Patchrrr

Patchrrr is a minimalist Python based patchbay for Jack audio and ALSA MIDI on Linux. It takes lists of input/output pairs and tries to keep them connected at all times.

This project was created for a headless audio processing setup, with no X or Wayland present.

Features

• 800 lines of Python with no dependencies (thanks to ctypes)
• Easy install — just download the single file
• Linux only

Maybe future features

• Dynamic patching, including the ability to disconnect clients
• Run in the background so the main thread isn't blocked
• Support for Jack MIDI (assuming it doesn't just work already)

Install

uv pip install git+https://github.com/scottyeager/patchrrr.git

Or for a quick and dirty option, just copy the one .py file.

Usage

Run standalone by editing the connection lists at the top of patchrrr.py, then:

python patchrrr.py

Or import it and pass your own connections:

from patchrrr import PatchrrrManager

manager = PatchrrrManager(
    alsa_connections=[
        ("My App:output", "My Synth:input"),
    ],
    jack_connections=[
        ("app:out_1", "system:playback_1"),
    ],
)
manager.start()

When embedding in a larger application, pass install_signals=False to prevent patchrrr from overriding your signal handlers, then set manager.running = False to stop it.

Notes

Patchrrr is designed around blocking IO, threads, and queues. It should be fairly lightweight in terms of resource consumption, but running super fast isn't the main goal.