As of beta version 0.6500test1 (released Oct 14, 2003), Plogue Bidule can now act as both ReWire master and slave.

In ReWire master mode, Bidule can:

• receive all channels of audio from a ReWire slave
• limit the number of channels received from the ReWire slave.
  I.e., so you don't have a big ugly 64-connector bidule bristling from the top of your patchbay.
• synchronize the ReWire slave to a master tempo source
  AND/OR
• synchronize bidules/plugins to the ReWire slave's tempo

In ReWire slave mode, Bidule can:

• send up to 16 channels of audio to the ReWire master
• synchronize bidules/plugins to the ReWire master's tempo
• receive up to 4 ports of MIDI (4 x 16 channels = 64 individual MIDI channels) from a ReWire master sequencer
• be launched automatically from the ReWire master (if the application supports this)

While running as a ReWire slave, Bidule can still receive input from MIDI devices (well, provided that same device has not been locked by the ReWire master). This means that, among many other things, you can use Bidule to play plugins via ReWire into applications that don't normally have MIDI support for VST instruments or sequencing: Ableton Live, Pro Tools, etc.

The tutorials in this section will walk you through the basics of using Bidule as a ReWire slave, and as a ReWire master.

Slave To start using Bidule as a ReWire slave, you always have to follow these steps in this order:

1. Start the ReWire master application.
2. Activate the Plogue Bidule Device in the ReWire master, and assign the ReWire input channels to a track.
3. Launch Bidule (either through the ReWire master, or manually).
4. Activate audio processing in Bidule.
5. Play/record/manipulate audio in your ReWire master.

Also, make sure to carry out those steps in reverse order when you need to shut everything down. I.e., if Bidule is the slave, always exit Bidule first, then the ReWire master.

The following tutorial shows you how to use Bidule as a ReWire slave to Ableton Live.

(Click here for an alternate tutorial on slaving Bidule to Tracktion.)

S1 Launch Ableton Live. Click the Input Type chooser for the desired track to receive audio from Bidule, and select Plogue Bidule Device. In the chooser that appears below, select the desired audio channels. As a last step, activate the Monitor switch. Your track should appear as shown below.

S2 Since Live cannot launch a ReWire device automatically, you need to launch Bidule yourself. You should see the splash screen saying that Bidule is now in ReWire slave mode. The title bar in Bidule, too, should indicate the same thing.

S3 At this point, you can start connecting bidules and plugins to your heart's content in Bidule, or open a saved .bidule file from another ReWire mode session.

Note that the Bidule ReWire modules in the image below have a green m1 next to it. This means that you can synchronize plugins or bidules to Live's tempo, if you want. In this example, we have MIDI from an external keyboard being played into the adbe MChord MIDI chord VST plugin, which is in turn sending its notes to the Green Oak Crystal VST instrument for a chord on a nice rhythmic pad. Crystal has been synched to Live's tempo via Bidule ReWire.

S4 When you're ready, turn audio processing on in Bidule, and play away! Back in Live, you will be able to see the track's VU meters showing the audio from Bidule. From here, you can treat the ReWire audio from Bidule as any other audio input - you can record, sample, or loop it, and of course apply Live's effects.

If you need more audio from Bidule, just repeat steps 1-4, and select a different set of ReWire channels in step 1.

HELP! Still can't get it to work? Try the following troubleshooting tips...

• Bidule is not launching in ReWire slave mode when I start it!
  Did you remember to add the Plogue Bidule Device to the track (back in step S2)...? If you didn't, then Bidule has no way of knowing you wanted it to be a ReWire slave.
• Bidule is slaved to Live, but I hear no sound when I play an instrument in Bidule.
  Remember to arm the Monitor switch in the track, otherwise you won't be able to hear the input from Bidule.
• OSX only: I don't have Plogue Bidule Device as an option when in the Input Type chooser!
  Did you remember to copy the Plogue Bidule Engine files to your Application Support folder? In the folder in which you installed Bidule, you should find a folder named "to Application Support Folder", containing two files (Plogue Bidule Engine and Plogue Bidule Engine.bundle). Copy both of these to your /Library/Application Support/ folder, and the next time you start Live the option will be available.

But wait! There's more ReWire to come! Click here to view the same tutorial using the Tracktion sequencer, or follow this link to see what Bidule can do as a ReWire master.