Sound design workflow — load instruments and effects, shape parameters for a target sound

Guide the user through designing a sound using the V2 orchestration pipeline.

Orchestration Flow

Session kernel — get_session_kernel(request_text=<user's request>, mode="improve")
Route — route_request(<user's request>) for engine routes + semantic moves

Design Phase

Ask about target — what character? (warm pad, aggressive bass, shimmering lead, etc.)
Choose instrument — search_browser to find devices, load_browser_item to load
Verify health — get_device_info to confirm plugin initialized. Read value_string from get_device_parameters to understand actual units.
Shape sound — set_device_parameter or batch_set_parameters. ALWAYS read value_string in response to confirm Hz/dB/% values make sense.
Verify after every change — get_track_meters(include_stereo=true) — if stereo drops to 0, the effect killed the signal.

Critic Phase

Run critics — analyze_sound_design(track_index) for static timbre, missing modulation, spectral imbalance
Plan improvements — plan_sound_design_move(track_index) for suggested changes
Patch model — get_patch_model(track_index) to see chain structure and controllable blocks

Effects & Automation

Add effects — load with find_and_load_device(track_index, device_name). Verify health.
Organic movement — apply_automation_shape(curve_type="perlin") for filter/send drift
Automation recipes — apply_automation_recipe for breathing, vinyl_crackle, auto_pan. Verify after applying.

Evaluation

Perception check — get_master_spectrum or capture_audio + analyze_spectrum_offline
Evaluate — evaluate_move(goal_vector, before_snapshot, after_snapshot) to score improvement

Summary

Report — "What I changed / what improved / what I protected"
Memory — if score > 0.7, suggest memory_learn to save the technique

For critic-driven iterative refinement, use the livepilot-sound-design-engine skill.

Branch-Native Exploratory Mode

For open-ended sound design ("design me something that feels like X", "make this more interesting", "surprise me"), use Flow B from livepilot-core SKILL.md. Prefer source="synthesis" seeds for any request that calls for genuinely different timbres — PR9+ introduces native-synth adapters (Wavetable, Operator, Analog, Drift, Meld) that can propose per-device parameter branches. Pass synth_hints on get_session_kernel when you know which tracks or devices to focus on:

get_session_kernel(
    request_text="make the pad more alive",
    freshness=0.75,
    creativity_profile="sculptor",
    synth_hints={"track_indices": [pad_track_idx], "preferred_devices": ["Wavetable", "Operator"]},
)

Seeds with source="synthesis" that arrive without a compiled plan will (post-PR9) be compiled by the synthesis_brain; pre-PR9 they must ship with a freeform plan attached via compiled_plans.

sounddesign