Plugins
Your Audio Unit, VST3 and CLAP plugins work in monody
monody loads Audio Unit, VST3 and CLAP plugins on macOS, instruments and effects alike. They open in their own windows, save with your project and render into your exports, and the assistant can set them when you ask.
What works
- Instruments and effects. Put a plugin synth first on a MIDI track, or any effect anywhere in a track's chain.
- Their own windows. Open editor on the device shows the plugin's own interface. What you change there is saved with the project, one undo step per burst of edits.
- Knobs and automation in monody. The first 48 parameters a plugin shows appear on its device card. You can automate them like any built-in device. Everything else stays in the plugin's window and in its saved state.
- Renders and stems. Export, stems and the Finish view render your plugins with the rest of the song.
- A safe scan. Plugins are scanned in a separate process, so one that crashes while loading is listed under Settings → Plugins instead of taking monody down.
Find them
Press ⌘B to open the Library. Its Plugins section lists everything monody found, grouped by maker. Click one or drag it onto a track or into the chain. A plugin you've just installed shows up after Scan for new plugins in Settings → Plugins.
With the assistant
The assistant reads the same list. It can add a plugin and set its parameters in the same request as its other changes, and the request's Before/After flips all of it back. It works from what each plugin reports: if a plugin names its first 48 parameters "Macro 1" to "Macro 8" and "FX Type", those are the ones it can reach. Larger synths keep their deeper settings in their own window.
What we tested
| Plugin | Format | Result |
|---|---|---|
| AUDistortion (built into macOS) | AU | Processes a track, is heard in the rendered song, opens its own window |
| Surge XT 1.3.4 (instrument) | VST3, CLAP | Plays notes, is heard in the rendered song, opens its own window |
| Surge XT Effects 1.3.4 | VST3 | Processes a track, is heard in the rendered song |
Checked on macOS on 1 October 2026. Commercial plugins with copy protection haven't been tested yet. If one doesn't load, Settings → Plugins shows why, and we'd like to hear about it.
Limits
- macOS only for now.
- monody shows up to 48 parameters per plugin. The rest are reached through the plugin's own window.
- Plugins don't move between monody and Ableton Live in either direction.
Questions
- Which plugin formats does monody load?
- Audio Units, VST3 and CLAP, both instruments and effects, on macOS. Windows isn't released yet.
- Where does monody look for plugins?
- Audio Units come from macOS itself. VST3 and CLAP plugins come from the standard folders (/Library/Audio/Plug-Ins and the same folders in your user Library), and you can add your own folders in Settings → Plugins.
- Can the assistant use my plugins?
- Yes. It sees the plugins installed on your Mac, can put one on a track, and can set the first 48 parameters each plugin shows. Ask in plain words, for example "put Surge XT on a new track" or "turn the plugin's output down a bit". Like every other change it makes, it's marked and undoable.
- What happens if I open a project on a computer that doesn't have the plugin?
- The device stays in the chain and passes the audio through unchanged. Its settings are kept, so the plugin plays as before once it's installed.
- Do plugins carry over from an Ableton Live set?
- No. When you open a .als file, Live's devices and plugins don't come across, and monody lists them. MIDI parts play on a monody sound until you put your own plugin back on the track.