What it does
Gig Performer Pro is a live plugin host for musicians building performance rigs on Windows or macOS. Connect instruments and effects with visual wiring, create custom control panels, and organise sounds into rackspaces, songs and setlists.
Build a rig around your plugins
A rackspace holds a group of connected plugins and the controls used to play them. Variations recall different control settings within that rackspace, so a song can move between sounds without rebuilding the whole chain. Songs and song parts then put those sounds in performance order.
- Visual routing: Connect audio and MIDI between instruments, effects, hardware inputs and outputs. Activity indicators help trace the signal path.
- Custom front panels: Add knobs, sliders, buttons and meters, then map them to plugin parameters and MIDI controllers.
- Shared processing: Use a Global Rackspace for instruments or effects that need to remain available across other rackspaces.
- Sound changes: Patch Persist can keep held notes sounding during a rackspace change. Configurable audio tails help manage effects transitions.
- Rig Manager: Maintain controller mappings for different hardware setups instead of rebuilding each performance file.
- Performance tools: Play audio and MIDI files, arrange setlists and automate actions from the timeline. Pro also supports audio and MIDI recording and Ableton Link.
Pro, Essentials and licensing
This entry covers Gig Performer Pro, the paid full edition. Gig Performer Essentials is a separate, simpler edition that also includes visual wiring, rackspaces, panels and setlists. Pro adds features such as Rig Manager, controller feedback, recording, Ableton Link and the fuller timeline action set. Compare the editions against your actual rig before buying.
Pro uses a perpetual licence, with separate Windows and macOS purchases or a combined Mac + Windows bundle. A single-platform licence allows up to five activations on that platform. The combined bundle allows up to five on each.
The 14-day trial includes occasional deliberate audio dropouts and a brief red screen flash. Use it to evaluate the setup before relying on it for a performance.
Compatibility and practical limits
Gig Performer Pro is a 64-bit Windows/macOS application. It hosts VST and VST3 plugins, plus AU on macOS. Compatible 64-bit plugins are required. Mac downloads include support for Intel and Apple Silicon.
Allow time to scan plugins, wire the rig, map controllers and rehearse sound changes. A host does not remove the CPU, memory, driver or licence requirements of the instruments and effects loaded inside it. Check that the plugins needed by a shared gig file exist on the destination computer.
Alternatives to Gig Performer Pro
- Cantabile — official site: A close alternative for Windows musicians who want a dedicated live VST host with reusable racks, MIDI routing and song switching. Compare its editions for the performance features you need.
- Ableton Live: Consider Live when the show depends on launching clips, recording or arranging backing material alongside instruments and effects. Its Session View provides a different performance workflow from Gig Performer's rackspaces.
Product views
The hero is generated editorial artwork incorporating a genuine panel view and the official product icon. These developer-supplied screenshots illustrate panel design and hardware mapping. They are not a hands-on test.
Check the Pro feature list, licensing options and FAQ for current edition and compatibility details.