CHAIN

PATCH YOUR PLUGINS.
SKIP THE SESSION.

Chain is a modular patchbay for your Mac. Drop in any AU or VST3, cable it up, and play through it. No DAW, no tracks, no routing menus.

JOIN THE WAITLIST ▸ ▶ WATCH 30S

macOS 11+ · AU and VST3 · Private alpha

SOURCE · LIVELIVE INPUTIN 1+2 ▾ SOURCE · FILEFILE PLAYBACKREF_MIX.WAV ▾ ROUTINGA/B SWITCHA ▸ B DELAY · AUTAPE ECHOEDIT REVERB · VST3PLATE REVERBEDIT INTERFACE OUTPUTAUDIO OUTPUTOUT 1+2 ▾ MEASURELEVEL METER−14.2 LUFS LIVE INPUTSOURCE TAPE ECHODELAY · AU PLATE REVERBVST3 AUDIO OUTPUTOUTPUT

WHAT IT'S FOR.

The moments when opening a full session is too much: a new plugin, a quick jam, a mix check against a reference.

01Effect

TRY PLUGINS IN SECONDS

Drop any AU or VST3 on the patch and hear it straight away. No project, no track, no routing menus.

02Source

PLAY THROUGH IT

Guitar or synth into your interface, through a chain of plugins, out to your monitors. Your computer keys play instruments too.

03Effect

A/B TWO SONGS

Load your mix and a reference, link both to the transport and flip between them with one key. No clicks.

04Source

RECORD THE TAKE

Up to eight stereo tracks with punch in. Every take is a 24 bit WAV, and nothing is ever overwritten.

EVERY MODULE IS A SCREEN.
ITS COLOUR SAYS WHAT IT DOES.

Amber starts the signal, grey green shapes it, lilac sends it out. Cables fade from one colour to the next, so you can read a patch at a glance.

SOURCES

Where signal starts
  • LIVE INPUTYour interface inputs, mono or stereo.
  • MULTI INPUTA strip per input, up to 32.
  • FILE PLAYBACKWAV, AIFF, FLAC, M4A.
  • RECORDER1 to 8 tracks with punch in.
  • SIGNAL GENERATORTones, noise and sweeps.
  • SESSION CLOCKTempo, beat and MIDI clock.
  • MIDI INPUTControllers or computer keys.
  • DAW INPUTThe track Chain sits on.
  • DAW SIDECHAINYour DAW's sidechain feed.

EFFECTS AND UTILITIES

What shapes it
  • PLUGINAny stereo AU or VST3.
  • STEREO MIXER1 to 16 inputs, fader and pan.
  • A/B SWITCHFlip between two paths.
  • LEVEL METERPeak, RMS and LUFS.
  • OSCILLOSCOPEStereo waveform.
  • SPECTRUMA quick look at balance.
  • LEVEL CALIBRATORSet interface gain by ear and eye.

OUTPUTS

Where it goes
  • AUDIO OUTPUTYour interface outputs.
  • MULTI OUTPUTA strip per output for cue mixes.
  • DAW OUTPUTBack to your DAW track.

AND WHEN YOU DO OPEN THE DAW.

Chain pluginAU · VST3

THE SAME PATCH, ON A TRACK.

Load Chain on any track in your DAW and build the same kind of patch there. It follows your DAW's tempo and transport, and bounces like any other plugin.

DAW INPUT▸ YOUR PLUGINS▸ DAW OUTPUT
Chain LinkABLETON LIVE

STREAM THE APP INTO LIVE.

A small receiver plugin. Play through Chain on its own, and record what comes out straight onto a Live track on the same Mac.

CHAIN APP▸ CHAIN LINK▸ LIVE TRACK

SPECS.

System
macOS 11 Big Sur or later
Processors
Apple silicon and Intel [CONFIRM BEFORE LAUNCH]
Hosts
Stereo AU and VST3 effects and instruments
Runs as
Desktop app, AU and VST3 plugin, and the Chain Link receiver for Ableton Live
Inputs
Up to 32 interface inputs, each with its own strip
Recording
1 to 8 stereo tracks, 24 bit WAV, punch in with 2 ms fades
Metering
Peak, RMS, and momentary, short term and integrated LUFS
MIDI
Controllers, computer keyboard, 24 PPQN clock out
Files
WAV, AIFF, FLAC, M4A and more

THE SMALL THINGS.

  • IT REMEMBERS

    Autosaves, and reopens the patch you quit on.

  • UNDO IT

    Cables, cards and moves can be undone, one step at a time.

  • DROP ON A CABLE

    Drop a plugin onto a cable and it inserts itself.

  • NOTHING HIDES

    A cog lights up when a setting differs from its default.

  • SILENT IS GREY

    A cable that reaches no output turns grey, so dead ends show.

  • ONE PANIC KEY

    Releases every stuck MIDI note at once.

Private alpha · price announced at launch

BE FIRST
TO PATCH IN.

Chain is being tested by a handful of people right now. Leave your email and you'll get the first public build.

ONE EMAIL WHEN IT'S READY. NO NEWSLETTER. UNSUBSCRIBE ANY TIME · PRIVACY NOTICE

QUESTIONS.

DOES IT REPLACE MY DAW?

No. Chain is for trying plugins, playing and quick checks. Arrange and mix in your DAW, and use Chain inside it as a plugin when you want the patchbay there too.

WHICH PLUGINS WORK?

Stereo AU and VST3 effects and instruments installed on your Mac. Sidechains work too.

DOES IT WORK WITH ABLETON?

Yes, two ways: as a plugin on a track, or with Chain Link, which streams the desktop app into a Live track.

IS THERE A WINDOWS VERSION?

No. Chain is built for macOS.

HOW MUCH WILL IT COST?

The price is announced at launch. Waitlist members hear first.

CAN I TRY IT NOW?

Chain is in private alpha. Join the waitlist to get the first public build.