Pitch Canvas — Get started in your DAW

Draw your first curve

Connect the plug-in using the steps for your DAW, then create a short rising curve.

Select the Pitch lane. In Lane settings, choose Standard MIDI, Ch1 and Bend range ±12 st, then click Apply.
Set the instrument’s pitch bend range to ±12 semitones too. Choose a sound that sustains while a key is held. If the instrument has a fixed bend range, match Pitch Canvas to it instead.
Select the Line tool on the left. Hold ⌘ and drag from near the left edge of the canvas up and to the right.
Follow your DAW’s playback steps below. On your first use of the free trial, click Start 14-day trial inside the plug-in before playing.

Live MIDI and MIDI clips

With Live MIDI on, the DAW’s transport plays the curve through your instrument. Edit the line, then restart playback to hear the change.

Drag Drag MIDI into your DAW to create a clip of the current curve, or click the button to save the same data as a .mid file. Replace the clip after editing the curve. For clip playback, switch Live MIDI off and follow the monitoring or bypass instructions for your DAW.

Practice MIDI

Download the practice MIDI

At 60 BPM, on Ch1 with a ±12-semitone bend range, this file rises one octave over two beats. Import it onto a track containing only your instrument. In FL Studio, file import can change the bend response; use the live connection described below.

Buffer size and pitch tracking

Steep drops and fast LFOs can depend strongly on the buffers used by the DAW and instrument to process audio. Larger buffers can delay the response, make a curve sound stepped or change the LFO’s movement. The extent depends on the DAW, instrument and routing.

Start by comparing 64–128 samples. Keep the sound and sample rate the same, then try smaller buffers while playback remains stable. Smaller buffers leave less time for CPU processing; increase the size again if you hear crackles or dropouts.
Check the exported audio too. Some DAWs use a different block size for offline processing. Better live playback does not guarantee the same improvement in an export. See the options for Cubase and REAPER.
Match the bend ranges. Different bend ranges in Pitch Canvas and the instrument change the amount of pitch movement. A smaller buffer cannot correct that mismatch.

The same sample count represents different durations at different sample rates: 256 samples is about 5.80 ms at 44.1 kHz and 2.67 ms at 96 kHz. The device setting may also differ from the block size the instrument actually processes.

Buffer size does not change the 14-bit resolution of pitch bend values or rewrite events in a saved MIDI file. Playback from a MIDI clip still depends on how the instrument turns those events into audio.

Ableton Live

Tested: Ableton Live 12.2.7 · Phase Plant VST3 · macOS

PitchCanvas on an audio track → synth on a MIDI track

Put PitchCanvas VST3 on an empty audio track. Load your instrument on a separate MIDI track.
On the instrument track, choose the audio track in the upper MIDI From menu. Check that the lower menu shows PitchCanvas, then set Monitor → In.
Draw the line and turn Live MIDI → On. Start Live’s transport. You should hear the pitch rise with no clips on either track.

To play a clip, click Drag MIDI, save the .mid file, and import it onto the instrument track. Turn Live MIDI off and set the receiving track’s Monitor → Off to hear the clip.

Using Simpler? Its standard pitch bend range is ±5 semitones. In PitchCanvas, choose Bend range → ±5 st → Apply.

Official guide: Ableton: Accessing the MIDI output of a VST plug-in

Bitwig Studio

Tested: Bitwig Studio 6.1.4 · Phase Plant VST3 · macOS

Same track: PitchCanvas CLAP → synth

Create an instrument track and load your synth. In the device chain, click the + to the left of the synth and add PitchCanvas CLAP.
Match the bend ranges, draw the line and turn Live MIDI → On. Start Bitwig’s transport. You can leave the track empty.

If the note plays at a fixed pitch, try the CLAP version first. The 0.10.0 VST3 sends the curve as per-note Tuning in Bitwig. Use CLAP for instruments that expect channel pitch bend. To try a clip, turn Live MIDI off, save the .mid file, copy it from Bitwig’s browser and paste it into the Arranger on a track containing only the instrument.

