TONIQ in your DAW

Works in your DAW. Reads the clip where it can.

In a host with ARA 2, select a clip and TONIQ reads it, with nothing to bounce or play through. In any other host, press Capture and play the part. Either way, the MIDI comes out the same.

ARA 2, or Capture.

ARA 2 lets a plug-in read the audio on the timeline directly. Where the host has it, use it. Where it doesn’t, Capture gets the same notes; it just listens in real time.

With ARA 2 With Capture (any host)
How the audio gets in TONIQ reads the clip on the track. No playing it through. Press Capture, play the part, press Stop.
MIDI out, with velocity (pitch bends: Vocal mode free, every take with Pro) Yes Yes
Drag the MIDI onto a track Yes Yes
Pro: hear an edit On the timeline, as the session plays Drag the edited audio onto a track
Pro: each note as its own audio file Yes Yes

No DAW? The standalone app takes a WAV, MP3, AIFF or FLAC file dropped on it.

DAW by DAW.

Pro Tools

AAX · ARA 2

  1. On the audio track, open the Elastic Audio / ARA plug-in selector and choose TONIQ.
  2. Select a clip. TONIQ opens in the ARA pane under the Edit window and reads it.

ARA plug-ins need a recent Pro Tools. If TONIQ is missing from the selector, update Pro Tools and restart it. Pro Tools 2026.11 also imports TONIQ's MPE file.

Audio to MPE in Pro Tools

Logic Pro

AU · Capture

  1. Insert TONIQ (Audio Units) in the first plug-in slot of an audio track.
  2. Press Capture, play the region, press TONIQ’s Stop. Or drag the audio file into TONIQ from Logic’s Browser.

Logic on Apple silicon runs Audio Units outside its own process, and ARA does not work there.

Full guide: audio to MIDI in Logic Pro

Cubase and Nuendo

VST3 · ARA 2

  1. Select an audio event.
  2. Choose Audio → Extensions → TONIQ. It opens in the Lower Zone.

ARA extensions come with the editions of Cubase that host them; see Steinberg’s edition comparison.

Studio One

VST3 · ARA 2

  1. Right-click an audio event and choose to edit it with TONIQ.
  2. TONIQ opens in the edit view and reads the event.

Third-party plug-ins need an edition of Studio One that loads them.

REAPER

VST3 · ARA 2

  1. Right-click an item and open its take FX chain.
  2. Add TONIQ (VST3). It reads that item.

Ableton Live

VST3 · AU on Mac · Capture

  1. Put TONIQ on the audio track.
  2. Press Capture, play the part, press Stop.
  3. Drag the MIDI onto a MIDI track.

FL Studio

VST3 · AU on Mac · Capture

  1. Load TONIQ on the mixer insert the audio plays through.
  2. Press Capture, play the part, press Stop.
  3. Drag the MIDI out, or save the file and import it.

Bitwig Studio

VST3 · Capture

  1. Put TONIQ on the audio track.
  2. Press Capture, play the part, press Stop.
  3. Drag the MIDI onto an instrument track.

GarageBand

AU · Capture

  1. Put TONIQ on the audio track’s plug-ins.
  2. Press Capture, play the part, press Stop.
  3. Save the MIDI file and drag it in.

Mac only.

Questions.

What is ARA 2? +
Audio Random Access, an extension to the plug-in formats. It lets a plug-in read a clip on the timeline directly, instead of waiting for it to play through. In a host with ARA 2, TONIQ reads the clip you select, with no bouncing and no recording it in first.
Which DAWs read clips through ARA 2? +
Pro Tools, Cubase, Nuendo, Studio One and REAPER. Use the latest version of your DAW you can.
My DAW has no ARA. Does TONIQ still work? +
Yes. Any host that loads AU, VST3 or AAX plug-ins runs TONIQ: put it on the track, press Capture, play the part, then drag out the MIDI. Or skip the DAW and drop the file on the standalone app.
Which formats, on which system? +
Mac: AU, VST3, AAX and a standalone app. Windows: VST3, AAX and a standalone app. AU is Mac-only. Free and Pro are the same plug-in, so both tiers come in every format.
My DAW is not on this page. +
If it loads AU, VST3 or AAX plug-ins, TONIQ runs in it through Capture. The free tier has no time limit, so you can try it there for as long as you like.
TONIQ is installed but my DAW does not show it. +
Rescan your plug-ins. In Logic, Logic Pro → Settings → Plug-in Manager → Reset & Rescan. In Pro Tools, restart it. In Ableton, Preferences → Plug-Ins → Rescan. More on the Support page.
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