Accessing the MIDI output of a VST plug-in

  • Live Versions: All
  • Operating System: All

Certain VST plug-ins generate MIDI which can be used in other Live tracks. For example you could use a plug-in's arpeggiator to drive other devices/plug-ins.

  1. Load a VST plug-in into a MIDI track.
  2. Create another MIDI track.
  3. In the Input Type chooser (“MIDI From”) of the new track, select the track containing the VST plug-in.
  4. In the (lower) Input Channel chooser, select the VST plug-in.
  5. Set the monitor to "In".

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In case you want to route the MIDI signal back into the plug-in, do the following (this can be used for example to record the MIDI output of Native Instruments Maschine):

  1. In the Output Type chooser (“MIDI To”), again select the track containing the VST plug-in.
  2. In the (lower) Output Channel chooser, select the appropriate plug-in MIDI channel.
  3. Use this MIDI track to record the MIDI output of the plug-in.
  4. Create more MIDI tracks to send MIDI data to different MIDI channels.

Note: Live merges all MIDI channels to one channel when being routed internally from track to track. It is therefore not possible to send MIDI to separate tracks via separate MIDI channels.

Video Tutorial (Maschine)

Here's a video tutorial describing this setup with Native Instrument's Maschine as an example.

AU MIDI out not available

Please note that the Audio Unit (AU) plug-in standard does not support a direct MIDI out. 

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