Sequence everything
Tracker columns, piano roll clips, timeline loops, automation lanes, and sampler keyzones live in one project.
PK PatchKnob
Tracker brain. Modular hands.
PatchKnob is a multi-platform SDL DAW and modular synthesis lab with tracker and piano-roll sequencing, sampler instruments, VST hosting, Pure Data, Csound, and a Cardinal-style GPU-drawn rack — plus a built-in Claude assistant that writes Csound instruments, MIDI parts, automation curves and whole arrangements, every reply validated before it touches your project.
CLOCK
SEQ
VCF
OUT
Patch it together
Build instruments and effects with VST nodes, rack modules, Pure Data patches, Csound code, and mixer routing.
Describe it, hear it
Ask Claude for a bassline in the piano roll, a filter sweep in the automation editor, a Csound instrument in the editor, or a whole song from the Generate menu — notes are validated field by field and code is audited and compiled before anything lands, always one undo step away.
Built for hacking
Open-source C++/SDL architecture with Linux build tooling and bridge tooling for Cardinal and VCV-style module ports.
Download PatchKnob
Linux packages for 0.8.7. Both install to /usr/lib/patchknob with a
patchknob command on your path, and bundle the Csound reference manual
the editor and its assistant both read.
Build from source
The repository is self-contained — the third-party sources it compiles are vendored, so there is no dependency hunting. Two commands on any recent distribution:
./scripts/install-deps.sh
./scripts/build.sh
install-deps.sh knows Debian/Ubuntu, Fedora/RHEL, Arch, openSUSE and
Alpine, and prints the dependency list in generic terms on anything else rather
than failing silently.
Support the project
Patreon support helps keep PatchKnob moving. Use it for project support, custom builds, and binary downloads.