Patchlane.

A visual home for audio plugins. Patchlane makes an installed collection easier to browse, recognise, and return to.

Visit the project

Design breakdown / concept drawings

Recognise the tool. Return to the sound.

Replace a long list of plugin names with a familiar visual collection.

01 / Catalogue

Read the collection

Index names, formats and locations from selected Mac folders without loading plugin executables.

The design choice

Bring the collection together before asking people to organise it.

02 / Recognise

A visual library

Thumbnails, search and favourites make tools easier to find. Multiple formats of a plugin belong together.

The design choice

Recognition can be quicker than remembering a name.

03 / Connect

Back into the session

A separately configured compatible Ableton bridge can send a load request to the selected track.

The design choice

The library is useful when it helps return to making music.

Patchlane green app icon with its cable-shaped P mark

01 / INSPIRATION

Can choosing a sound feel less like searching a filing cabinet?

Plugin collections grow, but names in a long list rarely communicate what a tool feels like. Patchlane explores a more visual, personal library, with recognition and quick access at the centre.

Annotated design study for Patchlane — Explanatory redraw made for this portfolio, not an original notebook page.

02 / HOW IT WORKS

How it works

The Mac app catalogues plugin names, formats, and locations from selected folders. A visual library brings search, favourites, and thumbnails together. A separately configured compatible Ableton bridge can connect library selection to a session.

Patchlane identity. Interface sketch below is a new concept illustration.

A closer look

Recognise before reading

A thumbnail-led library groups formats of the same plugin together. Search can narrow the collection by name, maker, or format.

Keep the collection personal

Favourites, recently used tools, and custom screenshots help a large collection become familiar. The app indexes plugin metadata without loading the plugin executable.

A bridge into the session

The current integration targets Ableton Live. A local bridge sends a load request to the selected track; other DAWs are not presented as supported.

Inside the app / real screens

The actual library: Plugin names, formats and favourites together in the Mac app. Empty cards are slots for custom screenshots. — **The actual library**Plugin names, formats and favourites together in the Mac app. Empty cards are slots for custom screenshots.

Narrow the collection: Search turns a large library into a smaller set of choices. — **Narrow the collection**Search turns a large library into a smaller set of choices.

In development

Explore the project.

Patchlane landing page Next project: Atlas