NEWMOD Web GUI User Guide

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Updated for the MOD OS version 1.13

Introduction

Welcome to the MOD Web GUI User Guide!
This guide will help you navigate the web-based interface used to control and configure your MOD devices, including the MOD Duo, MOD Duo X, MOD Dwarf, and MOD Desktop.
Whether you're a new user exploring the system for the first time or an experienced musician looking to refine your workflow, this manual provides step-by-step instructions to help you make the most of your MOD experience.

What is the MOD Web GUI?

The MOD Web GUI is a powerful, browser-based interface that allows you to:

  • Create and manage pedalboards using a fully modular approach.
  • Install, remove, and organize plugins from the MOD Plugin Shop.
  • Assign physical controls (knobs, footswitches, MIDI devices, etc.) to parameters for hands-free operation.
  • Save and organize banks & snapshots for seamless performance transitions.
  • Adjust system settings, monitor CPU usage, and update your device firmware.

How Does It Work?

MOD devices run a dedicated audio engine that includes an embedded web server. This web server hosts the MOD Web GUI, which can be accessed from a web browser on a connected computer. The engine processes audio in real-time while allowing users to visually configure and manipulate their signal chain via the Web GUI.

For hardware devices (MOD Duo, MOD Duo X, and MOD Dwarf), the web server runs inside the device itself. Users connect to it over a network (via USB, Wi-fi, or Bluetooth) to access the interface. The connection to the network is not made using the Control Chain port (the RJ45 port) on the device.

For MOD Desktop, the MOD audio engine and web server both run on the same computer as the web browser, allowing direct access to the Web GUI without external connections. Despite this difference, the underlying topology remains the same across all platforms.

Compatible Devices

The MOD Web GUI is shared across the following platforms:

  • MOD Duo – Classic dual-footswitch multi-effects processor.
  • MOD Duo X – Advanced performance-focused device with more controls.
  • MOD Dwarf – Compact and versatile effects processor.
  • MOD Desktop – A software-based version of the MOD environment, running on a computer.

While the interface remains consistent across devices, some features, buttons, and objects may differ depending on the device you are connected to. Each MOD device offers different hardware capabilities, which may influence the available GUI elements.

Accessing the WebGUI

To access the Web GUI:

  1. Connect your MOD device to your computer, tablet, or smartphone via USB or Bluetooth (for supported devices).
    1. For MOD Desktop you must:
      1. Open the MOD Desktop application
      2. Push the start button
  2. Open your web browser and navigate to the appropriate address:
  3. Start building and customizing your setup!

If you experience connection issues, visit the Troubleshooting section for assistance.

Navigating the Interface

Web GUI Layout

The MOD Web GUI consists of several key sections that help you manage and configure your device efficiently:

  • Constructor: main view where you can visualise and manage your signal chain, access different menus and overall set your device
  • Pedalboards Library: Quick access to manage pedalboards
  • Banks: organize banks for easy access while using the device in standalone mode
  • File Manager: manage the storage available in your device
  • Plugin Store: plugin store where you can install and buy new effects and utilities
  • Snapshots: manage the snapshots of your pedalboard
  • System Status & Settings: Access system settings, monitor CPU usage, and adjust device preferences

Each of these sections is designed to be intuitive, offering drag-and-drop functionality and real-time parameter adjustments.

Constructor

The Constructor view can be divided into 8 subsections, as you can see in the image above:

  1. Pedalboard and Snapshot name: shows the name of the loaded pedalboard and snapshot
  2. Pedalboard actions bar: access to actions like saving or sharing the pedalboard, managing the snapshots from the current loaded pedalboard, etc.
  3. Inputs: shows a virtual representation of all the physical inputs available on your device hardware
  4. Virtual Pedalboard: visual representation of your signal chain.
  5. Outputs: shows a virtual representation of all the outputs available on your device hardware
  6. Plugins bar: list of installed plugins that can be dragged into the pedalboard.
  7. Mode selector: gives access to the different screens of the WebGUI (Constructor, Pedalboards Library, Banks, File Manager and Plugin Store)
  8. Status bar: gives you access to device actions (like set the tempo, MIDI ports or access the WebGUI settings for your device) and shows you some relevant information about the current status of your device (like CPU and RAM consumption)

Pedalboards Library

To access the pedalboards library, click on Pedalboards in the mode selection bar.

In the Pedalboards Library view, you can:

  • check all the MOD pedalboards stored in your device
  • load a pedalboard
  • delete pedalboards

The Pedalboards Library is divided into two categories:

  • User Pedalboards: the pedalboards created and saved by the device users
  • Factory Pedalboards: Pedalboards that come pre-loaded on the device from the factory

Please note that the User Pedalboards can be deleted by using the Trash icon on the top right corner of each pedalboard preview.

On the other hand, Factory Pedalboards cannot be deleted by the users.

How to load a pedalboard

Loading a pedalboard couldn't be easier.
On the Pedalboard library, click on the miniature icon of the pedalboard that you wish to load.
The loading process will immediately start and in a few seconds, your desired pedalboard will be running in your MOD device.

Alternatively, you can load it directly from the device. Yet, for this method to work, you should not have the MOD WebGUI open.
Check below how to load a pedalboard from your device:

Banks

To access Banks, click on Banks in the mode selection bar.

Banks allow you to group pedalboards for quick switching while the device is disconnected from the WebGUI.

The MOD devices come loaded with a few Banks from the factory. These banks are not accessible to the users and are only visible on the device.
Yet, the users are welcome and encouraged to create their own banks of pedalboards according to their needs.

Creating a Bank

Use the Add bank button to create a new bank and name it as you like.
Once created, a new bank is empty and ready to receive your pedalboards.

Populating a Bank with Pedalboards

To add pedalboards to your bank, drag them from the right lateral panel into the center of the screen.
You can add as many pedalboards as you want. It is also possible to add multiple instances of the same pedalboard to your bank (something that can be especially usefull if you use Program Change messages to switch between pedalboards).

You can now navigate through your banks using the Device Menu on the MOD Duo and MOD Duo X and the Navigation Mode on the MOD Dwarf.

On the MOD Duo, you can also use the Footswitches to navigate through the pedalboards of a bank. To do it, activate the option "Foot Nav" on the Settings of your MOD Duo.

