fender-studio-mcp

An unofficial Model Context Protocol server and a small set of audio-to-MIDI workflows for turning rehearsal recordings into the first draft of a demo in Fender Studio Pro / PreSonus Studio One.

Unofficial project. This project is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or supported by Fender, PreSonus, or their affiliates. Fender Studio Pro and Studio One are trademarks of their respective owners.

The MCP server provides transport, Mackie Control Universal (MCU) mixer control, command discovery, shortcuts, and macro-file generation. The included agent skills document a practical workflow for extracting a drum sketch or a hummed melody to MIDI before arranging it in the DAW.

What this repository includes

• src/studio_pro_mcp/ — the Python MCP server.

• studio-one-devices/ — an optional Studio One control-surface definition.

• skills/transcribe-drums/ — an agent workflow for rehearsal drums to MIDI.

• skills/transcribe-hummed-melody/ — an agent workflow for hummed melody to MIDI.

• docs/AUDIO_TRANSCRIPTION.md — dependency choices, limitations, and a repeatable review process.

No songs, recordings, MIDI performances, plug-in databases, key-scheme exports, credentials, or model weights are included.

Related MCP server: openDAW MCP

MCP functions and commands

The default server exposes 49 MCP tools: 9 transport tools, 11 mixer tools, 23 shortcut-based editing tools, 2 plug-in/macro tools, and 4 command catalog tools. The tables below list the tools implemented in this repository. Availability in the catalog does not mean every action has been verified on every DAW version.

Transport — 9 tools

These send MCU MIDI commands. All take an empty argument object: {}.

Mixer — 11 tools

channel is a zero-based MCU strip index (0–7) in the current bank, not a track name or a persistent song-track ID. mixer_set_fader also accepts "master". Fader level is a 0–100 position, not a dB value.

Mixer readback has limits: faders use DAW feedback when available, otherwise the last value sent. Mute, solo, and record-arm values are assumed from sent commands. The bank counter does not establish which tracks the DAW is actually showing. Verify the target bank and the result in the DAW before relying on these values. A zero pan tick is not a verified reset-to-center operation.

Track, event, and session editing — 23 tools

These tools send keyboard shortcuts and act on the current DAW selection and focus. All take {}. Their outcome depends on the active view, shortcut bindings, and dialogs; an OK response confirms dispatch, not the final edit.

Track duplication, Save As, and Go to End did not perform their intended actions in the local Studio Pro 8.2 check with the then-current mappings. Check your bindings before using them. The mono, instrument, and bus creation actions need assigned shortcuts if none exist in your exported scheme.

Plug-ins and macro files — 2 tools

Generating an insert macro only writes the file. Reload macros in the DAW, select the intended channel, and run the generated macro from the MCP group in the macro toolbar or through an assigned shortcut. This server does not provide direct editing of an instrument's internal drum kit or plug-in parameters.

DAW command discovery and execution — 4 tools

The catalog is generated per installation, so its command count depends on your DAW and installed macros. Exact case-insensitive names and unique partial matches are supported; ambiguous partial matches return candidates. On macOS, assign a shortcut to commands that do not have one. Windows command-palette search can select an unintended result, so prefer explicit shortcut bindings.

Example MCP calls

These are tool names and argument objects to pass through an MCP client, not shell commands. First export a .keyscheme from the DAW's keyboard shortcut preferences, then generate and inspect its catalog:

{"name": "studio_one_generate_command_catalog", "arguments": {"path": "/absolute/path/to/MyShortcuts.keyscheme"}}
{"name": "studio_one_list_commands", "arguments": {"filter": "Quantize"}}
{"name": "auto_list_plugins", "arguments": {"category": "AudioEffect"}}

With the intended song, selection, and MCU bank confirmed, examples of actions are:

{"name": "transport_play", "arguments": {}}
{"name": "transport_stop", "arguments": {}}
{"name": "mixer_set_fader", "arguments": {"channel": 0, "level": 60}}
{"name": "auto_quantize", "arguments": {}}

The current public server has no dedicated tools for reading all MIDI notes, writing note-by-note arrangements, or importing a MIDI file. Importing a transcription uses the DAW's normal import workflow or a separately installed integration.

Quick start

Requirements: Python 3.10+, Fender Studio Pro or PreSonus Studio One, and a local MCP client.

git clone https://github.com/maaatheeew/fender-studio-mcp.git
cd fender-studio-mcp
python -m venv .venv
.venv/bin/pip install -e ".[dev]"

Register the server with an MCP client:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "fender-studio": {
      "command": "/absolute/path/to/fender-studio-mcp/.venv/bin/fender-studio-mcp"
    }
  }
}

On Windows, use .venv\\Scripts\\fender-studio-mcp.exe instead.

