ConsoleMap 1.0.1 (28) User Guide

1. About ConsoleMap

ConsoleMap is a macOS app that lets you operate the main controls of UAD Console and your Apollo from a MIDI controller or the Mac keyboard, and watch the meters while you work.

The app does not process or intercept audio. It reads control values and state from UA Mixer Engine and sends control changes back according to the mappings you create.

Features

• Automatic detection of connected Apollo units and Console channels
• Learns CC and Note input from any CoreMIDI device
• Sends Mute state back to controller LEDs
• Learns Mac keyboard shortcuts
• Channel volume, pan, mute and solo
• Preamp gain, 48V, pad, phase and HPF on channels that support them
• AUX, CUE and monitor controls
• Direct MIDI and keyboard learn on TALKBACK, AUX 1/2 and CONTROL ROOM/MON masters
• Dedicated mappings for AUX 1/2 CUE 1–4
• Control room source (MONITOR, CUE 1–4) and output (MONITOR, ALT 1/2) switching
• Two-way real-time sync of insert slot power on input channels and AUX
• A live Console view laid out like UAD Console
• Tempo, sample rate and clock source changed from inside the app
• Console skins built from your own image, with extracted colours, opacity, saturation and blur
• Per-channel fader cap selection
• Channel notes, saved with the preset and readable and writable as files
• Mapping presets: save, load and revert
• Full data backup and restore
• Support email composed from inside the app
• Automatic detection of what each Apollo model supports
• English, Korean, Japanese and Simplified Chinese interface

Which channels and controls appear depends on the Apollo model you have connected and on what UAD Console exposes.

2. Before you start

You need:

• A Mac running macOS 13 or later
• UAD Console, installed and set up
• An Apollo audio interface connected to the Mac
• A CoreMIDI-compatible MIDI controller, or the Mac keyboard

Confirm that UAD Console sees your Apollo and that audio is playing before you begin.

UAD Console and UA Mixer Engine

Run UAD Console once so that your Apollo and UA Mixer Engine are ready. Whether ConsoleMap can control anything depends on the UA Mixer Engine connection, not on the UAD Console window being open.

• Without a UA Mixer Engine connection, the interface and all MIDI and keyboard control are disabled.
• The app then shows a message asking you to start UAD Console.
• Once UAD Console starts, ConsoleMap connects and enables control on its own. You do not need to restart it.
• If you quit UAD Console while working, ConsoleMap keeps running as long as UA Mixer Engine stays connected.
• If UA Mixer Engine also stops, control is disabled and the app retries the connection automatically.

3. Installing and first run

Install

1. Unzip the file you downloaded.
2. Move ConsoleMap.app to your Applications folder.
3. Run UAD Console once and confirm your Apollo is connected.
4. Launch ConsoleMap.

Notarised builds open through the normal macOS checks. If a test build that has not been notarised shows a security warning, confirm the source of the file first, then use Open Anyway in System Settings > Privacy & Security. Do not open a file whose origin you cannot confirm.

Defaults on first run

• Language: follows your macOS language
• Screen: MIDI
• MIDI mappings: volume on channels 1–8
• Keyboard mappings and presets: empty
• MIDI inputs: detected automatically
• Window size and position: saved when you quit

If you have used an app with the same bundle identifier before, your existing settings and mappings carry over. To start completely fresh, use Settings > Data > Factory Reset.

4. Checking the connection

The top of the window shows the Apollo connection state and how many MIDI inputs are connected.

Normal start-up order

1. Start UAD Console.
2. Confirm your Apollo appears in UAD Console.
3. Connect your MIDI controller.
4. Launch ConsoleMap.
5. Confirm the status at the top reads as connected.

You can also launch ConsoleMap first. While the notice is showing, starting UAD Console will connect the app and enable the controller. Closing the UAD Console window afterwards does not stop ConsoleMap, as long as Mixer Engine keeps running.

Reconnect and refresh

• Reconnect — retries the UA Mixer Engine connection.
• Rescan MIDI — searches for CoreMIDI input devices again.
• Refresh channels — rereads Apollo channels and plug-in information without dropping the connection.

