Tools you need
What to install before starting with DawForge — DAW versions, virtual MIDI ports, and the bridge zip.
This page lists everything you need on your machine before the rest of Getting Started works. Five to ten minutes if you don't already have these.
Your DAW
DawForge supports two DAWs, with different feature coverage:
| DAW | Minimum version | What works |
|---|---|---|
| Cubase Pro 15 | 15.0 or later | Everything — expression maps, templates, Flow live bridge, mobile companion. |
| Logic Pro 11.2 | 11.2 or later | Expression maps only — author, import, and export .plist Articulation Sets. Templates and Flow are Cubase-only (see Logic beta status). |
Cubase Pro is required. Cubase Artist is missing the features Flow and templates rely on, and Cubase Elements isn't supported. Earlier versions (12, 13, 14) aren't supported either — DawForge is built for Cubase 15 and newer.
A virtual MIDI port utility
DawForge talks to your DAW over a virtual MIDI port. You'll create one port named exactly DawForge Bridge. Pick the right tool for your OS:
loopMIDI by Tobias Erichsen — free, dependable, ~1 MB installer. Auto-launches with Windows once installed.
IAC Driver — built into macOS. Open Audio MIDI Setup (Applications → Utilities → Audio MIDI Setup), choose Window → Show MIDI Studio, double-click the IAC Driver icon, tick Device is online, and add a port. No third-party install needed.
The walk-through with screenshots lives in Install and connect Cubase.
The DawForge bridge (no download needed)
There's nothing to download up front. The Cubase MIDI Remote bridge and its Project Logical Editor presets are generated per template and installed straight from Flow's Connect Cubase wizard — see Install and connect Cubase. On Safari or Firefox the wizard hands you a single dawforge-cubase-bundle.zip to extract yourself. Skip all of this if you're Logic-only — the bridge is Cubase-specific.
Your DawForge account
You'll need to be signed in to acquire libraries, save maps, and use Flow. Sign up at app.dawforge.com. All paid plans start with a 30-day free trial.
Optional: a MIDI controller
Not required to author maps or use Flow. Useful if you want articulations to fire from physical keys instead of (or in addition to) the web app.
Optional: a phone
For the mobile companion (Chamber and Orchestra plans). Any modern iOS or Android device with a camera and a current browser works — no install required. See Mobile companion.