Pro Tools users looking to simplify the process of taking hands-on control of plugins in their DAW were dropped something of a no-brainer by reFuse Audio in November. A standalone application, Mulligan works as an interfacing intermediary between any MIDI controller hardware and Pro Tools, instantly mapping to the knobs and buttons of the former with just a single click, then showing the plugin parameters under their control in a contextual ‘heads-up display’.

Any number of eight-knob pages can be navigated; Pro Tools’ ‘Plug-In Map Controls’ panel enables reconfiguration of the automatically-made assignments; and Mulligan can also link buttons on the connected controller to the Pro Tools transport and various plugin navigation functions. It’s all wonderfully straightforward, as this sort of utility always should be, of course.