Deleting Banks

On the left of the Banks window, you can see a list of all the User Banks available on your device. Note that factory banks won't be listed.

Next to each Bank name entry, you can see a small trash bin icon, just like this:

  1. To delete a Bank, click on for the line of the Bank that you wish to delete.
  2. Your browser will pop up a confirmation window
    1. Press "Ok" if you wish to proceed
    2. Press "Cancel" if you wish to abort the procedure

Note that deleting a Bank will not delete the pedalboards loaded into it.

File Manager

To access the File Manager, click on in the mode selection bar.

MOD devices allow file storage for:

  • Audio Loops & Samples
  • Impulse Response (IR) files
  • MIDI sequences
  • Instruments
  • Models

You can learn more about the supported file formats on the File Handling page.

The management of your stored data is done from the File Manager. There, you can upload, download, and delete files or create and download folders.

Note that some plugins can also generate files internally in your device. From the file manager, you can download those files for use in your DAW or on other systems.

How to upload files

  1. Open the File Manager in the Web GUI.
  2. Open the folder for the correct file type (Audio, MIDI, Impulse Response, AIDA DSP Model, etc.) and click on the button at the top of the window.
  3. A file browser window with access to your host device will open. From there, select the file that you wish to upload.
  4. Use stored files with compatible plugins (a list of plugins using the different types of files can be found here).

How to download a file or a folder

  1. Open the File Manager in the Web GUI.
  2. Locate the file or folder that you wish to download in the MOD file system.
  3. On the list of files and folders, you can find a button with an arrow pointing down for each entry. Just like the following:


  2. Click on that button, and a file browser window with access to your host device's file system will open.
  3. On that window, select the location on your host device where you wish to store the file.

How to delete a file or a folder

  1. Open the File Manager in the Web GUI.
  2. Locate the file or folder that you wish to delete in the MOD file system.
  3. On the list of files and folders, you can find a button with an "X" for each entry. Just like the following:

  2. Click on that button, and a new screen will appear asking you to confirm if you want to delete that file or folder. Just like the following:

  2. On that screen, click "Yes" if you want to proceed by deleting the file or folder from the internal storage of your MOD device; or "Cancel" if you wish to abort.

How to create a folder

It's not possible to create or delete folders in the main folder of the MOD File system. In other words, you can not create any folder on the root for Audio Files, MIDI Files, Impulse Response Files, Instruments, or Plugin Resources.

Yet, you can create in sub-directories.

Please note that it's important to load the correct type of files into each folder. If you want to create a folder where you will load MIDI Files, you should not create it inside the "Audio Samples" folder, nor load MIDI files there.

Let's take as an example the "Audio Samples" folder in Audio files and create a folder called "Water samples".

  1. Navigate into the folder into which you want to create a new sub-folder (in our example, the "Audio Samples" folder)

  2. Click on the button
  3. A new screen will appear, where you will be prompted to enter the name of the new folder. Following our example, we will type "Water samples"

  2. Click on the "Create" button if you wish to create the new folder or "Cancel" if you wish to abort the process.

After creating the new folder, you will immediately be redirected inside, and you can start uploading your files. In our example, it should be audio files (check here the supported audio formats) and preferably with water sounds.

Plugin Store

To access the Plugin Store, click on in the mode selection bar.

By default, the MOD devices come with lots of plugins installed, but there are many more available in the Plugin Store. These plugins are created either by the MOD team or by independent developers.

We frequently add new plugins to the MOD Plugin Store (either normal releases or in beta), so make sure to give it a look from time to time to check out the new "cool stuff" that can make your MOD even better.

Installing New plugins

Installing plugins in your MOD is really simple.
Let's take, as an example for this guide, the "GxQuack"

  1. Open the Store from the Web GUI
  2. Browse available plugins or use the search bar in the bottom left corner of the Plugin Store screen

In our example, we will use the search bar and type "GxQuack"

  2. Click on the plugin that you wish to install (in our case, the "GxQuack"), and a screen similar with the following will show up:

  2. On the plugin screen, click on the button
  3. After installation, the plugin will be added to the Plugins Bar. You can find it either in the "All" tab or the one corresponding to the plugin category (in our example, "GxQuack" is categorized as a "Filter" plugin.

Plugin Info

You can access any plugin info/details page using one of the following paths:

  • Click on the Plugin in the Plugin Store;
  • Click on the plugin in the Plugins bar;
  • Click the Info button at the top of the Plugin UI in the Pedalboard Constructor.


On the Plugin Info screen, you can check data related to the Plugin, like:

  • URI
  • Category (of the plugin - indicates where the plugin will be listed in the Plugin Bar)
  • Author
  • Homepage (for the plugin)
  • Latest / Installed version
  • Plugin Description
  • External links (See it in action, See online, See discussion, See documentation)
  • Control Ports (a table with the default, minimum and maximum value per control)

See it in action: opens the MOD Pedalboard Feed, filtering only pedalboards with the respective plugin - requires an internet connection

See online: opens the online page for the plugin (from the MOD Plugins page) - requires an internet connection

See discussion: opens the MOD Forum thread where community members discuss the plugin - requires an internet connection

See documentation: opens a PDF containing documentation for the plugin.

Note: not all the plugins have all the external link buttons available

Buying plugins

Most of the plugins available in the MOD plugin store are free; however, there are a few that require a purchase to unlock their full potential.

To purchase a plugin:

  1. Navigate to the desired plugin in the MOD Plugin Store of your WebGUI, either by using the plugin highlights, scrolling through the store, or searching for the plugin in the search bar of the plugin store.
  2. Just like you would do to install a plugin, once you find it, you click on it.

  2. Here you can install a trial version, which will allow you to test the plugin before purchasing.

Please note that trial versions of paid plugins will randomly drop off the audio of your pedalboard while you use it.

  2. Once you decide that the plugin fits your needs and you want to purchase it, you should repeat the steps 1 to 3 to open the plugin description page on the plugin store
  3. Click the button.
  4. From here, a pop-up on the right of your WebGUI screen will appear with your shopping cart for the MOD Plugin Store.

