Internal Routing

Internal Routing

The output of one process engine can be used as the input to another, creating multi-stage merge topologies without requiring physical network loopback cables.

How It Works

In the merge editor, each input's source list includes all other process engines alongside the network interfaces. Selecting an engine links its output directly to this input — data flows internally without touching the network.

Example: Multi-Stage Merge

Engine 1 (HTP): Console A + Console B → merged output
Engine 2 (X-Fade): Engine 1 output + Media Server → crossfade blend
Engine 3 (Forward): Engine 2 output → sACN Universe 1

This gives you an HTP merge of two consoles, crossfaded with a media server, all routed to a single sACN universe — with zero physical loopback.

Key Behaviours

• Keep-alive propagation — when a source drops, the upstream engine continues feeding data downstream, preventing cascading failures
• Failsafe propagation — hold-last-state, full, and scene failsafe modes propagate correctly through the chain
• Physical loopback — for same-interface scenarios, enable the "OWN" checkbox to inject data directly without requiring an external network path
• Recursion guard — maximum chain depth of 4 prevents infinite loops in circular topologies