studio hierarchy where Session-level Takes and Track-level Passes are completely distinct concepts:

Project (Band / Artist Workspace, e.g., GF)
 └── Session (Rehearsal Night or Tracking Day, e.g., GF_20261020-1)
      └── Take (Complete Song Run-Through Starting at 00:00:00.000)
           └── Pass (Single-Track Stem Inside That Take: PASS 01 / OD 02)

9.2 Studio Glossary#

The alphabetical definitions below cover every core studio concept, signal-processing stage, console switch, and workflow term in Cave Recorder, with direct links to the chapters where each topic is covered in depth.

12-Band Parametric EQ (2:12B EQ)#

Zero-latency 12-band precision state-variable parametric equalizer (B1 through B12) available in the 8-slot processor rack of every Input Track (CH01..CH18) and Subgroup Bus (SUB 1..SUB 16). Each band provides -24.0 dB to +24.0 dB gain across 20 Hz to 20 kHz, variable Q (0.10 to 18.00), and seven selectable filter shapes: peaking Bell (BELL), Low Shelf (LSHF), High Shelf (HSHF), High-Pass Filter (HPF), Low-Pass Filter (LPF), surgical Notch (NTCH), and Spectral Tilt (TILT). See Section 5.3.

30-Minute Retroactive Capture (RAM / RETRO)#

Continuous background audio capture system that retains the most recent 30 minutes of live 32-bit floating-point audio across all record-armed (R) input channels in system memory whenever the green RAM button is lit in the Top Transport Deck. Clicking RETRO (or pressing SHIFT + R) flushes the rolling 30-minute memory to disk as a new numbered Session Take (Take<NNN>) so spontaneous jams played while the transport was stopped are never lost. See Section 1.1.2, Section 2.2.3, and Section 3.2.

8-Slot Processor Rack#

Reorderable eight-slot insert processing chain (Slots 1..8) on every Input Track and Subgroup Bus. Holds Cave Recorder's zero-latency built-in processors (2:12B EQ, 3:VCA CMP, 4:AUX SND movable send tap) alongside third-party .clap audio plugins (1:CLAP). Slots can be reordered live during playback by dragging their :: handle or clicking ^ / v with clickless crossfading, or bypassed individually via B. See Section 4.1 and Section 5.1.3.

Active Comp Lane (ACTIVE COMP LANE)#

The single Pass Lane currently selected for disk playback on a track inside the active Take. Highlighted in amber-copper waveform color with a green star badge (★ PASS 01 or ★ OD 02) in WAVEFORM TIMELINE (CMD/CTRL + 2) and reflected on the channel strip's gold pass indicator badge on the Mix Console. See Section 3.4 and Section 6.2.2.

Analog VCA Compressor (3:VCA CMP)#

Zero-latency voltage-controlled amplifier dynamics processor included in every Input Track and Subgroup Bus 8-slot rack. Provides adjustable Threshold (-60.0 dB to 0.0 dB), Ratio (1.0:1 to 20.0:1 with 2:1, 4:1, 8:1, and 20:1 presets), Attack (0.1 ms to 100.0 ms), Release (10.0 ms to 1000.0 ms), Makeup Gain (0.0 dB to +24.0 dB), a 90 Hz Sidechain High-Pass Filter (SC HPF, shortcut H in Channel Inspector), Stereo Link (LINK), New York parallel blend (MIX 50%), and a real-time Gain Reduction (GR) trace. See Section 5.4.

Audio Settings Modal (AUDIO SETTINGS)#

Hardware configuration dialog opened via AUDIO SETTINGS in the Top Deck (CMD + , on macOS, CTRL + , on Windows and Linux). Selects the physical input and output audio interface, sample rate (44.1, 48.0, 88.2, or 96.0 kHz), hardware buffer size (32 to 2048 frames), and runs the automated hardware impulse loopback latency calibration (Measure Latency). See Section 2.2 and Section 2.3.