Official guide: Bitwig: Introduction to devices

Cubase

Tested: Cubase 15.0.40 · Phase Plant VST3 · macOS

PitchCanvas on an audio track → synth on an instrument track

Put PitchCanvas VST3 in the Inserts of an empty audio track. Load the synth on a separate instrument track.
On the instrument track, open Inspector → Routing → All MIDI Inputs → Plug-ins and choose the sender’s PitchCanvas - MIDI Out. Turn on the instrument track’s Monitor speaker button.
Draw the line, turn Live MIDI → On and start Cubase. If the track stays silent, check Preferences → MIDI → MIDI Thru Active.

To export audio, set the left and right locators around the passage. In 0.10.0, leave Audio Mixdown → Real Time Export off to start the live curve at the left locator. A real-time export can miss the start. For that mode, turn Live MIDI → Off and place a part made with Drag MIDI at the left locator on the instrument track.

For more accurate fast changes in an export, compare smaller device buffers under Studio → Studio Setup → audio driver → Control Panel. In an offline test with Cubase 15.0.40 (Elements), Phase Plant 2.4.6 VST3 and Pitch Canvas 0.10.0 VST3 on macOS at 44.1 kHz, changing 256 to 32 samples reduced the tracking delay of a 30 Hz, ±6-semitone LFO from about 5.05 ms to 0.69 ms. RMS pitch error against the curve, measured relative to audible note onset, fell from 3.71 to 0.55 semitones. At 1,024 samples, the 30 Hz movement became roughly 13 Hz. These are measurements of this instrument and routing; the error does not mean a steady note is detuned by several semitones. Increase the buffer if playback breaks up, and check the exported result.

Buffer setting: Steinberg: Adjusting the Buffer Size

Official guide: Steinberg: MIDI preferences

Fender Studio Pro

Tested: Fender Studio Pro 8.2.0 · Phase Plant VST3 · macOS

PitchCanvas on an audio channel → synth on an instrument track

Create an empty audio track and add PitchCanvas VST3 to its channel inserts. Load your synth on a separate instrument track.
Select the instrument track and press F4 to open the Inspector. Choose PitchCanvas in its input selector and turn on the track’s Monitor speaker button.
Draw the line, turn Live MIDI → On and start Studio Pro. To record the performance as a part, arm the instrument track and press Record on the transport.

To play a part instead, turn Live MIDI off, set the instrument track’s input to None and drop Drag MIDI onto it. If the release tail jumps back to the original pitch, extend the right edge of the part past the tail. Leave the note length as it is.

Official guide: Fender: Instrument tracks

FL Studio

Tested: FL Studio 26.1.7 Producer Edition · Phase Plant VST3 · macOS

PitchCanvas Output port → synth Input port

Add PitchCanvas VST3 to an empty Mixer insert. Click the gear at the top left of its window, open Wrapper settings → Settings → MIDI and choose an unused Output port, for example 17.
Add Phase Plant VST3 to the Channel Rack. In its Wrapper settings, set Input port → 17. The port numbers must match. PitchCanvas can stay on MIDI Ch1.
Draw the line and turn Live MIDI → On. Press Play in PAT mode first. For SONG mode, place a one-bar pattern with no notes at the start of the Playlist.

Playing a saved .mid through MIDI Out can narrow the bend range and prevent CC74 from reaching the synth. Use the live connection above for pitch bend and CC74 playback.

Official guide: Image-Line: Plugin Wrapper

GarageBand

Tested: GarageBand 10.4.14 · AU Music Effect / MIDI regions · macOS

Draw in PitchCanvas AU → Drag MIDI → region on the instrument track

Select a software instrument track and press B for Smart Controls. In an empty effect slot, choose Audio Units → Pontaku Audio → PitchCanvas. Use PitchCanvas (AU Music Effect).
Draw the line. Leave Live MIDI → Off, grab Drag MIDI in the upper right and drop it onto the instrument track at the bar where the glide should start. Look for a green MIDI region.
Play from just before the region. Your instrument should follow the line. If you edit the curve, replace the region with a fresh drop.

GarageBand 10.4.14 for Mac has no slot for third-party MIDI FX before the instrument, so this setup uses the region for playback. You can also drag a saved .mid from Finder into an existing song, or choose File → Open to open it as a new song.

