petal

PETAL / SUPPORT

Find your sound.

Getting started in Ableton on Mac

  1. Quit Live, then run the Petal installer included in your purchase.
  2. Open Live's Settings or Preferences, then Plug-Ins.
  3. Enable Use VST3 Plug-In System Folders.
  4. Hold Option while clicking Rescan and wait for the scan to finish.
  5. Look under Plug-Ins → VST3 → Petal Audio → Petal.
  6. Drag Petal onto a MIDI track and arm the track.

If Petal is missing

The 0.6.0 Mac package installs VST3 in ~/Library/Audio/Plug-Ins/VST3/Petal.vst3, AU in ~/Library/Audio/Plug-Ins/Components/Petal.component, and the standalone app in ~/Applications/Petal.app. It replaces earlier Terminal-installed copies in those folders. Windows installs VST3 in C:/Program Files/Common Files/VST3/Petal.vst3. Restart Live, rescan and check the footer says v0.6.0 RC. Keep one copy per format in the folders your DAW scans.

If there is no sound

Check Live's audio output, track monitoring, MIDI input and track arm button. Select Treble for ordinary keyboard playing, or Bass when playing the bass layer. The on-screen keyboard lets you check the instrument without a hardware keyboard.

Using Orchid

Connect Orchid by USB-C, enable USB MIDI on Orchid and click Connect Orchid on Petal’s Play page. Enable the Orchid MIDI input in Live and arm the track. Use performance channel 1 and bass channel 2; leave duplicate chord output off. Turn Sound and select Bass once to receive both settings. USB patch synth renders them on the computer and retains them after disconnecting. Petal’s engine is approximate; USB does not carry Orchid audio. Key and manual BPM control Petal rather than setting Orchid’s key/BPM.

Preset files

Use Save and Load for Petal's .petal files. The factory browser has 50 chord sounds and 12 bass sounds. Choosing a sound selects the matching single-layer Input Role; Layered and Orchid split roles remain fixed. The three effect locks preserve modulation, delay and reverb settings when loading factory or saved sounds. Modulation lock covers chorus, LFOs and the modulation matrix. Ableton projects restore the complete saved state, including locks.

Need help?

Support contact will be published before purchases open.

Include your macOS version, Live version, Petal version and the exact error message. Do not send passwords, payment-card details or unrelated project files.