Aux Return (AUX 1 REVERB & AUX 2 TAPE DLY)#

Two dedicated, solo-safe stereo effect return strips on the right side of the Mix Console feeding the Master Bus:

• AUX 1 REVERB: Zero-latency acoustic convolution reverb (EMT 140 Plate, Studio Room, Chamber, Spring) with Input Low-Cut (LC), Pre-Delay (PD, 0 to 200 ms), Decay Time (DCY, 0.20 to 12.00 s), and WET blend toggle.
• AUX 2 TAPE DLY: Capstan magnetic tape echo processor with Wow & Flutter (WOW), High-Frequency Damping (DMP), Delay Time (TM, 1 to 2000 ms), Feedback (FB), and Stereo Ping-Pong (PP) widening.

See Section 4.3.2 and Section 5.5.

Aux Send (RVB & DLY / PRE, EQ, PST)#

Per-channel and per-subgroup stereo send level controls (-inf to +12.0 dB) feeding AUX 1 REVERB (RVB) and AUX 2 TAPE DLY (DLY), paired with a 3-way pickoff tap selector: PRE (pre-insert and pre-fader for independent cue sends), EQ (post-EQ and pre-fader), or PST (post-fader and post-mute, scaling wet effects naturally with fader moves). See Section 4.2.3.

Base Pass (Rec001 / PASS 01)#

The initial multitrack audio stem captured on a record-armed channel strip when a Session Take is originally recorded from 00:00:00.000 with Overdub Mode (OD) turned off. Stored on disk in <TakeFolder>/rec/<SessionID>_Take<NNN>_<CC>-<TrackName>_Rec001_<Stamp>.wav and displayed as PASS 01 (BASE PASS) in the channel strip header and Pass Lanes. See Section 1.2 and Section 6.2.

Channel Inspector (CHANNEL INSPECTOR)#

Full-screen single-channel and Subgroup Bus processing workbench (CMD + 3 on macOS, CTRL + 3 on Windows and Linux). Combines a full-height channel strip on the left with an expanded 12-band Parametric EQ and Dual-Trace 4096-point RTA, an expanded Analog VCA Compressor with scrolling Gain Reduction trace and dedicated rotary knobs, a multi-bus output routing popover (OUTPUT BUSES), and bottom Pass Lane comping controls. See Section 5.1.2.

CLAP Plugin (1:CLAP)#

Third-party audio effect plugin conforming to the open CLAP (Clever Audio Plug-in, .clap) standard, hostable in any of the eight reorderable slots (Slots 1..8) on any Input Track or Subgroup Bus with native floating GUI support, automatic Plugin Delay Compensation (PDC), and one-click Low-Latency Monitoring bypass. See Section 5.7.

Cloud Sync (CLOUD)#

Built-in two-way Google Drive synchronization engine for backing up Sessions and collaborating across bandmates' computers. Supports two transfer tiers (MIXES for fast synchronization of manifests, Snapshots, and .flac/.mp3/.wav Prints and Mixdowns, and FULL for complete raw rec/*.wav multitrack stems), automatic Print conversion (AUTO-FLAC ON UPLOAD and AUTO-MP3 ON UPLOAD), federated shared project linking (+ Link Remote Project...), exclusive session write-locking (Read-Only Preview), and zero-loss offline conflict merging via Snapshots. See Section 7.5.

Cycle Loop (⇄)#

Master Transport mode (C or clicking ⇄ in the Top Deck) that loops playback or overdub recording continuously between the START and END boundaries of the active Take Range (R001, R003, ...). See Section 3.4 and Section 6.3.2.

Dual-Trace Spectrum Analyzer (RTA)#

High-resolution 4096-point real-time acoustic spectrum analyzer displayed behind the 12-Band Parametric EQ curve in both the Mix Console Upper Well 2 and the CHANNEL INSPECTOR view. Plots the pre-EQ input spectrum (darker shaded trace) and post-EQ output spectrum (bright emerald trace) simultaneously from 20 Hz to 20 kHz. See Section 5.3.2.

Input Monitor (I)#

Per-track console switch (I on channel strips, MON in Channel Inspector, shortcut SHIFT + I on the inspected track in Mix Console) that routes the live physical hardware input (IN 01..IN 18) through the channel's 8-slot processor rack and fader even while transport playback is rolling, allowing musicians to rehearse or monitor live overdubs through console EQ, compression, and reverb. See Section 4.2.4.

