Play from the terminal.

What you need

Ninevolt is guitar → interface → JACK → terminal. You do not need a DAW.

• Ninevolt installed — apt or dnf via the Install page, so ninevolt and the pedal commands are on your PATH.
• A guitar (or bass — same path).
• An audio interface with an instrument / Hi-Z input — Focusrite Scarlett, PreSonus, Behringer UMC, RME, etc.
• A guitar cable into the interface input.
• Monitors, headphones, or an amp on the interface outputs (or whatever JACK is routing to).
• Optional — MIDI foot controller (e.g. Behringer FCB1010) if you want bypass, volume, and expression with your feet instead of the keyboard.
• Linux + JACK (or PipeWire with the JACK bridge). Ninevolt talks to JACK ports, not ALSA alone.

Typical desk: guitar → Scarlett input 1 → Linux (PipeWire/JACK) → headphones. MIDI OUT from an FCB1010 into the interface MIDI IN if you use feet.

Point JACK at your interface

Once installed, tell Ninevolt which ports are guitar in and amp/phones out. Create ~/Ninevolt/configs/jack.yaml:

input: system:capture_1
output: system:playback_1
device_hint: Scarlett   # optional — prefer ports matching this name

Port names vary by interface; jack_lsp or your PipeWire tools will show the real ones. CLI flags override the file: --connect-in, --connect-out, --no-connect.

On startup, connection messages print to stderr and show in the TUI footer. Aim for ● ROUTED (in and out connected).

Launch a single pedal

Every effect is its own command. Once you’ve installed Ninevolt, the binaries are on your PATH:

black-rat
crazy-tone
organ-donor --preset 2
tuner

That opens the pedal TUI, connects JACK using your config, and starts processing audio. Browse the full library on the Pedals pages.

Exit a pedal

Press q, Esc, or Ctrl+C. Your last session is saved under ~/Ninevolt/pedals/<pedal-id>/ so the next launch picks up where you left off.

Bypass

Press b to stomp the effect off (dry signal still flows). Press again to engage. The LED / LIVE state in the TUI reflects whether the effect is active.

Keyboard · standalone pedal

Load a shareable preset file with organ-donor --preset-file cathedral.yaml (see the pedal docs / example YAML in the repo).

Chains & the ninevolt command

A chain is several pedals in series — like a board — defined by a YAML profile. The ninevolt binary runs chains.

Interactive (recommended)

With no arguments, Ninevolt opens the profile picker:

ninevolt

Browse with arrows or type to filter, hit Enter to load a board, or n to build a new DIY chain. From a running board, Esc returns to the picker (does not quit to the shell).

List & run by name

ninevolt list
ninevolt run nirvana-nevermind
ninevolt run shoegaze-wall

Built-in profiles ship with the package (artist / song inspired). Custom ones live in ~/Ninevolt/profiles/. A guitar tuner is prepended and a volume pedal appended automatically when a profile omits them.

Keyboard · chain board

Profile picker

On the board

On the tuner (in a chain)

Using existing profiles

1. Run ninevolt and pick a profile, or ninevolt run <id>.
2. Select pedals with 1–9, twist knobs, stomp with b.
3. Use Shift+B when you need a full mute-through (bypass all).
4. Esc back to the picker to try another board without restarting JACK wiring.

Profiles cite tone sources in their YAML so you can verify settings. Explore IDs with ninevolt list.

Add your own profile / DIY chain

From the TUI

In the profile picker press n (or choose + New chain…). Stack pedals from the catalog, reorder with Shift+↑ Shift+↓, save, then play with Enter. Saved boards land in ~/Ninevolt/profiles/.

By hand (YAML)

Drop a file under ~/Ninevolt/profiles/ (or set NINEVOLT_PROFILES_DIR):

name: My board
tagline: Comp → screamer → delay
chain:
  - name: Blue Comp
    pedal: blue-comp
    args: [--preset, "0"]
  - name: Green Screamer
    pedal: green-screamer
    args: [--preset, "1"]
  - name: Ana Echo
    pedal: ana-echo
    bypass: true
    args: [--preset, "0"]

Then ninevolt run my-board (id usually matches the filename) or pick it in the interactive list. For AI-assisted authoring see MCP Chain Authoring.

Field recorder

Add field-recorder near the end of a chain to capture the full board as mono MP3 under ~/Ninevolt/recordings/. Select that pedal and press Space to start/stop.

MIDI foot control (optional)

One MIDI cable: controller MIDI OUT → interface MIDI IN. Copy the example config to ~/Ninevolt/configs/midi.yaml. Defaults are FCB1010-friendly:

Disable MIDI with --no-midi. Remap notes/CCs in midi.yaml to match what your FCB (or other board) actually sends — use amidi -d to spy on presses.

Reading the TUI

• LIVE (green) in the header — effects are enabled (not bypass-all).
• ● ROUTED — JACK input and output are both connected.
• ● IN — guitar signal detected on the input.

If you hear nothing: check interface gain, JACK ports, mute on the interface, and that the chain is not fully bypassed.

Where things live

Pedal catalog → /pedals/ · Packages → Install · Bugs & features → jon@ninevoltnine.com