GUIDES / LOGIC PRO Logic Pro

DAW Guide

MIDISketch in Logic Pro

Install, set up, and start drawing expressive pitch curves in Logic Pro. Works with third-party synths hosted inside MIDISketch, or routed to Logic's stock instruments.

Getting Started

Download & Install

Download the macOS Installer (.pkg) from the MIDISketch page. The Audio Unit format is included and selected by default. The AU lands at:

Download MIDISketch

Loading MIDISketch in Logic Pro

  1. Run the .pkg installer. The Audio Unit (AU) is included and selected by default.

  2. Open Logic. Create a Software Instrument track, go to Track › New Software Instrument Track.

    Wrong track type. An Audio track has no Instrument slot. MIDISketch will never appear if you're on an Audio track.

  3. Click the Instrument slot, the slot at the top of the channel strip, above the Audio FX slots.

    Wrong slot. MIDISketch is an AU Instrument. It will never appear in the Audio FX slot or the MIDI FX menu. Browsing "Audio Units" from an FX slot and seeing nothing does not mean it isn't installed.

    [ Screenshot: Instrument slot at top of channel strip ]

  4. Choose AU Instruments › Eliotonic › MIDISketch › Stereo.

    Manufacturer folder, not product name. MIDISketch is filed under "Eliotonic". It does not appear alphabetically under "MIDISketch", scroll to the E section and look for Eliotonic.

    Or search from this slot: type midisketch

    One word, no space, and only from the Instrument slot. Searching midi sketch (with a space) returns nothing anywhere in Logic. The correct spelling is midisketch. Also, Logic's plugin-picker search only covers plugins valid for the slot you clicked, so even the correct spelling finds nothing if you're searching from an Audio FX slot.

    [ Screenshot: AU Instruments › Eliotonic submenu ]

Troubleshooting

"I don't see it in Audio Units when adding a plugin"

You are in an Audio FX slot. Instruments never appear there. Go back to steps 2-3 and click the Instrument slot at the top of the channel strip on a Software Instrument track.

"Search finds nothing"

Check both: (1) are you searching from the Instrument slot? (2) did you type it as one word, midisketch, not midi sketch?

Verify install via Plug-in Manager

Go to Logic Pro › Settings › Plug-in Manager and search midisketch (one word, no space, here too). If the row says "failed validation", select it and click "Reset & Rescan Selection".

If it fails again, run this in Terminal and send us the last ~20 lines:

auval -v aumu Mskh Msct

Still not appearing after a fresh install

Logic's first AU scan after install can require a full quit and reopen. Quit Logic completely (⌘Q) and relaunch.

Hosting Synths

The fastest way to use MIDISketch, load your synth directly inside and hear everything as you draw.

  1. Click the Synth button in MIDISketch's toolbar to open the plugin browser.

  2. Load any AU or VST3 synth, Serum, Vital, Phase Plant, Pigments, or anything installed on your system.

  3. Inside the hosted synth, enable MPE mode and set pitch bend range to 48 semitones.

    Most synths default to a pitch bend range of 2. Bends will sound barely audible until you change this to 48. Alternatively, you can match MIDISketch's pitch bend range to your synth in File → MIDI Settings.

  4. Place notes, draw pitch curves, and press play. Everything plays through the hosted synth in real time.

Using Logic Stock Synths

Logic's built-in instruments (Alchemy, ES2, Retro Synth) can't be loaded inside MIDISketch directly, but you can route MIDISketch's MIDI output to them using Logic's Internal MIDI routing.

Routing Steps

  1. Create an instrument track and load MIDISketch on it. Write your MIDI inside MIDISketch.
  2. Create a new Instrument Track and choose an MPE-capable Logic instrument (Alchemy, ES2, etc.).
  3. On the new instrument track, open the Inspector Window (press I).
  4. In the Track Inspector (top-left), click "Internal MIDI In" → "Instrument Output" → select the MIDISketch instance.
  5. Open the Logic instrument, click the small arrow in the bottom-left, and enable Mono Mode. Set Mono Mode Bend Range to 48.
  6. On the new instrument track, press Record. MIDISketch's MIDI will play through the stock synth.
To edit MIDI that's been recorded on the stock synth track after recording from MIDISketch, turn Internal MIDI In off first, otherwise Logic will keep receiving live input from MIDISketch while you're trying to edit.

Quick Tips

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