Input Trim (TRM)#

Digital pre-insert gain control (-24.0 dB to +24.0 dB, default 0.0 dB) located at the top of every Input Track and Subgroup Bus strip. On Input Tracks, TRM sits upstream of both the raw multitrack stem recorder (rec/) and the 8-slot processor rack so you can fine-tune preamp gain staging before stems hit disk. On Subgroup Buses, TRM gain-stages the summed multi-channel signal entering the subgroup's SUB RACK. See Section 4.1 and Section 4.2.2.

Keymap View (KEYMAP)#

Interactive keyboard shortcut reference and customization workspace (CMD + 6 on macOS, CTRL + 6 on Windows and Linux). Lists all 58 studio actions across seven scopes with live substring search, interactive Reverse-Search by Shortcut (FIND BY SHORTCUT:), scope filter pills, inline key-chord capture (ASSIGN / APPLY), scope clash detection, operating-system conflict warnings (OS WARN), and automatic persistence to keymap.json. See Section 8.3.

Live Stereo Print (2-TRK / Print001)#

Real-time 2-track post-Master-Bus stereo recording captured concurrently alongside raw pre-fader multitrack stems whenever a Take is recorded with 2-TRK enabled on the MST MASTER BUS strip. Written to <TakeFolder>/mix/<SessionID>_Take<NNN>_Print<NNN>_<Stamp>.wav with automatic Plugin Delay Compensation (PDC) latency trimming, and convertible in one click (FLAC PRINT, MP3 PRINT, FLAC ALL PRINTS, or MP3 ALL PRINTS) to a lossless 24-bit .flac file or a 320 kbps CBR .mp3 file linked into <ProjectTag>/_Mixes/ for immediate post-rehearsal band listening. See Section 1.1.3, Section 4.1.1, and Section 7.2.

Low-Latency Monitoring#

Top Deck monitoring mode (Low-Latency Monitoring in Row 2 of the Top Deck) that temporarily bypasses high-latency lookahead CLAP plugins on record-armed (R) live monitoring paths and their downstream buses during overdubbing, dropping foldback latency to zero internal samples while keeping full Plugin Delay Compensation active on unarmed playback tracks. See Section 5.7.3.

Markers & Ranges (M001 / R001)#

Sample-accurate timeline cue flags and bounded time spans stored per Take and managed in both the WAVEFORM TIMELINE (MKR and RNG lanes) and the dedicated MARKERS & RANGES workspace (CMD/CTRL + 5). Standalone cue markers (M005, ...) are dropped on the fly with M and navigated via [, ], SHIFT + [ (HOME), and SHIFT + ] (END). Ranges (R001, R003, ...) are bounded by start (K) and end (L) markers for Cycle Loop playback (⇄) and non-destructive Take extraction (NEW TAKE). See Section 6.3.

Master Bus (MST MASTER BUS)#

The final stereo summing strip on the right edge of the Mix Console, summing all Subgroup Buses, direct Input Tracks, and Stereo Aux Returns. Incorporates a built-in Master Tape Saturation stage (TAPE with DRIVE and WARM), a Master Bus Glue VCA Compressor (COMP), a Lookahead Brickwall Limiter (LIM with THR and CEIL), the live 2-TRK Print recorder arm switch, independent FLAC and MP3 format toggles with a one-click BOUNCE offline Mixdown trigger, CLR CLIP, Master Fader, and 40-segment stereo Peak/RMS meter. See Section 4.3.3.

Mix Console (MIX CONSOLE)#

Primary studio workspace view (CMD + 1 on macOS, CTRL + 1 on Windows and Linux) combining the four Upper Inspector Wells (8-Slot Rack & Tape, 12-Band EQ & RTA, VCA Compressor & GR, and Mini-Timeline) with the lower bank of 18 Input Track strips (CH01..CH18), stereo Subgroup Buses (DRUM BUS, INST BUS), Stereo Aux Returns (AUX 1 REVERB, AUX 2 TAPE DLY), and the MST MASTER BUS. See Chapter 4.