Names such as IAC Driver Bus 1 come from macOS CoreMIDI. The app shows device names exactly as reported so that mappings stay identifiable.

5. The three screens

MIDI

Connects CC or Note messages from your controller to UAD Console controls.

KEYBOARD

Connects keys or key combinations to UAD Console controls.

CONSOLE

Shows your Apollo's channels as channel strips. Operate them directly, or right-click a control to learn a mapping for it.

The toolbar at the top can be folded away with the disclosure row in the middle. If you drag the top edge of the window down, faders and meters keep their size while channel names, input information and preamp controls are hidden first. Closing the window saves the current screen, size and position.

6. Creating a MIDI mapping

1. Choose MIDI at the top.
2. Press Add MIDI Mapping.
3. Type a name.
4. Choose the MIDI input device.
5. Set the message type, channel and number, or press MIDI Learn.
6. Choose the target Apollo channel and control.
7. For continuous controls, set the control mode and sensitivity.
8. Move the hardware control and confirm UAD Console responds.

MIDI Learn

1. Press the learn button on the mapping row.
2. When it turns red, move the knob, fader or button you want.
3. Learning ends as soon as input arrives.
4. Press Esc to cancel.

If the same MIDI input is used by more than one mapping, a warning appears. Use Mappings > Check Duplicates in the menu bar to review them all.

Reordering

Drag the handle at the left of a mapping row. The order changes once, when you drop it.

Deleting

Use the trash button at the right of the row. Save a preset or a backup first if the configuration matters.

7. MIDI control modes

The control mode decides how values from continuous knobs, faders and endless encoders are interpreted. It does not apply to on/off buttons such as Mute.

Absolute (pickup)

The hardware control has to pass through the current UAD Console value before it takes over. This avoids sudden jumps and is the recommended mode for ordinary knobs and faders.

Absolute (immediate)

Applies the hardware position straight away. Faster, but the current value can jump.

Relative (two's complement)

For endless encoders that send two's complement values.

• 1–63 — increase
• 65–127 — decrease
• 0 or 64 — no change

A device that sends 1 clockwise and 127 counter-clockwise is the typical case.

Relative (centre 64)

For endless encoders that send an offset from 64.

• 65–127 — increase
• 0–63 — decrease
• 64 — no change

Choosing a mode

If you are not sure which format your encoder uses, try both relative modes and keep the one where direction and speed behave correctly.

Sensitivity

How much the value changes per encoder tick. If your device feels too fast or too slow, try values such as 1 or 0.1.

8. Button behaviour

Toggle

Each press switches between on and off. Suits mute, solo and 48V.

While held

On only while the button is held. Suits talkback and other momentary functions.

Mute LED feedback

Map Mute to a MIDI button and the same mapping is used for LED feedback, with nothing else to set up.

• Turning Mute on, in UAD Console or in ConsoleMap, sends value 127 on the same Note or CC.
• Turning it off sends 0.
• Works for input channel Mute, AUX 1/2 Mute and Monitor Mute.
• Reconnecting the MIDI device resends the current state.

Your controller needs a MIDI output port and external LED control. Some devices use dedicated messages, different numbers or SysEx, in which case generic feedback will not reach them.

9. Keyboard mappings

1. Choose KEYBOARD at the top.
2. Press Add Keyboard Mapping.
3. Choose the target Apollo channel and control.
4. Press the key learn button.
5. Press the key or combination you want.
6. Set the direction and step if the control needs them.

Global keyboard mappings

Turn on Settings > Keyboard > Global keyboard mapping to keep your shortcuts working while another app is in front. This needs the macOS Accessibility permission.

The permission prompt appears only once. If you dismissed it, use the Open Accessibility Settings button on the same screen to go straight to the right pane. The status updates by itself when you come back to the app.

With the global option off, keyboard mappings work only while ConsoleMap is in front. Either way, UA Mixer Engine has to be connected.

Choosing keys for global shortcuts

A global shortcut still reaches the app in front of you, so the key you choose matters.

