MIDI Integration — macOS

MetaGrid Pro sends MIDI messages to software instruments and DAWs on your Mac through the virtual ports MetaServer creates. The plumbing — port creation, port naming, the toggle for each DAW — lives in MetaServer's MIDI Ports page. This page covers how to drive those ports from your iPad: which actions, which objects, what to expect on macOS.

How Ports Get Created

MetaServer creates every enabled Metasystem - … virtual port via CoreMIDI as soon as it launches. No additional software is required. Open Audio MIDI Setup → Window → Show MIDI Studio to verify the ports are live.

If a port you expect is missing, check that the corresponding DAW is enabled in MetaServer → Settings → MIDI Ports.

MIDI Actions

A button macro can fire any of the standard MIDI message types:

• Send CC — Control Change on a specific channel and CC number
• Send Note — Note On / Off, optionally with a sustain duration
• Send Program Change — Program Change for instrument selection
• Send Pitch Bend — Pitch Bend value
• Send Aftertouch — Channel pressure

Each action picks a target port from the list of enabled Metasystem ports. Combine multiple MIDI actions in a single macro to send chord-style or layered messages.

MIDI-Specific Objects

Some grid objects are MIDI-native and don't need explicit Send-MIDI actions:

• MIDI Faders stream CC values continuously as you drag
• Pads send Note On / Off with velocity tied to touch pressure (where available)
• XY Pads drive two CCs simultaneously from a 2D surface

These objects bind to a port + channel + CC pair (or note number) directly in their inspector — no macro action setup needed.

DAW-Side Notes

• The Metasystem - MIDI - In port is the general-purpose one for faders, pads, and MIDI macro actions. Most DAWs treat it as a normal MIDI input. Enable it in the DAW's MIDI port preferences and assign it where you want MetaGrid Pro to deliver bytes.
• Each DAW also has a dedicated port (Metasystem - Cubase, Metasystem - Live, etc.) used for command-channel traffic (transport, mixer, track selection). The DAW-specific Integration page covers how that port gets configured in the DAW itself.
• For workflow-style MIDI tricks (record a fader move, transform CCs, route via plug-ins), the dedicated ports behave exactly like any other CoreMIDI source.

Hardware MIDI

Coming soon. Direct MIDI output to hardware controllers and external instruments is on the roadmap. Today MetaGrid Pro talks only to the software ports MetaServer manages; a hardware-MIDI bridge is in development.