  2. Repeat the process until here for any other plugins that you wish to purchase
  3. Once you have all the plugins that you wish to purchase in your cart, click on the "Checkout" button from the cart menu.
  4. A new tab in your browser with the MOD Checkout. There, you should insert your data and payment method and finalize the process.

As soon as your payment is successfully processed, the license for the corresponding plugin(s) will be added to the device from which you made the purchase.

Please note that, although you can access the WebGUI without an internet connection, to purchase plugins, an internet connection is required.

MOD Pedalboard Feed

Another great feature of the MOD devices is allowing you to share and load pedalboards from other MOD users on the MOD Pedalboard Feed.

Load a pedalboard on your MOD device

To load pedalboards from another MOD user, you should:

  1. Access the Pedalboard Library by clicking on in the Mode Selector bar;
  2. On the top right corner of the Pedalboard Library, you will find the button: , click on it;
  3. Listen to the samples and once you find a pedalboard you like, click on the Try Now button.
Example of a pedalboard shared on pedalboards.moddevices.com

You can replace the first two steps by visiting the MOD Pedalboard Feed
Note that to load an online pedalboard, you need to have the MOD WebGUI open and internet connection.

If you want to learn more about the pedalboard, you can use the View More button at the bottom of each shared pedalboard in the MOD Pedalboard Feed. There, you can (for example) check every single plugin used to create that pedalboard.

If you like the pedalboard that you just loaded and want to keep it, you should save it just like you would do with your own pedalboards.

List shared pedalboards using a particular plugin

You can list the pedalboards that were made using a specific plugin. To do this:

  1. open the plugin description dialog (for example, by clicking on the Info info button on the top of the plugin on the MOD WebGUI);
  2. click on the See it in action button.

Share a pedalboard with the community

To share a pedalboard with the community, you should:

  1. Go to the pedalboard constructor and click on Share pedalboard in the pedalboard actions bar.
  2. Fill in the sharing dialog and (optionally) record a sample by clicking on the red circle.
    1. After finishing the recording, you can listen to it, record it again, or delete it.
  3. When you are done, click on the Share or Just share button.

Creating & Managing Pedalboards

Please note that on the WebGUI the signals flow from left to right of the Constructor.
Despite that, on the physical devices, the signal flows as traditionally from right to left on the MOD devices.

Creating a New Pedalboard

To create a new pedalboard:

  1. Click the button on the interface.

  2. Drag and drop plugins from the Plugins Bar to the Pedalboard View.

  2. Connect plugins by clicking on their input/output nodes and drawing a connection.

  2. Repeat the first steps as many times as needed to build your pedalboard.

Have fun with the endless possibilities of the MOD platform and enjoy finding your sound!

Plugin Connectivity

The plugins on the MOD platform can send and receive 3 types of data:

Audio Connectivity

The virtual audio cables on the MOD WebGUI have a purple colour.

Audio connections transmit virtually all audio between the plugins in your virtual chain, just like a jack cable would send audio from a pedal to another in a physical pedalboard.

Please note that there are plugins with a single audio input and a single audio output.
Other plugins have two audio inputs and two audio outputs, meaning they both receive and send audio in stereo.
Lastly, some plugins have a single audio input but two audio outputs. That means that, internally, the plugin receives the audio in mono, but can transform that same audio into a stereo signal.

MIDI Connectivity

The virtual MIDI cables on the MOD WebGUI have a cyan colour.

MIDI connections transmit MIDI signals between the plugins in your virtual chain, just like a MIDI cable would send MIDI from one device to another in a physical setup.

Some plugins receive and send MIDI. Normally, those plugins are capable of transforming the received MIDI signal in a certain way.
Some other plugins only have a MIDI output. This means that they generate MIDI internally that can be sent to other plugins or devices in your chain.
Plugins like Generators or the MIDI to CV Converters receive a MIDI signal and convert it into some other type of signal. In the case of Generators, MIDI is typically converted into audio. Conversely, in the case of MIDI to CV Converters, the MIDI signal is converted into a Control Voltage signal.

Control Voltage Connectivity

The virtual Control Voltage cables on the MOD WebGUI have an orange colour.

CV allows modular-like control over plugin parameters.
You can use CV plugins connected and generate values that can be used to control most of the parameters from any Audio or MIDI plugins (and also other CV plugins) inside any of the MOD devices.
The MOD Duo X includes hardware CV inputs/outputs, which allows you to use CV communication also with external gear like modular synthesizers.
The hardware inputs and outputs on the MOD Duo X are represented in the inputs and outputs sections (respectively) of the MOD WebGUI constructor.

Note that plugins like the "Audio to CV" or the "Audio to CV Picth" are capable of inputting audio signals and outputting CV signals.

Gain Staging and Meter Plugins

Proper gain staging helps maintain optimal sound quality. Use utility plugins to:

  • Monitor signal levels
  • Adjust gain before and after processing stages
  • Prevent clipping and unwanted distortion

Using meter plugins for gain staging purposes

Plugins that indicate how "hot" or "cold" your signal is in between some effects in your pedalboard - like the Level Meter- may be useful to help you with gain staging. Proper gain staging can help you avoid noise issues and achieve better sound quality.

For this reason, meter plugins may come in quite handy to help you understand if a plugin is reducing or increasing your signal, so you can compensate for that.

Dealing with "too hot" audio signals

Certain plugins in the MOD platform - especially Distortion, Dynamics or Simulator plugins - may increase the internal gain staging levels beyond the advisable. That can happen, especially when multiple plugins of this type are used together in series.

This can lead to unwanted noise issues and a lack of control over your signal. In some cases, it can even activate the safety mechanism built into the MOD devices that automatically shuts down any audio output!

To protect your MOD pedalboards from such issues, we suggest using meter plugins to check your level, especially after any potentially problematic plugin, and dial down the level control (when available) on that particular plugin.
If the plugin doesn't have a "level" control, you can place a gain or volume plugin (like Gain, tinyGain or Volume) after that plugin (in series) and dial down the level to compensate. In this case, place the meter plugin after the gain or volume plugin to have an accurate result.

Either use a built-in level control or an external plugin to dial down the level until your meter plugin indicates a reasonable output value coming from the plugin.

