Surface Builder is a useful tool for creating control surfaces that send MIDI data to audio components. This helps simplify the way you control various elements remotely. You start by creating a custom surface of your desired size. You can add buttons, knobs, faders, and other controls. Each of these can be set up to generate the MIDI output you need.

With Surface Builder, you can send various types of MIDI data, such as note on/off signals, control change parameters, and program change commands. It even allows you to emulate modulation wheel and pitch bend data. You can set up buttons to send bulk MIDI data with just one press, which makes your workflow even easier. You also have the ability to build surfaces that link across multiple scenes, allowing for more complex interface designs.

Another feature of Surface Builder is the use of incoming MIDI data. This data can control or trigger different elements of your interface, creating a bi-directional MIDI stream. You can use Surface Builder as a pure MIDI plugin for MIDI-only processing, or as an instrument plugin, which lets you process audio that passes through it. It's versatile enough to load as an instrument and set up a surface to start or stop audio clips, whether manually or remotely.

Designed primarily as an AUv3 plugin, it works well with your favorite DAW. You can also use it in standalone mode to send MIDI directly to MIDI hardware by accessing their MIDI ports.

Surface Builder supports many object types, including buttons and knobs, lights, rotary knobs, faders, sliders, XY-Pad, keyboards, text, image, and box objects. Each object comes with various styles and colors, so your control surfaces can look unique. You can drag and drop an audio file onto a button, making it function as a clip player. You can attach rotary knobs to control the volume and pan of clips, and add low-pass or high-pass filter controls to enhance your sound.

Additionally, buttons can be programmed to record and play back bulk MIDI data. For example, when you press a button, it can send a chord of notes, and then send the appropriate note offs when you release it.

Your surfaces can have up to six scenes, making it possible to create very complex designs. You can use buttons and switches to switch between scenes and to show or hide objects, helping you make better use of the screen space. Once your surface is ready, you can switch to presentation mode to hide all the toolbars, making it cleaner for viewing.

Each surface you create can be saved with compressed audio and images, all in a single surface file. This makes it easy to keep your projects organized and compact.

Surface Builder includes features such as support for Bluetooth MIDI, a drag and drop interface, the ability to send and receive note on/off MIDI data, and compatibility with iPhone and iPad. It also offers multi-scene design, multi-level undo/redo capabilities, and a MIDI monitor for tracking your MIDI commands. Whether you're looking for visual style customization or user-customizable interfaces, Surface Builder provides the tools you need for complex interface creation and object interaction. With features like manual audio clip control and MIDI command playback, you can truly make your projects unique while integrating seamlessly with your MIDI hardware.