Overview v0.6
TOMiC Groovebox v0.6 User Manual
Official technical documentation for TOMiC Groovebox v0.6: 16 channels, Mesh 2D FDTD plate modeling, continuous Dual Layer morphing, 64-step sequencer, and CLAP hosting.
Welcome to the official documentation for TOMiC Groovebox v0.6 — a professional, next-generation 16-channel groovebox DAW built in Rust and operating as a VST3, CLAP plugin, and Standalone application.
### 🎛️ Architectural Manifesto: What is TOMiC?
TOMiC is a complete 16-channel Groovebox DAW: Every channel is a self-contained instrument capable of percussive synthesis, deep sub-bass, cutting acid/synth leads, polyphonic chords, physical acoustic models, and multi-variant sample playback with 4-way Round-Robin, transient slicing and Slice Beat (a drum loop cut straight onto the channel's steps). With dual layers (A/B), 12 synthesis architectures (Mesh 2D FDTD plate physical modeling, Virtual Analog, FM, Braids, Plaits, additive harmonics, granular), an 8-slot analogue filter chain, and an extensive 16-processor DSP FX rack mirrored on the master bus with a glue compressor and brickwall limiter, TOMiC gives you everything required to sculpt and arrange complete tracks.
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The beating heart of its sound is continuous DSP Layer Morphing: Layer A and Layer B are two distinct sonic states of the exact same sound, between which the entire DSP state smoothly interpolates in real time — envelopes, FM ratios, filter cutoffs, and saturation drive — with Morph serving as a primary modulation target for 12 modulator classes (LFO, Marbles, Lorenz, Markov, Cellular, Chladni, XY pad, recorded HandMade gestures), sequencer parameter lanes, and DAW automation.
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Tactile Composition in a Hardware Paradigm: Composition unfolds across a 64-step polymetric sequencer featuring 12 pattern bank slots plus a dedicated global FILL performance override, scale-quantized pitch drawing for basslines and melodies, conditional trigs, ratchets that run up into audio rate (Retrig), a per-step FX bypass lane, Euclidean generator, a kit-level Groove Generator, Groove Extract from your own loops, a limb-aware Drummer Model, a Pattern Architect for variations and fills, Breed for evolving sounds, and a comprehensive Song Mode with clip memory and live chain growth. In Standalone, Live Set adds a setlist with a second deck and a bar-quantized crossfade between songs. The entire session — including integrated CLAP and Omniplugin WASM instrument hosting in Standalone — bounces directly to bit-accurate master WAV and multi-track MIDI.
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TOMiC is a DAW in the truest sense of "I can compose, arrange, and render a finished master track", yet deliberately architected in the tactile, immediate paradigm of a hardware groovebox rather than a linear multitrack tape recorder.
📚 Table of Contents
| Chapter | Title | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Chapter 01 | Introduction & Architecture | Overview of capabilities, Groovebox DAW design philosophy, initial setup, and main interface. |
| Chapter 02 | Synthesis Engine & Layer Morphing | Dual Layer (A/B) architecture, 12 synthesis architectures (inc. Mesh 2D FDTD plate physical modeling, FM, VA, Plaits, Braids), oscillators, and hosted instruments. |
| Chapter 03 | Noise Generators & Sampler | 12 noise types, Karplus-Strong physical modeling, sample player, Round Robin, slicing editor, and Slice Beat drum-loop slicing. |
| Chapter 04 | Modulation Matrix | LFO, ModEnv, Marbles, Markov, Lorenz, Cellular, Tidal, Orbital, Chladni, CvGranular, HandMade, XY Pad, and Macro Knobs. |
| Chapter 05 | Per-Channel FX Chain | 12 filter models, up to 8 filters per chain, 16 DSP FX processors (inc. Dual Resonant Delay), 8 distortion algorithms, Reverb, and more. |
| Chapter 06 | Step Sequencer & Song Mode | 13 pattern slots (A-L + FILL), Retrig, ⚡ FX lane, Kit-Level Groove Generator (7 styles), Groove Extract, Modular Pattern Chain Studio with follow actions, Drummer Model, Pattern Architect, Song Mode, and Live Set (Standalone). |
| Chapter 07 | Mixer Console, Master, AI & Artchemy | Mixer console, faders & meters, Pattern Lock (PAT), Link ALL, Master FX/Filter, Smart Random 2.0 with instrument archetypes, Breed, Presets, and Artchemy visual bridge. |
| Chapter 08 | Specifications & MIDI Chart | MIDI note mapping, MIDI CC Learn, keyboard shortcuts, and technical specifications. |
🎨 Main Interface Overview (GUI)
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TOMiC Interface Overview
Figure 0.1: Main user interface view of TOMiC Groovebox.
💡 Portal Features & Navigation
🔍 Instant Search (
Cmd+K / /): Search topics across all chapters with live keyword highlights.🖼️ HD Lightbox Viewer: Click any screenshot or diagram to view full high-resolution interface images.
🌐 Dual Language (EN / PL): Switch between English and Polish instantly using the header toggle.
📌 Interactive Sidebar & Progress: Auto-highlighted Table of Contents (ScrollSpy) and reading progress tracking.