You may need to repeat this process between other plugins in your entire chain to achieve a stable gain staging on your virtual pedalboard.

Dealing with "too cold" audio signals

Sometimes your signal may be too quiet, which makes it barely listenable.
Increasing the level at the wrong stages may boost mostly unwanted noise that can even blend with the desirable sound.

We recommend that you use a meter plugin to check the stage where your signal is getting quiet. It may be a plugin with the level set too low or other parameters that are causing that issue.
After finding the source of the problem, re-dial the level controls (and if needed, also other parameters) in order to have a better signal.
You can also use gain or volume plugin (like Gain, tinyGain or Volume) to increase your level. Another option is to use Dynamics plugins.

In any of these cases, do it with caution to not increase the ground floor noise.

If you are using an external sound source via the input of your MOD device, make sure that the output of that source is strong enough. In this case, take a look at your input gain levels.

Final notes on gain staging

  • If you are using a physical MOD device, they all possess LEDs that help you check the incoming and outgoing signals.
    • Make sure that your output LEDs stay mostly green and maximum turn yellow at times. Never going red!
  • Gain levels between other devices in your setup may not be uniform.
    • When available, use the gain LEDs from the devices (just like on the MOD devices) to help you balance your signal.
    • If you use some other device connected to your MOD inputs, make sure that the MOD inputs also stay in green and never go red.
  • Make sure that the final output in your chain doesn't exceed 0dB.

Snapshots

What is a Snapshot?

In the "MOD world", a Snapshot works like a picture of the parameters on the plugins in your pedalboard at a specific moment.
They save parameter states within a pedalboard.

Snapshots allow you to quickly switch between different settings without reloading pedalboards.
This comes quite handy, especially when you consider that pedalboards take some time to load (depending on the amount and "heaviness" of the used plugins) and, for performance reasons, you may need an immediate change of multiple settings.

Let's say that you want to have different effects turned on and off in between different parts of a song and you also want to have certain parameters of each plugin in your chain dialed with other values. Snapshots are perfect for this job! They allow you to turn on/off as many effects as you want and simultaneously dial as many parameters as you want. They do it all for you, so you don't need to be an octopus to push hundreds of switches and dial thousands of knobs between your song's chorus and bridge.

How to access the Snapshot menu on the MOD WebGUI

Access the pedalboard snapshot menu by clicking on . Find it on the pedalboard actions bar.

Save pedalboard snapshots

  • To save the changes to the current pedalboard snapshot, choose the option Save.
  • To save a new snapshot, use the option Save as and give it a name.

Please note that the snapshots live inside the pedalboards; therefore, you must save your pedalboard after saving a new snapshot or modifying an existing one, otherwise those changes will be lost.

NOTE for MOD Dwarf users: on the MOD Dwarf, you can also save snapshots from the device. Please take a look here to learn how to do it.

Load and manage pedalboard snapshots

  • To load, delete, or rename a saved snapshot, use the option Load / Manage.
  • A pop-up window similar to the following will show up

  • On the MOD WebGUI, a single click on the name of the snapshot will load it.
    • You also have the option to assign the snapshot list to a physical interface on your device or on a Control Chain device by using the 'Assign all' button.

Another way to navigate the Pedalboard Snapshots is through an external MIDI controller connected to your MOD device.
For more info on how to set up your device for that, check the link to your device:

NOTE: the Snapshot list currently cannot be reordered on the MOD WebGUI, so some care must be taken when saving new snapshots to be effectively navigated with an actuator or via MIDI. Yet, on the MOD Dwarf, that's possible from the Navigation Mode on the device.For more info, check this page.

Saving and Managing Pedalboards

To save a pedalboard, use the buttons Save or Save as on the pedalboard actions bar.

  • Save: saves the current state of your pedalboard under the same name.
  • Save as: saves a new pedalboard file under a new name that you are requested to input.

NOTE: on the MOD Dwarf, you can also save pedalboards from the device. Please take a look here to learn how to do it.

All saved pedalboards can be found and loaded from the Pedalboards Library.

Assigning Controls & Expanding Functionality

One of the most powerful features of MOD devices is the possibility to assign pretty much any parameter to any control, either from your device or from peripheral devices.

How to create an assignment

To create an assignment:

  1. click on above the plugin from the parameter that you want to assign
  2. click on the icon, at the bottom-right corner of each parameter box, to open the assignment dialog box.

Note: For the presets list, you should click "Assign All" and you must have your list populated with more than one preset.

  2. a window with multiple tabs will pop-up, similar to the following:

  2. select the tab corresponding to the source controller for your assignment.

Note: Any parameter can be assigned, but some parameters can only be assigned to a specific type of interface. The interface will not list interfaces as an option that cannot be used for that specific parameter.
Preset lists can also be assigned.

Device

When you select the "Device" tab, you will be forwarded to a screen that allows you to create an assignment directly on one of the available interfaces of your MOD device. Check how it works according to your MOD device:

MOD Duo

If you want to make an assignment to one of the endless knobs or footswitches of your MOD DUO:

  1. Select the tab "Device"
  2. Select the control to which you would like to assign the parameter from the corresponding lists
  3. Click on the "Save" button

Note: the knobs of the MOD DUO can be assigned to multiple parameters (more info here), but footswitches can only hold one.

MOD Duo X

If you want to assign an action to one of the endless knobs, knobs, or buttons of your MOD DUO X:

  1. Select the "Device" tab
    1. On the MOD DUO X, you have a pagination system (learn more about it on Pagination and Switching Pages) that allows you to assign multiple parameters to each of the controls (endless knobs, knobs and buttons).
  2. Select the control in this window that you want to assign to the corresponding page
  3. Click on the "Save" button

Take a look at the MOD Duo X User Guide to learn how to switch pages.

MOD Dwarf

If you want to make an assignment to one of the encoders or footswitches of your MOD Dwarf:

  1. Select the tab "Device"
    1. Similar to the MOD Duo X, the MOD Dwarf has a pagination system.
    2. Yet, on the MOD Dwarf, you also have a sub-pagination system.
      1. The sub-pagination system is only available for encoders, allowing them to be mapped to multiple parameters on a single assignment page.
  2. Select the control in this window that you want to assign to the corresponding page and, in case the assignment is for an encoder, the sub-page
  3. Click on the "Save" button

Check the MOD Dwarf User Guide to learn how to switch between pages and sub-pages.

