Welcome to Bridge
Bridge is a focused MIDI utility that sits before an instrument. When a looping clip releases and immediately retriggers the same note, Bridge suppresses that release/retrigger pair so the downstream instrument can keep its envelope open.
Use Bridge for: Drones, held bass notes, layered patterns, sustained drum-machine notes, and any same-note part that should cross a loop or clip boundary without restarting.
Quick start
- Insert Bridge before the instrument that should receive sustained MIDI.
- Draw the note or notes to the end of the looping clip, scene, or section.
- Leave Enabled on.
- Start the DAW transport and let the clip loop. Matching notes should stay alive instead of retriggering at the boundary.
- If a downstream instrument preset change causes a note to be missed, press Re-arm Notes before the next loop restart.
Signal flow
MIDI clip or sequencer → Bridge → Synth, sampler, or drum instrumentBridge processes MIDI only. It should be placed upstream of the sound-generating instrument. Non-note MIDI messages pass through unchanged.
Placement matters: If Bridge is after the instrument or on an unrelated track, it cannot control the note-off and note-on messages that reach that instrument.
How Bridge decides what to hold
Bridge tracks notes separately by MIDI channel and pitch. Near a loop boundary, it briefly delays a note-off. If the same note returns immediately, Bridge cancels the pending release and the new retrigger. If it does not return, the delayed note-off is sent normally.
Overlapping notes on different pitches or channels are tracked independently. This lets several sustained notes cross the boundary without interfering with one another.
| Incoming event | Bridge behavior while Enabled |
|---|---|
| Note-off, then same note-on immediately | Suppress the release/retrigger pair and keep the note held |
| Note-off without a matching return | Send the release after the short bridge window |
| Different pitch or MIDI channel | Track independently |
| Non-note MIDI | Pass through unchanged |
Controls
| Control | Purpose |
|---|---|
| Enabled | Turns Bridge processing on. Turning it off safely releases notes Bridge is tracking and then passes MIDI through. |
| Re-arm Notes | Releases Bridge’s currently held notes so the next loop can start them again. |
| Help & Privacy | Opens update, registration, telemetry, terms, and third-party notice controls. |
Re-arm after a preset change
Some instruments stop their internal voices when you change presets without sending Bridge a matching MIDI-state change. Bridge can still believe a note is held, while the instrument has already silenced it. At the next loop boundary, that stale state can cause the returning note to be suppressed.
Press Re-arm Notes after the preset change and before the next loop. Bridge releases its tracked held notes, allowing the next loop restart to trigger them again.
Why this is manual: Bridge is upstream and MIDI-only. It cannot reliably observe whether a downstream instrument kept, killed, or replaced its internal voice during a preset change.
Recommended workflows
Looping drone
- Draw the drone note to the exact end of the clip.
- Place Bridge immediately before the drone instrument.
- Keep the same MIDI channel and pitch at the next loop start.
- Leave Enabled on while looping.
Layered held notes
Several pitches can be held at once. Bridge tracks each channel/pitch pair separately, so a chord or layered set of notes can cross the boundary as long as the same notes return immediately.
Live preset audition
After changing the downstream instrument preset, use Re-arm Notes on the next loop. This clears stale held-note tracking without requiring you to remove and reinsert Bridge.
What Bridge does not do
- It does not generate notes or audio, and it does not create legato between different pitches.
- The returning note must match the held MIDI channel and pitch.
- It cannot read a downstream instrument’s voice state or replace normal DAW routing, and it has no preset browser or project library.
Troubleshooting
- The note retriggers or stops at the boundary: Place Bridge before the instrument, extend the note to the clip end, and confirm the returning pitch and MIDI channel match.
- A note disappears after changing the instrument preset: Press Re-arm Notes before the next loop.
- A note remains held unexpectedly: Turn Enabled off or press Re-arm Notes to flush Bridge’s tracked notes safely.
- There is no sound, or another MIDI control does not arrive: Bridge is MIDI-only and passes non-note MIDI unchanged, so inspect the sound-generating instrument and the DAW routing after Bridge.
Support and privacy
The Help or Help & Privacy panel provides update notices, registration status, telemetry consent, terms, and third-party notices. Use the in-app email control when you need product support.
isorek.com · YouTube · Discord