SideRack

Overview

"SideRack" is a plugin designed for macOS, enabling the use of audio plugins operating on mobile devices such as iPads and iPhones from a Digital Audio Workstation (DAW) on your Mac. This plugin facilitates the easy integration of the innovative AUv3 plugins' ecosystem and touch interface experiences of mobile devices into professional music production environments.

Technology

SideRack is comprised of two main components: the 'SideRack Plugin, ' designed for use within a DAW on macOS, and the 'SideRack Server, ' which functions on a mobile device. Audio and MIDI signals fed into the SideRack Plugin from the DAW are swiftly transferred and processed by the SideRack Server through a USB cable connection.

Mobile Device Plugin Advantages

Intuitive Operation Like Playing an Instrument - Mobile devices are optimized for touchscreen use, providing an intuitive and expressive interface. Most plugins support multi-touch, enabling real-instrument-like experiences such as playing chords or adjusting knobs while playing melodies.

MIDI Note Entry Using Touch Panel or Apple Pencil - Entering notes into a piano roll optimized for touch panels or Apple Pencil is far more efficient than using a mouse. You can quickly capture your musical inspiration. By inserting a MIDI plugin with a piano roll into SideRack, you can significantly improve the MIDI note entry experience in your DAW.

Portability and Accessibility - iPads and iPhones can be carried anywhere, allowing you to start music production at any time. Recently, it has become common to create sketches in a mobile device's DAW and then finish them in a studio's desktop DAW. Using SideRack in this workflow lets you use the audio plugins you used in the sketching stage in your studio's desktop DAW as well.

Cost Efficiency - Many mobile audio plugins are offered at a lower cost compared to their desktop counterparts. Using SideRack allows you to introduce unique and innovative plugins into your setup at a reasonable budget.

Features

AUv3 Plugin Support - The iOS App Store offers numerous innovative and unique AUv3 plugins not found for PC plugins. SideRack makes these plugins usable from a PC-based DAW.

Easy Setup - SideRack can be set up in a few steps, allowing immediate use of plugins on mobile devices within your DAW.

High-Quality Audio Processing - SideRack transfers uncompressed audio and MIDI data in real-time. The signal processing quality on mobile devices is comparable to that of a professional studio PC.

Low Latency Not Hindering Performance Experience - Any delay caused by the transfer and processing of audio and MIDI is kept as low as possible. Your performance on a mobile device is instantly outputted through speakers connected to the PC.

Three Types of Plugins Included - The SideRack license includes three types of plugins:

SideRack Audio Effect: Sends audio to and receives audio from the SideRack Server.

SideRack MIDI Effect: Sends MIDI to and receives MIDI from the SideRack Server.

SideRack Instrument: Sends MIDI to and receives audio from the SideRack Server.