MIDI

The MOD devices have excellent MIDI capabilities, supporting both traditional MIDI connections and USB MIDI.
Check the type of MIDI connectors available on each device:

You can use both types of connections to input or output MIDI data, allowing you to assign MIDI Control Change messages to any parameter of your pedalboard, control Virtual Instruments (Generators) running inside your MOD system, among other possibilities.

Assigning plugin parameters to MIDI controllers

If you want to assign a parameter to an interface on a MIDI controller connected to your MOD device, after you access the assignment dialog box (which you can learn how to do at the beginning of this chapter), you must follow these 3 steps:

  1. select the "MIDI" tab,
  2. press save
  3. interact with the desired actuator (for example: push the button or turn the knob).

As soon as you interact with your MIDI controller and the assignment is successfully established, a pop-up message will appear in the top-right corner of your MOD WebGUI. Similar to the following:

Note: This assignment method is valid both for MIDI controllers connected via the MIDI input port or the USB-A port of your device.

MIDI Output

Some plugins have MIDI output ports, which generate MIDI data, such as MIDI Control Change, MIDI Note On/Off and other types of MIDI messages.
You can use this output to send data to other plugins or gear in your setup.

MIDI ports setup

The WebGUI MIDI setup is relevant to setting which and how the MIDI ports are displayed on the MOD WebGUI Constructor (inputs and outputs sections).

Note that you do not have to enable a specific MIDI port to be able to use MIDI learn. For MIDI learn, all MIDI devices will work as soon as they are connected to your MOD device.

The MOD devices recognize your MIDI Controller when it is plugged in and add it to the MIDI ports list.
Yet, they are not directly visible in the input and output sections of the Constructor by default. To make them visible, you will have to enable them first by clicking on button on the Status Bar.

Here you can select between two modes:

Please note that controllers connected via the MIDI input (and not the USB A port) will not be differentiated, even when used with MIDI Thru, due to the limitations of traditional MIDI ports.

Aggregated mode

If you select the Aggregated mode all the MIDI ports from all the connected MIDI controllers will appear as a single MIDI Input and single MIDI Output.
This will not allow you to differentiate between controllers, for example, if you have two instruments loaded and want to use one MIDI keyboard to play a bass sound and another to play a lead sound.

Separated mode

If you select the Separated mode and activate multiple controllers on the MIDI ports list, those active controllers will appear with different MIDI input and output ports on the respective sections of the Contructor window.

To enable only the necessary MIDI controllers, select the ports that you want to enable and click on the Save button.
Now you should see the new ports added to the constructor screen.
This setup is ideal in case you want to use multiple controllers to play multiple Instrument plugins.

Virtual MIDI Loopback

If you check the Enable Virtual MIDI Loopback box, yet another new port will become available on the output section of the WebGUI.
This port allows you to send messages back into your MOD device, similar to what would happen if you physically connected the MIDI out of your MOD device back to its MIDI in.

Control Chain devices

Control Chain is an open standard developed by MOD Devices. For more info, check the Control Chain page.
In general, Control Chain devices (like the MOD Footswitch or the Arduino Shield) can give you a longer control range and also better visual feedback about what you are controlling directly in your Control Chain device.

Assigning parameters to Control Chain devices

To assign a parameter from your MOD pedalboard to a control chain device, select the tab "Control Chain".

You will get a dropdown list with all the interfaces available via the Control Chain port connected to your MOD device. Select the one that you wish to assign.

Note: if you have no control chain devices connected to your MOD device, you will get the following message:

Assigning CV to Parameters

To make a CV assignment, you need:

  1. Enable a CV output from a plugin. This creates an internal CV addressing source.
  2. Assign it to a target parameter via the Assignment Menu.

Enable a CV output from a plugin

To enable CV output ports, you need:

  1. Make sure that you have a plugin loaded in your pedalboard that outputs CV data
  2. Click on
    1. Check boxes will appear next to the outputs of the CV plugin(s) that you have in your pedalboard
  3. Select and label the ones that you want to use.

Done! After these steps, you have just made a CV output available to control any other parameter on your pedalboard.
Now, let's learn how you can assign it to any parameter on your pedalboard.

Assign CV output to a target parameter

To assign the CV control that you just created, you need:

  1. Access the assignment view for the parameter that you want this particular CV output to control. Learn here how to access the assignment window.
  2. Click on the "CV" tab
    1. All the available CV ports should be listed here
  3. Select from the list the one that has the name that you wish to control this particular parameter.


No Control Voltage list

If, when you click the CV tab, you see a screen similar to the one above, it means you have no Control Voltage output available.
If that's your case, please repeat the process described in "Enable a CV output from a plugin".

You will find plugins that output CV data under the Control Voltage tab on your Plugins Bar. Load one of them on your board just like any other plugin (check here how to load a plugin).

Note: If you have no Control Voltage plugins available on your plugins bar, head over to the store and you will find pretty cool ones for free.

MOD DUO X

If you have a MOD Duo X you can also use the Control Voltage connection to connect to external gear.
To use that feature, take a look first at the following links to learn how you need to set the device CV input and output CV connectors:


The MOD Duo X users will, by default, see two entries on the Assignment list when accessing the "CV" tab of the assignment window for any plugin parameter.
There, you will see the hardware CV/EXP input showing up as a CV addressing source.

Select from the list "Cv Exp Pedal" if you want to use an expression pedal or one of the two CV inputs ("Cv Capture 1" and "Cv Capture 2").

Setting up macro-controls with CV

CV controls give you lots of benefits. One of the most popular is the possibility to control multiple plugin parameters from a single physical interface.
Check this page to learn how to do it.

Advanced assignment settings

On any assignment type (Device, MIDI Controllers, Control Chain or CV), you also have an "Advanced" button that provides more detailed settings for the assignment.

By clicking on it, your assignment window will stretch.

