smaRTPath

What it is

smaRTPath makes network MIDI (RTP-MIDI/AppleMIDI) just work. Open the app, see every RTP-MIDI device and session on your network, click Connect, and it appears as a MIDI port in every app on your Mac — no Audio MIDI Setup, no initiator/responder configuration, no vendor tools. When a connection fails, it tells you what went wrong and who (if anyone) is occupying the seat.

Requirements

• macOS
• A network (Wi-Fi or Ethernet) shared with the RTP-MIDI devices or computers you want to connect to
• Discovery uses Bonjour; no manual IP entry needed for devices found on the network

Install & first run

1. Download smaRTPath from the Mac App Store.
2. Open smaRTPath. It lives in the menu bar.
3. Every RTP-MIDI device and session on the network appears within seconds, each with a status dot showing its true state.
4. Click Connect on a device — it becomes a MIDI port in every app on your Mac.
5. To let other gear connect to you, use "Let devices connect to me" to create a named session, then set your hardware's port to Initiator once (a guided flow with pictures is provided for common boxes). After that, the gear reconnects itself at power-up.
6. Save a working setup as a preset, and mark one "apply on launch" so plugging in and opening the app restores your whole arrangement.

Common questions

What is the green dot?

smaRTPath's status indicator: green means the connection is working. The menu-bar icon shows the worst state across all your devices and sessions, so a glance tells you whether the rig is up.

Do I need to configure Audio MIDI Setup?

No. smaRTPath replaces that workflow entirely — connections are made from within the app.

Can two things use the same device seat?

No — if a seat is already occupied, smaRTPath tells you who is occupying it rather than silently failing.

Does it work with devices that lose network discovery?

Yes. smaRTPath remembers the last known address for a saved connection, and if a device drops out of discovery it will reconnect using that stored address, flagging that it did so.

Troubleshooting

A device won't connect. Check the status text next to the device — smaRTPath reports a plain-English reason (for example, the invitation was rejected, or the connection timed out) rather than just failing silently.

The status dot shows amber/unstable ("sync unstable"). This means one sync check was missed — the connection is degraded, not dead. It typically recovers automatically on the next successful check; if it doesn't, the connection will show as lost and prompt a reconnect.

A device seems to be occupied by something else. smaRTPath names who is occupying the seat. Free it from the occupying app/session, or connect a different route.

A saved connection was renamed on the network and won't reconnect. smaRTPath can auto-detect a confident match (same host/port under a new name) and will adopt the new name automatically, showing "renamed from '<old name>'."

Known limitations

• Windows support is not available in this release (macOS only).
• The routing matrix / crosspoint editing that Pathfinder offers is not part of smaRTPath — smaRTPath is focused on connecting, not routing.
• Some vendor devices (e.g., mio boxes) still require a manual configuration step for advanced setup; this is expected to be reduced in a future update but is not yet automatic.
• Bluetooth is not a supported transport for RTP-MIDI connections in this app.

Still stuck?

Email [email protected] with "smaRTPath" and your app version.