macOS
On macOS, there are three main track configurations for using MODALplugin that can be applied to most DAWs and plugin hosts:
- Three tracks - MIDI + Audio + Instrument:
- A MIDI track for sending MIDI to the synth, where the tracks MIDI output is set to the synths USB-MIDI port / device.
- An audio track for receiving audio from the synth, where the tracks audio input is set to the audio interface input that is connected to the audio output of the synth.
- An Instrument track with MODALplugin applied for parameter editing only, where there are no set ports / devices for the tracks MIDI input / output, and the plugin Host MIDI Filters are all enabled / selected.
- Two tracks - External Instrument + Instrument:
- An External Instrument track for sending MIDI to the synth and for receiving audio from the synth, where the External instrument MIDI output / destination is set to the synths USB-MIDI port / device and the External Instrument audio input is set to the audio interface input that is connected to the audio output of the synth.
- An Instrument track with MODALplugin applied for parameter editing only, where there are no set ports / devices for the tracks MIDI input / output, and the plugin Host MIDI Filters are all enabled / selected.
- Two tracks - Instrument + Audio:
- An Instrument track with MODALplugin applied for sending MIDI to the synth (through the plugins 'Host MIDI Routing' feature) and for parameter editing, where the plugin Host MIDI Filters are disabled / unselected to allow DAW track MIDI to be sent to the synth through the plugin. Do not set the tracks MIDI input or output to be the MIDI input or output of the synth.
- An audio track for receiving audio from the synth, where the tracks audio input is set to the audio interface input that is connected to the audio output of the synth.
On macOS, in most cases we recommend either using configuration 1 or 2. Configuration 3 is possible, however for some DAWs with certain settings this configuration can result in MIDI timing issues (please see 'MODALplugin's Host MIDI Routing Feature' below for more information) - if these timing issues cannot be rectified using the MODALplugin 'Host MIDI Delay' control and / or the DAWs built-in controls for dealing with latency and timing, we recommend using configuration 1 or 2 instead.
Windows
Due to the Windows single-client MIDI issue (please see this article for more information on this), if you would like to send MIDI to the synth from your DAW and use MODALplugin simultaneously, there are only two main track configurations that can be used:
Please note that, due to the Windows single-client MIDI issue, for MODALplugin to be able to connect to the Modal synth in both the following configurations you'll need to first ensure that the host DAW isn't connected to the synths USB-MIDI ports - to do this please go to your DAWs MIDI preferences and set both the 'In' and 'Out' ports of the Modal USB-MIDI device to disabled / disconnected / inactive. Please consult your DAWs user documentation for specific instructions on how to do this.
- Two tracks - Instrument + Audio:
- An Instrument track with MODALplugin applied for sending MIDI to the synth (through the plugins 'Host MIDI Routing' feature) and for parameter editing, where the plugin Host MIDI Filters are disabled / unselected to allow DAW track MIDI to be sent to the synth through the plugin.
- An audio track for receiving audio from the synth, where the tracks audio input is set to the audio interface input that is connected to the audio output of the synth.
- Three tracks - MIDI (USB interface) + Audio + Instrument:
- A MIDI track for sending MIDI to the synth, where the tracks MIDI output is set to a USB-MIDI interface connected to the DIN MIDI input of the synth.
- An audio track for receiving audio from the synth, where the tracks audio input is set to the audio interface input that is connected to the audio output of the synth.
- An Instrument track with MODALplugin applied for parameter editing only, where there are no set ports / devices for the tracks MIDI input / output, and the plugin Host MIDI Filters are all enabled / selected.
On Windows, For most DAWs it is possible to use configuration 1 without any issue. However for some DAWs with certain settings this configuration can result in MIDI timing issues (please see 'MODALplugin's Host MIDI Routing Feature' below for more information) - if these timing issues cannot be rectified using the MODALplugin 'Host MIDI Delay' control and / or the DAWs built-in controls for dealing with latency and timing, we recommend using configuration 2 instead.
MODALplugin's 'Host MIDI Routing' Feature
MODALplugin has the ability to route MIDI messages from the DAW / host track directly to the connected Modal device, as an alternative to using the DAWs main MIDI output. To enable this MIDI routing functionality, unselect the 'Host MIDI Filter' buttons on the top bar of MODALplugin to allow the various types of MIDI messages to be routed to the device.
This feature was primarily designed to be a workaround for the Windows single-client MIDI issue (please see this article for more information on this), providing a solution for you to send MIDI to the synth from your DAW and use MODALplugin simultaneously on Windows.
However, audio plugins are not designed to route host MIDI to hardware - this functionality is best left to be handled directly by the host / DAW. Therefore this 'Host MIDI Routing' feature may not work perfectly within some DAWs with certain settings - it may result in MIDI timing issues where host MIDI messages are being received by the synth too early, specifically when using a large audio buffer size and / or when the MODALplugin instrument track isn't selected. If this is the case in your setup, please use the MODALplugin 'Host MIDI Delay' control to add a delay to correct the timing, or consult your DAWs documentation to see if it has any of its own settings for dealing with latency and timing issues.