On the stretched window, you can:

  • Define a different label that you would like to be displayed on the displays of your device (only effective for device or Control Chain assignments);
  • Enter the range that you want the mapped actuator to sweep within (only available for continuous controls, those that appear with an encoder graphic on the WebGUI);
  • Set the sensitivity (number of steps from minimum to maximum) of the actuator from the dropdown menu (only available for device assignments);
  • Set the operational mode polarity of your CV control (only available for CV assignments).
  • The assignment mode (Latching, Momentary On or Momentary Off / only available for buttons or footswitches from the device)


Once you have done the adjustments, click on the save button to execute the assignment.
After saving, you should see the assigned information on the display (for device or Control Chain assignments) and be able to operate the parameter through the actuator you have chosen.

Advanced Features & Settings

System Settings

To access the WebGUI Settings, click on the button in the status bar.

On this page, you can:

System Information

On the right side, you will find information about your device's current configuration:

  • Audio
    • Buffer Size
    • Sample Rate
    • DSP Load
  • System
    • Unit (your MOD device model/version)
    • Build Date (of the installed MOD OS)
    • OS Version
  • Kernel
    • Machine
    • Release
    • Version

Basic

Personal

Use custom Bluetooth device name: If you are connecting to your device via Bluetooth, you can define the name you want your device to show up.

Backup & Restore

Here you can back up or restore all your data for later recovery.
By default, that includes:

  • Banks
  • Pedalboards

By checking the respective boxes, you can also back up or restore:

  • Device configuration (such as audio gains, Bluetooth config, etc.)
  • All the plugins you have
Creating a Backup
  1. Insert a USB stick in the USB Host port (A) of your device. (Make sure the USB stick has enough disk space. Preferably, use a storage device with a FAT32 file system.)
    2. Check all boxes corresponding to the data that you want to back up
  2. Click "Backup user data..."
  3. Wait for the process to finish
Restoring a Backup
  1. Insert the USB stick in which you stored the backup for your MOD device in the USB Host port (A) of your device.
    2. Check all boxes corresponding to the data that you want to restore
  2. Click "Restore user data..."
  3. Wait for the process to finish

Note: You may have to reboot your device to load the recovered data.

Reboot & Update

Here you can reboot your device and also restart it into restore/update mode for maintenance and manual updating.

Advanced

The Advanced Settings of the MOD WebGUI allow you to define device and interface settings important for developers or advanced users.

Audio Server

This section is mostly related to the needs of your pedalboard and how you wish to use your MOD device in your setup.

In the Audio Server section, you can:

  • Duplicate a mono pedalboard output into both device physical outputs
  • Separate S/PDIF outputs (only available for MOD Duo X)
  • Use 256 frames as Buffer Size (useful in case your pedalboards run heavy plugins and the extra latency doesn't disturb your setup and needs).

Services

In this section, you can activate services to use with some experimental features available on your MOD device.

User interface

On the user interface section, you can:

  • Turn on the "Developer Mode". This will show you some extra meters and options in your MOD WebGUI
  • Show beta plugins in the MOD Plugin Store. You will be able to see the listed and installed beta plugins available in the MOD Plugin Store. These are plugins that have not been fully tested in the MOD platform and can have bugs or cause issues.

Workarounds

On this section you can activate some workarounds for known bugs in your device which our development team still didn't manage to find a more viable solution.

Device Updates (for connected Control Chain peripherals)

On this page, you can find the latest firmware versions for the MOD peripherals connected to your MOD device (which use the Control Chain port), such as the XF4 MOD Footswitch.
In case your Control Chain device firmware is outdated, you can also update it directly from the "Update firmware" button available on this page.

Dangerous

On the Dangerous section of the WebGUI settings, you can perform irreversible actions on your device, such as:

  • Clear favorite plugin list
  • Clear device settings
  • Clear plugin license keys
  • Delete all Banks
  • Delete all Pedalboards
  • Delete all Plugins

You can also reflash the controller board on your device.

This section is primarily intended for support purposes.

Monitoring CPU Usage & Performance

In the WebGUI status bar, there are meters for CPU and RAM.

It is useful to monitor these resources when building your pedalboard. Note that each plugin consumes a different amount of CPU and RAM.

High CPU or RAM usage may cause X-runs, which in practice translates to audio drops, which can be extremely inconvenient for live performances.
The higher the resource usage is, the more frequent these audio drops will be. Therefore, we recommend CPU usage to stay below 80%.
Relevant to note is that the presented CPU value is an average calculation.

Dealing with high resource consumption

In case your CPU and RAM resources are too high, you can try multiple techniques to reduce them:

Avoid placing plugins in series

When you place the plugins in series, like the following:

Each plugin must wait for the previous one to finish its processing before it can start its own. All the plugins will also be allocated to the same CPU core, which will cause an overusage of a single core, while others have low to no usage.


Although it is often required for this type of chain, you can sometimes avoid it, resulting in better utilization of all CPU cores.

For example, if you want to create something similar to an effects loop where you use time-based plugins like delays or reverbs, you can take advantage of the Portal plugins ((Portal Sink and Portal Source) to force the effects loop to use a different CPU core. Just like the following:

With this technique, the plugins in between the (Portal Sink and Portal Source (therefore, on the effects loop) will be allocated to the next CPU core.
More branches like this will be allocated to the other available CPU cores, thereby distributing your CPU consumption across all available cores. This will result in less CPU consumption, as each plugin will need to wait for fewer plugins to finish their processing needs. Additionally, each branch will be able to utilize different CPU cores, enabling the simultaneous processing of different plugins.

Portal plugins (Portal Sink and Portal Source) do in practice?

On the "backstage", the Portal plugins force a single chain to be split into two.
This means both chains can run in parallel, each on its own CPU core.

We can run as many series as there are cores in the system while keeping good performance.

For more info, check the plugin description pages:

Reduce Buffer size

Reducing the buffer size on your device will also help reduce CPU usage.

You have essentially two methods to do it:

  • reducing the Buffer size on a device basis, which will affect all your pedalboards
  • on a plugin chain or branch basis

On the first possibility, you can:

  1. Access the Advanced Settings on the WebGUI
  2. Check the box "Use 256 frames as Buffer Size."

To reduce the Buffer size on a plugin chain or branch basis, you should use the technique described in "Avoid placing plugins in series" and use the Portal plugins ((Portal Sink and Portal Source)).