Multi-Mic Phase Alignment (ALIGN ALL & Φ)#

Automatic acoustic arrival-time and polarity correlation processor that analyzes phase relationships across multi-miked instruments (such as a drum kit or dual-miked guitar/bass cabinet) relative to a timing anchor channel (0us) using sub-sample bandpass (150 Hz to 6 kHz) GCC-PHAT cross-correlation on recorded .wav stems or rolling capture memory. Clicking ALIGN ALL in the Top Deck (or Φ on an individual strip) calculates and engages sub-sample time delay (0 to 50,000 us / 0.00 to +50.00 ms) and 180-degree polarity inversion (Ø) to eliminate comb filtering, with single-step Undo/Redo support and instant global comparison via PHASE: ALIGN / PHASE: BYP. See Section 3.3 and Section 5.6.

Offline Stereo Mixdown (Mix001)#

Faster-than-real-time stereo render of an entire Take processed from 00:00:00.000 through the complete Mix Console signal chain (including updated fader balances, 8-slot inserts, Subgroup/Aux buses, Master Bus processing, and active Pass Lane selections). Triggered by selecting FLAC and/or MP3 and clicking BOUNCE on the Master Bus, saved to <TakeFolder>/mix/<SessionID>_Take<NNN>_Mix<NNN>_<Stamp>.<flac|mp3> (with a Xing/Info seek header on .mp3 files for web browser scrubbing), and linked into <ProjectTag>/_Mixes/. See Section 7.2.3.

Overdub Mode (OD)#

Transport recording mode toggled via the red OD button in the Top Deck (or pressing O). When OD is off, pressing Record (R) creates a brand-new t = 0 Session Take. When OD is latched (illuminated red), pressing Record (R) plays back the existing tracks of the currently active Take while recording a new track-level Overdub Pass (Rec002-OD, OD 02) onto armed channels with automatic roundtrip loopback latency compensation. See Section 3.4 and Section 6.2.

Overdub Pass (Rec002-OD / OD 02)#

A layered or replacement track-level recording captured inside an existing Session Take when Overdub Mode (OD) is enabled on the transport bar. Saved as <TakeFolder>/rec/<SessionID>_Take<NNN>_<CC>-<TrackName>_Rec<MMM>-OD_<Stamp>.wav and displayed as OD 02, OD 03, and higher inside that track's expandable Pass Lanes. See Section 1.2 and Section 6.2.

Pass#

Any individual audio recording on a single channel strip belonging to a specific Session Take, encompassing both the initial Base Pass (Rec001 / PASS 01) captured when the Take was first created and any subsequent Overdub Passes (Rec002-OD / OD 02, OD 03, ...) recorded into that Take. See Section 9.1.

Pass Lanes (PASSES)#

Expandable vertical sub-lanes under an Input Track in WAVEFORM TIMELINE (CMD/CTRL + 2, expanded with E and collapsed with SHIFT + E) and CHANNEL INSPECTOR (CMD/CTRL + 3, toggled with E or PASSES). Pass Lanes display the track's PASS 01 Base Pass and all OD 02..N Overdub Passes inside the active Take for one-click comp promotion (Use PASS 01 / ★ OD 02), per-pass muting (M), and non-destructive deletion (Del). Track-level overdub lanes are always called Pass Lanes and are never called "Take Lanes". See Section 6.2.2.

Plugin Delay Compensation (PDC)#

Automatic sample-accurate delay compensation engine that aligns parallel tracks, Subgroup Buses, and Aux paths whenever a third-party CLAP plugin introduces internal lookahead buffering. Displayed live in Row 2 of the Top Deck (PDC: N smp (X.XX ms @ 48 kHz)) and detailed per channel in the Latency & PDC Transparency Breakdown popover. See Section 5.7.2.

Polarity Invert (Ø)#

Console switch (Ø, shortcut SHIFT + P on the inspected strip in Mix Console) that flips positive and negative waveform excursions by 180° (illuminates cyan when active). Used to correct phase cancellation on bottom snare microphones, rear open-back guitar cabinet microphones, or inverted balanced XLR cables, and set automatically during ALIGN ALL. See Section 4.2.2 and Section 5.6.