• F13–F19 are the best choice. Nothing types them, and neither macOS nor the usual DAWs assign them by default, so passing them along does no harm. They need no modifier, which suits held actions such as talkback. A footswitch that can send F13 and above lets you work talkback with your foot.
• If you prefer a combination, ⌃⌥ (Control+Option) is the emptiest range.
• Do not claim a bare letter or Space globally. It will interfere with typing in every other app. Use those with the global option off, inside the app only.

10. The Console screen

The Console screen shows only the channels and features found on the connected Apollo.

Input channel strips

• Channel and hardware input name
• Output destination
• Input type: MIC, LINE, VIRTUAL and so on
• Preamp or line input controls
• Insert plug-ins
• Pan, mute, solo
• Fader and digital dB readout
• AUX 1/2 and any CUE 1–4 sends found on the device
• The MIDI and keyboard mappings currently attached

Line and virtual channels without a preamp do not show 48V, pad and similar controls.

AUX 1, AUX 2, MON

AUX 1, AUX 2 and MON stay pinned to the right. Narrowing the window hides input channels first; scroll horizontally to reach them.

The PRE/POST and MONO/MUTE buttons for AUX 1/2 sit in two rows directly under each channel's INSERTS. The fader and meter start below that panel, and the digital dB readout and channel name stay at the bottom.

The MON area is two aligned channels with separate names at the bottom. The left CONTROL ROOM channel holds ALT 1 TRIM, DIM AMOUNT, DIM, SOURCE, OUTPUT, MONO, MUTE and MONITOR CORRECTION; the right MON channel holds the L/R meters and the MONITOR volume knob. MONITOR CORRECTION is not a plain button but a pair of state panels, HEADPHONES and MAIN MON. On devices that support it, pressing a panel switches that correction between IN and BYPASS, and changes made in UAD Console appear here in real time.

Section buttons

• AUX — show the A1/A2 send row on input channels
• CUE — show the C1/C2 send row on input channels
• INSERTS — show the plug-in slot row on input channels
• MAPPING — show the mapping area under each channel

Turning INSERTS off also removes the empty space it occupied, and the fader area grows upward. AUX 1, AUX 2 and MON are unaffected.

Follow Console visibility

When on, only channels that are in use, enabled and not hidden in UAD Console are shown.

Channel order and hiding

Drag the handle at the bottom of a channel left or right to reorder. The eye icon hides a channel inside ConsoleMap only; hidden channels can be brought back from the visibility menu.

TALKBACK, AUX 1, AUX 2 and MON can be reordered and hidden the same way. Hidden masters come back from the Hidden menu at the top.

The folded state and the master order and visibility survive a restart. For a smaller footprint, see Compact mode below.

Mapping from the Console screen

Right-click pan, mute, solo, a fader or a supported preamp button to get the MIDI and keyboard learn menu. The faders, knobs and buttons of TALKBACK, AUX 1/2 and CONTROL ROOM/MON, and AUX master CUE 1–4, all learn the same way. Press Esc while waiting to cancel.

The control room SOURCE (MONITOR, CUE 1–4) and OUTPUT (MONITOR, ALT 1/2) buttons can be mapped as well. These behave as radio buttons: pressing one switches to that source or output, and pressing it again does not switch it off. Map OUTPUT MONITOR too, or you will have no way back once a mapping moves you to an ALT.

Controls with nothing to change offer no mapping menu. The AUX insert row, for example, is monitor-only, so there is no REC/MON to switch.

Pan and fader handling

• A pan knob moves relative to its current position as you drag left or right.
• Option-click a pan knob to return it to centre.
• Option-click a normal, linked or AUX fader to send it to 0.0 dB.
• The LOCK switch above a fader blocks mouse, MIDI and keyboard control of that fader. The left LED means unlocked, the orange right LED means locked, and values changed in UAD Console still show. Meters start below the LOCK area so they never overlap it.
• A linked channel locks both L and R with one switch. The MON master volume knob has neither fader LOCK nor Option-click.