Note that both methods increase latency
On the first one, this latency will be on a pedalboard basis and on the second one, you will have one cycle of latency coming out of the Portal Source plugin. For effects like delay and reverb, this could be a worthy compromise.

Replace plugins with similar ones that require fewer resources

The MOD Plugin Store is full of options for each type of plugin.
Most of the plugins have actually pretty low requirements of CPU and RAM consumption. Particularly problematic for that matter could be:

  • Reverbs and Delays
  • Modeling plugins
  • IR-based plugins

In the case of Modeling or IR plugins in which you can load your own models or files (like AIDA-X, Neural Amp Modeler, IR loader cabsim, Cabinet Loader, IR Convolver or Convolution Loader), you can try to load less heavy models or impulse response files.

In case of other modeling or impulse response-based plugins, in which you are not able to load your own files, you can:

  1. Try using other models or impulse responses available on the same plugin
  2. Search for alternatives on the Plugin Store that don't use these technologies and try them

Typically, modeling-based plugins model physical amplifiers or effects. On the MOD Plugin Store, you have a lot of amplifiers and effects alternatives that don't use this technology (therefore tend to be lighter on CPU and RAM consumption) and still sound great, if not sometimes better. Just give them a shot; you will likely be impressed.

The same happens with IR-based plugins. They are either a capture of the impulse response of an amplifier cabinet or a reverb from a particular space. You will find a lot of alternatives on plugins fully based on processing algorithms that will free up some CPU and RAM resources.

The same can be said with any other plugin that may be a bit heavier on the device resources and limit your pedalboard too much. Sometimes, all those "shiny features" and possibilities make the plugin heavy and you don't really make use of them. Quite often, you will be able to find a more stripped-down plugin with exactly what you need or you will be able to put it together with a conjunction of plugins and perhaps Control Voltage plugins.

Take this opportunity to get to know the wonderful possibilities for plugins available on the MOD platform and get creative.

True Bypass feature

If you use a MOD Duo or a MOD Duo X, those devices include a True Bypass system.

This system uses physical relays that directly connect the input to the output ports. Bypassing any plugin that you could have between them on the pedalboard loaded on your device.

"Bypass 1" connects the input 1 directly to the output 1 and "Bypass 2" does the same with input 2 and output 2 from the device.

You can activate it on the Status Bar of the MOD WebGUI.

Alternatively, you can use the Hardware Bypass plugin (only available on these two devices, Plugin Shop).

Using the Hardware Bypass plugin allows you to assign the hardware bypass to a physical interface, either directly on the device, a MIDI Controller, or a Control Chain device. Check here how to assign a plugin parameter to a physical interface.

Setting the plugin to Bypass Mode:

  • Left&Right: physically connects both pairs of inputs and outputs, bypassing your device totally.
  • Left: physically connects the input 1 to the output 1, allowing you to still use the pair input/output 2 for effects running on the MOD device.
  • Right: physically connects the input 2 to the output 2, allowing you to still use the pair input/output 2 for effects running on the MOD device.

Troubleshooting & Support

Common connection issues

Power

If your device doesn't boot or is exhibiting erratic behavior, please make sure that:

Audio

If your device doesn't input or output audio:

  • Make sure that the corresponding LEDs (input or output) on the device light up.
  • Make sure that you are properly connecting audio inputs and outputs.
    • While in software (and also on the MOD WebGUI), audio inputs are normally represented on the left of the screen and outputs on the right, on the MOD hardware, the inputs are on the right and the outputs on the left.
  • Double-check the audio cables that you are using to connect your MOD device
  • Double-check the gain levels, connection and overall condition of the device that you are using to send audio to your MOD device or to receive audio from your MOD device

If you are facing noise issues, please take a look at the Dealing with noise issues guide.

Input

If your device does not have an audio input and the input LEDs do not light up, please adjust your input levels.
That is done on the Inputs or Audio Inputs section of the Device Settings for your device.
Please check the corresponding Device Settings manual for your device:

Output

If your device is correctly inputting audio, but you don't have audio output and also the output LEDs don't light up or you have audio drops, check the following:

Headphones Output

If your output LEDs light up, but you don't have audio coming out from your headphones output port, check the Headphones Volume level on your device.
Learn how to do it at the page corresponding to your device:

In case you are using a MOD Duo X, on the MOD Duo X Device Settings - Outputs make sure that you have the "CV / HP Output" setting set to "Headphone".

USB

Not able to access the WebGUI

If you are not able to access the WebGUI via USB:

  • Make sure that you are connecting via the USB-B port on your device
  • Check the USB-B Mode on your device (and eventually experiment with a different one). To learn how to do it, check the link corresponding to your device:

Note: If you want to use the USB connection as both a USB and MIDI connection, and you are using Windows, select the "Net+MIDI (Windows)" option in the USB-B Mode of your device.

  • In case your host device is a Windows machine, check if it is recognizing your MOD device correctly
  • Use "http://" before the MOD address and not " https://"
  • Try a different browser on your host computer
  • Make sure that no Firewall system on your browser or computer is blocking the MOD device from being recognized as a network device
  • Try a different USB cable
  • Try a different host computer

My USB MIDI Controller is not recognized

  • Ensure that your MIDI controller is correctly functioning and sending MIDI data. If needed, connect directly to a computer and use a MIDI monitor tool to check if data is coming in
    • Use the MIDI monitor also to ensure that the MIDI controller is sending the required type of message for your needs in the MOD device (Note On/Off, Control Change, Program Change, etc.)
  • Try a different connection cable
  • Ensure that the MIDI Controller is listed on your MIDI Ports Setup window
  • Install the MIDI Display plugin (currently still in beta) and connect it to the MIDI input port representation on the WebGUI. Check which type of data is being received on your MOD device.
    • Note: if in your MIDI Ports Setup you have selected "Aggregated Mode", your standard MIDI port and any USB MIDI controllers will not be differentiated on the WebGUI.
  • In case you want to use the MIDI controller with a Generator plugin, make sure that you have the virtual MIDI cable on the WebGUI connected between your controller input and the Generator plugin.

Not able to create a backup or restore from a USB stick

Ensure the USB stick has sufficient disk space and preferably is formatted with a FAT32 file system.

