No. Open Keys is strictly a MIDI effect plugin. It does not contain an internal synth engine or generate audio. It is designed to be placed before virtual instruments or routed out to hardware synthesizers to sequence and control them.

See the DAW and Hardware Integration section of the manual.

Not at this time.

Yes. Open Keys specifically intercepts and transforms MIDI Note data based on your generative settings. All other performance data, such as Velocity, Pitch Bend, Mod Wheel, Aftertouch, and custom CCs, will pass through the plugin untouched so you can still perform expressively with your synths.

Because Open Keys remaps the keyboard into new notes, it’s common for two different physical keys on your controller to be mapped to the exact same output pitch. Standard MIDI treats each pitch on a channel as a single physical switch (On or Off). DAWs, virtual instruments, and synths often perform poorly or even crash if this is allowed to happen.

To prevent this, Open Keys tracks voice allocation. If you press a key that maps to a note already being played, the plugin intentionally blocks the redundant message and safely sustains the current voice until all notes mapped to that pitch are released. This allows Open Keys to be universally compatible with MIDI instruments.

To guarantee stability, global randomization is restricted to manual interface clicks. Randomizing the entire plugin state requires a large, instantaneous recalculation. Permitting this process to be triggered via external MIDI disrupts the timing of the audio thread, creating a high risk of CPU spikes, audio dropouts, or DAW freezes. To ensure a crash-free workflow during your sessions, this feature is kept on screen.

Yes. The macOS installer includes a universal binary that runs natively on both Intel and modern Apple Silicon processors.

A single license key allows you to activate Open Keys on up to two of your own personal computers simultaneously.

No. Open Keys is provided strictly as a VST3 and AU plugin. You must load it inside a compatible Digital Audio Workstation (DAW) or plugin host to use it.

Shift-click the Randomize Preset button, as described in the Other Controls section.