Monitor and talkback controls

The left MON column follows your UAD Console control room layout and shows ALT 1 TRIM, DIM AMOUNT, DIM, SOURCE, OUTPUT, MONO, MUTE and MONITOR CORRECTION. Talkback appears as its own strip to the left of AUX 1, with insert slots, UAD REC/MON/INS, AUX 1/2 and any CUE 1–4 sends found on the device, TALK, TALKBACK TO MONITOR, a level fader and a meter. AUX and CUE sends are enabled only where a real path was found on the connected Apollo.

The VU meter at the top right sits between CONTROL ROOM and MON and shows monitor L/R level on a red needle. The default reference is 0 VU = -18 dBFS with +3 VU = -15 dBFS, using VU ballistics of 300 ms to 90 % rising and 300 ms to 10 % falling. Left-click fades its lamp on or off over about 0.2 seconds. The right-click menu selects the input — L/R AVG, L, R or L/R MAX — and the reference, 0 VU = -18 dBFS or -20 dBFS. All three choices survive a restart.

• Every value and button subscribes to the real device property in UA Mixer Engine, so changes made in UAD Console appear here.
• Values you change in ConsoleMap are sent to the same device properties.
• What is supported is decided from the properties the connected device reports, with the model used only as a fallback.
• On older Apollos without talkback, ALT 1 trim or monitor correction, those areas stay in place but appear dimmed and cannot be operated.

Insert power, both ways

Click a plug-in slot on an input channel or on AUX 1/2 to switch that insert's power.

• Changing power in UAD Console updates the slot here immediately.
• Clicking a slot here changes power in UAD Console.
• Power state syncs on change events rather than by polling every channel.
• A powered-off plug-in appears as a dim slot with an italic name.

If you insert a new plug-in or swap one for another and the list does not update, use Refresh channels at the top. Power on and off needs no refresh.

Compact mode

A reduced layout for narrow screens. Turn it on and off with the Compact Mode checkbox at the bottom.

Narrowing the window horizontally switches it on by itself, so the master strips are never pushed off screen. Switching it off is done from the checkbox only.

Compact shows just the input channels you picked. Choose them in Settings → Compact Mode Channels. The list can be filtered by Show Active Channels Only or Show All Channels.

Press a channel's INPUT, INSERTS or SENDS header to float that body over the strip. Only one opens at a time — pressing SENDS while INSERTS is open closes INSERTS. The header that is currently open is tinted.

The INPUT body holds preamp gain (TRIM on line inputs), the +4dBu / −10dBV line reference level, 48V, PAD, phase invert and low cut.

The A C I M buttons at the bottom show and hide the AUX, CUE, INSERTS and MAPPING rows. They share their setting with the buttons of the same name in the full layout, so turning one off turns it off in both. The eye icon to their left toggles all four at once.

The window height follows the compact layout. Turning the mapping row off with M makes the window shorter by that much. While compact is switched on and off the window keeps its top left corner and grows or shrinks to the right and downwards.

Fader lock

The padlock above a fader locks it. A locked fader will not move from a mouse drag, from MIDI, or from the keyboard.

It is available on input channel volume faders and on the AUX 1 and AUX 2 master faders. The lock is saved per channel and survives a restart.

Use it on channels that must not be touched by accident during a take, or when a controller fader overlaps a channel you want to leave alone. A mapping pointed at a locked fader is silently ignored; every other mapping keeps working.

Fader caps

Right-click a channel and open Fader Cap to choose a shape. The choice is saved per channel, and the default is Silver. The fader cap menu is separate from the learn menus so it does not get in the way while mapping.

Channel notes

Right-click empty space or a channel and choose Add Note to stick a notepad to it — mic position, preamp settings, takes to revisit, whatever the session needs.

• Notes can be moved, resized and minimised. Fold one away when it is in the way and open it again later.
• The buttons at the top of a note save it to a file or load one back, which is how you carry notes between sessions.
• Clicking outside a note ends text editing.
• Notes are saved with the preset. Recalling a session brings its notes back with it.

Sticker labels are hidden in this version. Label positions drifted when the window was resized or sections were expanded, so the feature stays out of the way until that is fixed. Labels you made in an earlier version are not deleted and will return when the feature does.

