DAW Integration

MNodes works as a plugin in your Digital Audio Workstation with full automation and MIDI support.

Supported Formats

Format	Platform	Variants
VST3	Windows, macOS	FX (audio in/out) and Instrument (accepts MIDI, outputs audio and MIDI)
AU (Audio Unit)	macOS	Instrument, FX, and MIDI FX (MIDI in/out, Logic Pro's format for MIDI effects)
Standalone	Windows, macOS	All signal types (audio, MIDI, CV, data)

Loading in Your DAW

1. Ensure MNodes is installed in your plugin directory
2. Scan for new plugins in your DAW
3. Insert MNodes on a track choosing the appropriate format:
   • Instrument: For synthesizers and instruments that receive MIDI and output audio. Load on a MIDI/instrument track
   • FX: For audio processing. Load as an insert effect on an audio track: audio comes in and goes out
   • MIDI FX (Logic Pro only): For MIDI processing. Insert as a MIDI effect: receives MIDI and outputs MIDI. Use this for arpeggiators, chord generators, MIDI routing, and other MIDI transformations

Audio I/O

MNodes receives and sends audio through the Audio In and Audio Out nodes:

• Audio In: Receives audio from the DAW track input
• Audio Out: Sends processed audio back to the DAW

Transport Sync

MNodes syncs with your DAW's transport:

• Play / Stop state
• BPM (tempo)
• Position (bars, beats)

Use the Transport node to access these values in your patch. Tempo-syncable nodes (LFO, Delay, Clock) can lock to the host BPM.

When running standalone, MNodes provides its own internal transport with adjustable BPM.

Latency Compensation

Some nodes and hosted plugins need a little time to do their work (a Pitch Shift, an external plugin you host, an oversampled container). When one path through your patch is slower than another and the two meet again, MNodes measures the delay of every path and lines them up automatically, so parallel paths stay in phase. It also reports its total processing delay to your DAW, so the rest of your tracks stay in time with MNodes. This is always on, needs no setup, and adds no cost when there is nothing to compensate. You can check the exact figure in the Graph Stats overlay: its Audio section shows a Latency line with the patch's input-to-output latency in samples and milliseconds, which is exactly what MNodes reports to your DAW.

Multiple Instances

MNodes supports multiple instances on different tracks. Each instance runs independently with its own graph, preset, and automation state.

Tips

• Use Audio In + Audio Out for effects processing on audio tracks
• Use MIDI In for instrument patches on MIDI/instrument tracks
• Freeze or bounce tracks with complex patches to reduce CPU load
• Save frequently: your DAW's own preset management works alongside MNodes presets