Present Stash (A/B PRESENT STASH & RETURN TO PRESENT)#

Automatic working-memory safeguard that preserves your live, unsaved Mix Console state the instant you click AUDITION SNAP <NNN> in the SESSION REEL view (CMD/CTRL + 4). While in Audition Mode, you can step across any number of historical Snapshots, click A/B PRESENT STASH for clickless real-time comparison against your working mix, or press BACKSPACE (RETURN TO PRESENT) to restore your exact working console state with zero lost fader moves. See Section 7.3.2.

Project & Project Tag (PROJECT / _Mixes/)#

Top-level workspace representing a band, artist, or musical venture, identified by a unique 1-to-8 character uppercase alphanumeric Project Tag (GF, TEST, MISC) and stored at <LibraryRoot>/<ProjectTag>/. Managed in the PROJECT modal (CMD/CTRL + O), each Project contains all of that band's Sessions plus a flat _Mixes/ index folder containing relative links to all active .flac, .mp3, and .wav Prints and Mixdowns across every Session. See Section 1.2, Section 2.4, and Section 7.4.

Roundtrip Loopback Calibration (Measure Latency)#

Built-in hardware impulse measurement tool inside the AUDIO SETTINGS modal (CMD/CTRL + ,) that transmits a calibration pulse out a selected physical output jack (Out 20 or Out 1) over a patch cable into an analog input jack to measure exact physical converter, ADAT, and USB/Thunderbolt roundtrip delay in samples. The measured offset is automatically applied as negative record-offset compensation on all subsequent Overdub Passes (OD). See Section 2.3.

Session & 08:00 Rollover Rule#

A single rehearsal evening, jam night, or studio tracking day within a Project (<ProjectTag>/<SessionID>[_<SessionTag>]/), defining the shared 18-channel hardware patch, strip names, bus topology, and console settings across all Takes recorded during that gathering. Cave Recorder rolls the session calendar date over at 08:00 local time so Takes recorded after midnight (01:30) remain grouped under the same evening session date (YYYYMMDD) as recordings started at 21:00. See Section 1.2 and Section 7.4.2.

Session Reel (SESSION REEL)#

Session management dashboard (CMD + 4 on macOS, CTRL + 4 on Windows and Linux) containing the session metadata and cloud sync header, the reversible Undo/Redo history bar (UNDO, REDO, COMPACT TAIL, SNAP MANUAL), the searchable TAKES CATALOG (Take loading, starring, tagging, FLAC PRINT and MP3 PRINT encoding, soft-delete trash management, and latency offset re-application), and the SNAPSHOTS & PRESENT STASH table. See Chapter 7.

Session Template (SAVE TEMPLATE / MicAndGuitar001)#

Reusable console configuration file (<LibraryRoot>/.caverec/templates/<Name>.json) saved via the SAVE TEMPLATE button in Row 2 of the Top Deck and selectable when creating a new Session in the PROJECT modal. Cave Recorder seeds two built-in studio templates on first launch: MicAndGuitar001 (the default 2-channel singer-songwriter template with Channel 1 Mic feeding an -8.0 dB Post-Fader Reverb send and Channel 2 Guitar, both with 80 Hz high-pass filters) and GuitarBassDrumTrio001 (an 11-channel band template with Guitar Bus, Drum Bus, and parallel Drum Crush Bus subgroups). Templates store all channel strip names, physical input bindings, Subgroup Bus assignments, 8-slot processor racks, EQ curves, and compressor settings while excluding recorded audio Takes and undo history. See Section 2.4.3.

Snapshot (SNAPS)#

Immutable point-in-time capture of the entire Mix Console state, active Pass Lane selections, and compact undo history stored in <SessionFolder>/snapshots/<SessionID>_<NNN>_<Timestamp>.json. Created manually via SNAP MANUAL (CMD/CTRL + S), automatically after every normal recording stop ([POST-REC]), or every 20 minutes during active editing ([AUTO]), and auditioned losslessly via Present Stash. See Section 7.3.