Meters and peak hold

Mono channels use a single meter, linked stereo channels a split L/R pair. Separately from the current signal, a peak bar holds the colour it reached and then decays. The monitor channel shows L/R meters and the monitor volume knob together.

The monitor summary

A summary of the monitor state sits above the MON column. The header shows the current SOURCE and OUTPUT, and below it come the L/R levels, balance, peak hold and headroom.

Turning on DIM, MONO or MUTE adds a badge to the right of the header. The SOURCE and OUTPUT labels stay spelled out alongside the badges, and shorten to SRC and OUT only when the window is too narrow to fit all three badges as well.

When the window is short, the balance and peak hold rows are dropped and only the header and levels remain.

The system status panel

Below the monitor summary, TEMPO, the sample rate and the clock source sit in one row, with the DSP, PGM and MEM load beneath them. The values track UAD Console in real time.

Each of the three cells is a button. Click anywhere in a cell and a panel opens below it. Click outside it or press Esc to close.

• TEMPO — type a value, or tap TAP in time. Each tap is sent as it happens, so you can set it by ear.
• Sample rate — only the rates your connected unit supports are listed. A dot marks the current one.
• Clock source — only the sources the unit reports, such as INTERNAL or WORD CLOCK.

Each list is as wide as the button it drops from. When the window is narrow enough that an entry would not fit, that entry alone is drawn smaller.

A cell whose value has not been read yet cannot be clicked. Right after connecting, wait a moment or use Refresh Display Information.

Changing the sample rate or clock source during playback or recording interrupts the audio, exactly as it does when you change it in UAD Console.

When the window is short, the three load rows collapse into a single summary line.

11. Presets

Saving a new preset

1. Type a preset name.
2. Press Save Current Mappings.
3. Confirm the name appears in the list.

Updating an existing preset

Select the preset, leave the name field empty and press Save Current Mappings.

Loading

Selecting a preset asks for confirmation before it replaces your current mappings.

Reverting

If a learn or an edit went wrong, use Presets > Revert to Preset. Your mappings return to the preset you last loaded or saved.

Deleting

Use the trash button next to the preset selector. The mappings on screen are not deleted.

12. Backup and restore

Settings > Data, or the Presets menu, offers:

• Export backup — save MIDI mappings, keyboard mappings and presets as one JSON file
• Import backup — restore a backup you exported earlier
• Restore latest automatic backup — restore the most recent recovery snapshot
• Open data folder — reveal where the app keeps its data
• Factory reset — clear mappings, presets, automatic backups and display settings

A factory reset cannot be undone. Export a backup first if anything matters.

13. Settings

General

• Interface language
• Screen shown at launch
• Always on top
• Launch at login

Changing the language relaunches the app. Without an explicit choice, the app follows your macOS language.

Console

• Fold the toolbar
• Follow UAD Console channel visibility
• Auto-align channels to the available space
• Refresh Display Information
• Channel width

Skin

• Turn a custom image skin on or off
• Choose an image and copy it into the app's skin folder
• Apply or delete saved images from My Skins
• Show or hide the background image per saved skin
• Reveal the selected skin in Finder
• Adjust image opacity, saturation and blur
• Review the up to eight colours extracted from the image

2048×1536 is a good size, and staying under 10 MB keeps things smooth; the app accepts up to 40 MB. The image runs as a continuous background behind the visible input channels, AUX 1/2 and MON, and the extracted colours are applied to channel names, input types, routing and panel surfaces. Meters and digital readouts keep their own dark surface so they stay legible.

Keyboard

• Enable global keyboard mapping
• Accessibility permission status, with a button to open the system pane

Help

• Tooltip delay

Devices and diagnostics

• Review connected MIDI inputs and Apollo units
• Rescan MIDI
• Reconnect UAD
• Refresh channels
• Copy diagnostic information for support

MIDI device and Apollo names appear exactly as macOS, the driver or UAD Console reports them.

14. What the free version includes

ConsoleMap comes two ways. The limits are the same in both.

• App Store — download free, then unlock the full version with an in-app purchase.
• Direct download demo (ConsoleMap DEMO) — a build for trying it before buying. A DEMO VERSION marker appears at the right of the disclosure bar.

