How to Select a Chain in Ecasound Interactive Mode

This guide explains how to designate a specific processing chain as the active operational target within Ecasound’s interactive mode. By understanding chain selection commands, you will be able to isolate individual signal paths, inspect their routing, and apply real-time parameter changes or audio effects exclusively to the intended channel.

The Chain Selection Command

In Ecasound interactive mode, commands that modify inputs, outputs, operators, or controllers apply only to the currently selected chain. To select a specific chain as the active target, use the c-select command (or its alias cs):

c-select [chain_name]

Replace [chain_name] with the label assigned to the chain when it was created (or the default identifier assigned by Ecasound, such as default).

Step-by-Step Selection Workflow

List Available Chains
If you do not know the exact name of the chain you want to modify, list all chains in the current setup using:
```
c-list
```
Set the Target Chain
Execute c-select followed by your target chain's name:
```
c-select chain1
```
Any chain-level commands executed after this step will now apply solely to chain1.
Verify the Selection
Check which chain is currently targeted and view its configuration by running:
```
c-status
```
This prints the status, active operators, controllers, and routing associated with the currently selected chain.

Selecting Multiple Chains

Ecasound also allows you to target multiple chains simultaneously if you need to apply operations across several tracks at once:

Select a specific group: Separate chain names with commas.
```
c-select chain1,chain2
```
Select all chains: Target every chain in the current setup simultaneously.
```
c-select-all
```
Clear chain selection: Deselect all currently targeted chains.
```
c-deselect
```

Once your desired chain is selected, you can safely add effects with -ea, attach controllers with -n, or change audio routing without altering other active tracks in your session.