Device crashes when connecting a MIDI controller via USB

Ensure that your MIDI Device is not creating "MIDI feedback" with your MOD device; in other words, constantly sending and requesting MIDI messages from the MOD device.

MIDI

I can't find my MIDI controller on the MIDI ports setup menu

Please note that when you connect a MIDI controller via traditional MIDI ports (DIN and not USB ports), the host device will not be able to recognize the name of the connection and will show it simply as a MIDI input coming from the MIDI interface.
On the MOD WebGUI, it is shown as a "Hardware Serial MIDI In". This is the virtual representation of the Hardware MIDI input port of your MOD device. On the other hand, in the output section of the Pedalboard Constructor, you will find the "Hardware Serial MIDI Out". This is the virtual representation of the Hardware MIDI output port of your MOD device.

If in the MIDI ports setup menu you have selected the Aggregated Mode, you will see "Hardware All MIDI In" and "Hardware All MIDI Out". Those are representations not only of the physical MIDI ports on your device, but also any other USB MIDI controller that you may have connected.

I can't make MIDI assignments

  • Make sure that everything is properly connected to your device
    • The MIDI out cable from your MIDI device is connected to the MIDI Input of your MOD device
    • Your MIDI cable is functional
  • Check the type of message that your MIDI controller is sending from the interfaces that you want to assign
    • A direct MIDI assignment to a plugin parameter on the MOD system requires a MIDI CC (Control Change) message
    • To do that inside your MOD device, please load a MIDI Display plugin and connect it directly into the Hardware MIDI input on the WebGUI Pedalboard Contructor

I can't input MIDI via the MIDI ports on my MOD Dwarf

Since the MOD Dwarf uses TRS MIDI ports, you would need a TRS MIDI adapter to connect a traditional DIN into it.

  • Make sure that you are using a TRS Type A MIDI adapter
  • Make sure that you are connecting the MIDI output of your controller to the MIDI input of the MOD Dwarf

Control Chain

I can't update my MOD XF4

If updating your MOD XF4 via WebGUI Settings does not work, please try the Manual update.

My MOD XF4 assignments don't show up

If your XF4 does not show any assignment:

  • Make sure that you have anything assigned to it
    • If you did the assignments in a previous use of the pedalboard, make sure that you have saved the pedalboard after creating those assignments
  • Try to reconnect the XF4 to the Control Chain port of your MOD device
  • Try a different connection cable

Pedalboard and plugin troubleshooting

If you are facing issues with a particular pedalboard or plugin:

  • Make sure the pedalboard is not running beta plugins
    • Most of the time, beta plugins are fully functional, yet they are still considered beta because they lack testing. With this testing, some issues may show up, issues that sometimes appear in specific use cases or after some MOD OS update.
  • Check if all your virtual cables are properly connected
    • More often than not, you may have a stereo plugin input with two virtual audio cables connected to it. That can happen when you connect the cables in a quite low zoom setting on your Pedalboard Constructor.
  • Make sure that you are not using Trial Plugins
  • If nothing helps, try to rebuild the pedalboard using the same plugins and save it.


Pedalboard miniature not showing on Pedalboard Library

Sometimes, when a new Pedalboard is saved, the device needs some extra time to save the screenshot of the pedalboard. If that doesn't happen and you turn off the device, your pedalboard will be saved without a snapshot. That should create no problems with the pedalboard functionality.
Anyway, if you want to really have the screenshot, you can re-save the pedalboard with a different name, open the Pedalboard Library and wait until the screenshot shows up over there. Then you can disconnect your device or keep creating.

Factory reset & firmware updates

Sometimes, the best way to resolve a software issue with your device is to perform a factory reset.
If you are going to perform a factory reset, we recommend creating a backup of your device first to avoid losing any important saved data. Check the Backup & Restore chapter of this manual to learn how to create a backup of your device and later restore that data.

Check the Factory Reset Images page to download the factory reset image for your device and check the instructions on how to do a factory reset.

Please note that a factory reset will not remove any license from plugins that you purchased previously.

Appendix: Tips and Links

Direct links to MOD community resources

More than devices, MOD Audio is a community of music tech lovers, developers, and musicians, always eager to create something new and to share it with other community members.

This community is especially active in the:

MOD Forum

The MOD Forum is the home for our community to talk about their adventures with MOD.
Everything from tips & tricks, questions and feedback, troubleshooting, bug reports, feature requests, and new plugins can be found there, along with a discussion for each topic.
More often than not, plugin developers and the MOD team get feedback from there, and a lot of that feedback (either for a plugin or a system feature) comes from users with less developer skills but lots of ideas. Then, a lot of it makes it into a plugin or system feature.
More importantly, every feedback, opinion, or thought is welcomed with respect and constructive spirit.

If you are not yet a MOD Forum member, we strongly encourage you to create an account and participate.

Pedalboards Feed

The Pedalboard Feed is another place where MOD users can share their creations. This time on pedalboards to run inside MOD devices.
You can find everything there: from great guitar tones, excellent practice pedalboards, to crazy experimental sounds.
Most of the pedalboards are shared with audio samples, so users can quickly listen and check if that sound is what they are searching for.
In case it is:

  1. Connect your MOD device to your computer
  2. Open the WebGUI on a browser tab or window
  3. Press the "Try Now" button on the pedalboard you liked

Once you can read the message "Victory! Your MOD device is now loading the pedalboard you picked... Rock on!", the pedalboard should be loaded in your device. You can head over to the WebGUI window and see it there.

Now, go ahead and jam with it. If it fits your needs, don't forget to save it, just like you would do with any other new pedalboard.

The pedalboards feed is a great place to find sonic inspiration.

Plugins Database

On the MOD Plugins Database, you can check all the plugins available on the MOD Plugin Store, read their descriptions and specifications without having your MOD device around.
More than that, you can check all the pedalboards shared using a specific plugin. For that:

  1. open the plugin page for the plugin you want to check
  2. in the top right corner of the plugin description page, you will see a number stating the number of pedalboards shared using that plugin.

  2. By clicking on that number, you will be forwarded to the Pedalboard Feed with a filter only for pedalboards shared using the plugin.

The MOD Plugin Database is a great place to search for a particular type of plugin and listen to what it can do to your sound.

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