There are two limits — the number of mappings, and the appearance features. Nothing expires.

Once you reach the mapping limit the add-mapping button greys out and the reason appears beside it. In the App Store version it also says where to buy: Up to 5 mappings. Settings (⌘,) → Purchase. Mappings you already made stay in the list; the ones past the limit simply do not run. Delete one and the slot opens up again.

Skins, fader caps and channel notes are switched off until you buy. They stay visible rather than disappearing, so you can see what the full version adds. Anything you already made is left as it is — the lock only stops you from creating something new.

Three keyboard mappings, for example, leaves room for two MIDI mappings.

Connection, channel display and metering are never limited. You should be able to confirm the app works with your own Apollo before paying for it.

At the limit, the add button is disabled and a note appears beside it. Learning by right-click on the Console screen tells you the same thing.

Buying and restoring (App Store)

Settings > Purchase holds the purchase. It is a one-time purchase, not a subscription.

• The limit lifts immediately, without restarting the app.
• The purchase works on your other Macs signed in to the same Apple Account.
• Deleting and reinstalling usually unlocks by itself. If it does not, press Restore Purchases.
• Apple handles the payment. The developer never receives your payment details.

If the connection drops or the App Store check fails, the app keeps the last confirmed purchase state, so you will not be locked out in the middle of a session.

Mappings and presets made while free are kept. Anything made in the direct download demo can be moved across with an exported backup.

15. Troubleshooting

Apollo does not connect

1. Check that UAD Console is running.
2. Check that UAD Console sees your Apollo.
3. Press Reconnect.
4. If it still fails, restart UAD Console and then the app.

After quitting UAD Console

ConsoleMap keeps working as long as UA Mixer Engine stays connected. If control is disabled, Mixer Engine has stopped or the connection dropped. Starting UAD Console again reconnects and restores control.

If UA Mixer Engine stops responding for a while, ConsoleMap closes the connection and retries at increasing intervals. It closes the connection cleanly when the Mac sleeps and reconnects a moment after it wakes.

MIDI device not listed

1. Check the USB or MIDI cable.
2. Look for the device in Audio MIDI Setup.
3. Press Rescan MIDI.
4. Check that no other app has taken exclusive use of the device.

MIDI Learn will not start or cancel

1. Check that the learn button is red.
2. Move the control once.
3. Press Esc to cancel.
4. Rescan MIDI and try again.

A value jumps when I touch a control

Set the mapping's control mode to Absolute (pickup). For an endless encoder, choose the relative mode that matches what the device sends.

Mute works but the button LED does not light

1. Check that your controller supports external MIDI LED feedback.
2. Run Rescan MIDI.
3. Check that the Mute mapping's message type, channel and number match what the button uses.
4. If it still does not work, check the controller's MIDI implementation chart. Devices that need dedicated SysEx or a separate output number are not compatible with generic feedback.

The skin image does not appear

1. Check that custom image skins are on in Settings > Skin.
2. Select the image again in My Skins.
3. Check that opacity is not too low and blur not too high.
4. Use Reveal in Finder to confirm the file is still there.

Console channels are missing

1. Check Follow Console visibility.
2. Check the list of channels you hid.
3. Run Refresh channels.
4. Check that the channel is enabled in UAD Console.

UAD Console meters move but there is no sound

This app does not sit in the audio path. Check the MON level, MUTE/DIM, output routing, speakers and cabling in UAD Console.

Getting support

The report button to the right of the screen selector composes a support email to consolemap.support@gmail.com. You can review the diagnostic information before it is sent. You can also run Settings > Diagnostics > Copy diagnostic information and send that along with:

• Your Mac and macOS version
• Apollo model
• UAD Console version
• MIDI controller model
• Which screen the problem happened on and how to reproduce it
• A screenshot, if you have one

16. Safety and trademarks

• Check that your microphone and equipment support 48V phantom power before switching it on.
• When mapping a control that can cause a large level change, test it with the monitor level down.
• UAD, Apollo and UAD Console are trademarks of Universal Audio, Inc.
• ConsoleMap is an independent app and is not an official Universal Audio product.