Official guide: Apple: GarageBand for Mac User Guide

Logic Pro

Tested: Logic Pro 12.4 · PitchCanvas MIDI FX / Retro Synth · macOS

Same track: PitchCanvas MIDI FX → Retro Synth

Create one software instrument track and load Retro Synth. In Retro Synth choose Settings → Global → Bend → 1 Oct to match ±12 semitones.
In the MIDI FX slot above the instrument on the same channel strip, choose Audio Units → Pontaku Audio → PitchCanvas MIDI FX.
Draw the line, turn Live MIDI → On and press Space to start Logic. MIDI preview lets you hear the curve through the same Retro Synth. You can also bounce offline with Live MIDI enabled.

To edit the curve and the synth together, click the purple chain icon at the top right of a plug-in window to turn linking off, then open the other plug-in. If an older project routes the original AU between two tracks, a live offline bounce can leave a note sounding. Turn Live MIDI → Off, drag a region onto the synth track and bounce that region.

Official guide: Apple: Add, remove, move, and copy plug-ins

REAPER

Tested: REAPER 7.82 (CLAP)/ 7.84 (VST3 + Phase Plant) · macOS

Same track FX chain: PitchCanvas → synth

Create a track, open FX, add PitchCanvas CLAP, then add the synth below it. REAPER processes the chain from top to bottom.
Choose a synth patch that responds to pitch bend and match its bend range to PitchCanvas. Draw the line and turn Live MIDI → On.
Start REAPER. Once you hear the rising pitch, stop, change the slope and play again to hear the difference.

To stop the curve while the project keeps playing, switch Live MIDI → Off inside PitchCanvas. Bypassing the FX in REAPER while a note is sounding can prevent Note Off from reaching the synth.

To use a MIDI item, turn Live MIDI off and drop Drag MIDI onto a separate track containing only the synth. Move the play cursor before the item and play.

For closer pitch tracking with the VST3 version, use a small buffer and enable REAPER: Fine Live Pitch Bend in Pitch Canvas’s tools menu. This option is for software instruments and is off by default. It sends finer pitch bend updates for buffers up to 6 ms and returns to the standard rate above 6 ms. That includes 256 samples or less at 44.1/48 kHz, or 512 samples or less at 96 kHz. The benefit depends on the instrument. This option is not available in the CLAP version.

To create an audio take, select REAPER Apply mode → High quality (4 samples) in the VST3 version, then right-click the item and choose Apply track/take FX to items as new take. This processes the standard stereo Apply at 4 samples while keeping your normal playback buffer. It does not apply to File → Render, Freeze or MIDI export.

Official guide: REAPER: User Guide

Waveform

Tested: Waveform 14.1.24 · Phase Plant VST3 · macOS

Same track: PitchCanvas VST3 → synth → Volume & Pan

On the right side of an empty track, arrange the plug-ins as PitchCanvas VST3 → instrument → Volume & Pan. If the chain wraps onto two rows, read the top row first.
Draw the line, turn Live MIDI → On and start Waveform. The instrument plays even with no clips on the track.

To play a clip, drop Drag MIDI onto a separate track containing just the instrument and stop the live output. If you use the same track, select PitchCanvas in Waveform’s plug-in chain and turn on its Disable switch. Turning off Live MIDI inside PitchCanvas alone does not allow clip playback on the same track.

Official guide: Tracktion: Waveform tutorial videos

Troubleshooting

Check the instrument first. Play it from a keyboard or MIDI clip before connecting Pitch Canvas. Pitch Canvas sends MIDI; it is not a sound source.
Check the input and monitoring. On a separate receiving track, select PitchCanvas’s MIDI output. In FL Studio, match the input and output port numbers.
Check the pitch movement. If the interval is wrong, match the bend ranges in Pitch Canvas and the synth. If Bitwig plays a fixed pitch, use CLAP.
Switch between live and clip playback. Turn Live MIDI off when playing a clip. In Ableton Live, set Monitor to Off. In Waveform, use an instrument-only track or disable PitchCanvas in the plug-in chain.

If you still need help, contact support with your OS, DAW and version, Pitch Canvas version and plug-in format, and the name of the receiving instrument.