MCU setup

On macOS/Linux the server creates virtual MIDI ports called StudioPro-MCU. On Windows, create matching loopback ports before starting the server. The server opens MIDI ports at startup, even when you only intend to use shortcuts. Add a Mackie Control Universal external device in Studio Pro / Studio One with the server's output as Receive From and its input as Send To for feedback. This connection is needed for the transport and mixer tools.

Shortcuts and macOS accessibility

Some commands use the DAW's keyboard shortcuts. On macOS, grant Accessibility permission to the app that launches the MCP server. Exporting your own .keyscheme and running python -m studio_pro_mcp.keyscheme makes the server prefer your actual bindings over its fallback mapping.

Keyboard automation changes the foreground DAW. Review a command before running it, keep a saved version of valuable sessions, and do not expose an HTTP instance beyond localhost.

Server CLI commands

Run these from an activated virtual environment, or use the full path to the installed executable:

fender-studio-mcp --help
fender-studio-mcp --version
fender-studio-mcp --list-ports
fender-studio-mcp --transport stdio --port-name StudioPro-MCU
fender-studio-mcp --transport http --http-host 127.0.0.1 --http-port 8765

stdio is the default transport; HTTP serves /mcp. Additional options are --message-delay SECONDS (default 0.02), --debug, and --no-automation. The last option removes the 23 shortcut-based editing tools from the catalog; command execution and Save New Version remain available and can still send keystrokes. It is not a global switch disabling keyboard access.

Music skills: audio recognition and transcription

The two included skills are Markdown workflows for an assistant. They explain how to use separately installed audio tools, review their output, and prepare MIDI for a demo. They do not add audio-recognition tools to the MCP server, install models, or execute transcription on their own.

Drum recognition

The drum workflow covers five broad classes: kick, snare, tom, hi-hat, and cymbal. It includes comparing stem and full-mix results, removing duplicate hits, confirming the song tempo before quantization, and turning repeated grooves into named clips. Velocity is estimated; specific tom pitches, hi-hat openness, cymbal types, ghost notes, and articulations need review.

Example request to an assistant:

Read skills/transcribe-drums/SKILL.md and use it to make a drum MIDI draft from my rehearsal video. Keep a source-timing version, then prepare a separate 120 BPM version with the main grooves in named clips.

Notes from singing, humming, or whistling

The melody workflow works toward a usable note sketch from a clean solo take. It includes removing breath/noise detections, joining fragmented sustained notes, aligning the phrase, and reviewing pitches against the supplied key and chords. Note detection still needs musical review for intended pitch, rhythm, phrasing, and octave.

Example request to an assistant:

Read skills/transcribe-hummed-melody/SKILL.md and turn my hummed recording into a MIDI melody. Preserve the raw result, check octave jumps, and keep the original phrasing before quantizing anything.

To use either workflow, ask your assistant to read the linked SKILL.md and provide the source recording and tempo/key when known. Install the external tools separately according to their own documentation. The recognition steps run locally when configured that way; they are separate from DAW control. See audio transcription notes for dependencies and review guidance.

From rehearsal to demo

The transcription skills deliberately produce a draft, not a claimed ground-truth performance. A useful sequence is:

1. Export a WAV from the rehearsal recording.

2. Isolate drums (when needed), transcribe them to a five-class MIDI sketch, then correct tempo, bar alignment, and impossible hits.

3. Record a clean hum or whistle, convert its pitch contour to MIDI, and check it against the song's key and chords.

4. Import reviewed MIDI into Studio Pro / Studio One and arrange named clips.

See audio transcription notes and the two skills in skills/.

Development

pytest
ruff check src tests
mypy src

The test suite is self-contained: it must not read an installed DAW profile, plug-in cache, or a real song.

Credits and related projects

This project builds on and is grateful to:

• tiwadara/StudioOneMcp, the original MIT-licensed Studio One MCP foundation.

• pajdarova/FenderStudioProMCP, the MIT-licensed Fender Studio Pro fork that this codebase derives from.

• xavriley/ADTOF-pytorch and the ADTOF research project, suggested as an external drum-transcription engine.

• facebookresearch/demucs, suggested for optional source separation.

• spotify/basic-pitch, suggested for hummed-melody transcription.

The external projects above are not bundled here. Their licences, model terms, and installation instructions apply independently.

Contributing

Contributions are welcome: bug reports, platform testing, safer command dispatch, documentation, and better transcription-review workflows are all useful. Please read CONTRIBUTING.md, add tests for code changes, and avoid committing recordings, exported DAW settings, credentials, or copyrighted reference material.

License

MIT — see LICENSE. Upstream copyright notices are retained.