AU / VST3
Resonode in your DAW
Resonode ships as an AU and VST3 plugin instrument alongside the app — and it's the whole instrument, not a remote control: the full canvas, patch browser and Performance View open inside the plugin window.
Installing the plugins
The plugin bundles are in the same release download. Copy them to the standard folders, then rescan plugins in your DAW:
| Format | Where it goes |
|---|---|
| AU (macOS) | ~/Library/Audio/Plug-Ins/Components/Resonode.component |
| VST3 (macOS) | ~/Library/Audio/Plug-Ins/VST3/Resonode.vst3 |
| VST3 (Windows) | C:\Program Files\Common Files\VST3\Resonode.vst3 |
Like the app, the plugins are currently unsigned. If macOS quarantines them, clear the flag: xattr -dr com.apple.quarantine ~/Library/Audio/Plug-Ins/Components/Resonode.component (and likewise for the VST3). The AU passes auval, so it validates cleanly once loaded.
How the plugin behaves
- The host drives it. Audio, MIDI and transport come from the DAW. Press play in the host and every synced Clock and sequencer locks to the project timeline; stop, and the in-app Play button takes over so you can keep jamming.
- MIDI both directions. Host MIDI plays the patch and feeds MIDI Learn (map DAW controller lanes to Resonode knobs). MIDI Out modules emit into the host, so a Resonode sequence can drive your other plugins or, via the DAW, your hardware.
- State lives in the project. Plugin state is the same JSON as a
.rnpatch— a patch built in the app opens in the DAW and vice versa, and your project reopens exactly as saved. Opening and closing the plugin GUI never interrupts audio. - A fresh instance makes sound — it loads the same starter voice as the app, so you can play before you patch.
Differences from the standalone
- Export WAV is disabled — the host's own render/bounce does that job (and captures your automation).
- Audio device settings, the MIDI Sync dialog and the CPU meter are hidden — the host owns those concerns.
- Audio In is silent in the plugin for now: it's an instrument, so it doesn't receive track audio. To process external audio, use the standalone app.
- Autosave and startup dialogs stay out of the way — the DAW project is the save file.
- The menu bar lives inside the plugin window on every platform (a plugin mustn't touch the host's).
Registration
One key covers everything: the app, the AU and the VST3 are the same instrument in the same download. Register in any of them and the others follow. See Registration.