Ardour MCP Server

A Model Context Protocol (MCP) server that provides programmatic control over Ardour DAW through OSC (Open Sound Control). This server enables AI-assisted music production workflows by allowing external applications to control Ardour sessions, tracks, transport, and more.

Features

Session Management

• Get session information (name, tempo, time signature, track count)
• Save sessions
• Transport control (play, stop, record, locate)

Track Operations

• Create audio and MIDI tracks
• Get track information (name, volume, mute, solo status)
• Set track properties (name, volume, mute, solo, record enable)

Transport Control

• Start/stop playback and recording
• Set tempo
• Jump to specific time positions
• Get transport state information

Recording

• Enable/disable recording on tracks
• Start recording with transport

Prerequisites

• Ardour DAW (version 5.0 or later) installed and running
• Python 3.10+
• UV package manager (recommended) or pip

Installation

1. Clone or Download

If you have this as a git repository:

git clone <repository-url>
cd ardour-mcp

2. Install Dependencies

Using UV (recommended):

uv sync

Using pip:

pip install -e .

3. Configure Ardour OSC

1. Open Ardour

2. Go to Edit → Preferences (or Ardour → Preferences on macOS)

3. Navigate to Control Surfaces

4. Enable Open Sound Control (OSC)

5. Click Show Protocol Settings

6. Configure the following settings:

   • OSC Server Port: 3819 (default)
   • Reply Port: 9000 (or any available port)
   • Bank Size: 0 (for unlimited)
   • Send Page Size: 0
   • Plugin Page Size: 0
   • Gain Mode: dB
   • Debug Mode: Enable for troubleshooting (optional)

7. Click OK and restart Ardour

Usage

Running the MCP Server

Using UV:

uv run MCP_Server/server.py

Using Python directly:

python -m MCP_Server.server

Adding to Cline MCP Configuration

Add the following entry to your cline_mcp_settings.json:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "github.com/snakkrz/ardour-mcp": {
      "command": "uv",
      "args": [
        "run",
        "--directory",
        "/home/snakkrz/Code/Projects/ardour-mcp",
        "MCP_Server/server.py"
      ],
      "disabled": false,
      "autoApprove": []
    }
  }
}

Available Tools

Session Information

• get_session_info() - Get current session details
• get_transport_info() - Get transport state
• save_session() - Save the current session

Transport Control

• start_playback() - Start playing
• stop_playback() - Stop playing
• start_recording() - Start recording
• set_tempo(tempo) - Set session tempo in BPM
• goto_position(position) - Jump to time position in seconds

Track Management

• get_track_info(track_index) - Get track information
• create_track(track_type, name) - Create new audio/MIDI track
• set_track_name(track_index, name) - Rename track
• set_track_volume(track_index, volume) - Set track volume (0.0-1.0)
• set_track_mute(track_index, mute) - Mute/unmute track
• set_track_solo(track_index, solo) - Solo/unsolo track
• record_enable(track_index, enable) - Enable/disable recording

Example Usage

# Get session information
session_info = get_session_info()

# Create a new MIDI track
create_track("midi", "Lead Synth")

# Set tempo to 128 BPM
set_tempo(128.0)

# Start playback
start_playback()

# Create and configure an audio track
create_track("audio", "Vocals")
set_track_volume(2, 0.8)  # Set track 2 volume to 80%
record_enable(2, True)    # Enable recording on track 2

# Start recording
start_recording()

Troubleshooting

Connection Issues

1. "Could not connect to Ardour"

   • Ensure Ardour is running
   • Verify OSC is enabled in Ardour preferences
   • Check that port 3819 is not blocked by firewall
   • Try restarting Ardour after enabling OSC

2. "OSC communication error"

   • Verify Ardour OSC settings match server configuration
   • Check Ardour's OSC debug output for error messages
   • Ensure no other applications are using the OSC ports

3. "No response from Ardour"

   • Increase timeout values in the server code
   • Check Ardour's OSC feedback settings
   • Verify the receive port (9000) is available

Debugging

Enable debug logging by setting the log level:

logging.getLogger("ArdourMCPServer").setLevel(logging.DEBUG)

Check Ardour's OSC debug output in the application logs or console.

Architecture

The server uses OSC (Open Sound Control) to communicate with Ardour:

• OSC Client: Sends commands to Ardour (port 3819)
• OSC Server: Receives feedback from Ardour (port 9000)
• MCP Framework: Provides tools interface for external applications

Comparison with Ableton MCP

Feature	Ardour MCP	Ableton MCP
Communication	OSC	Custom Socket
Session Model	Linear Timeline	Session View + Arrangement
Track Types	Audio/MIDI	Audio/MIDI/Return
Plugin Control	OSC Parameters	Live API
Audio Import	File-based	File + Live Browser
Real-time	Full Support	Full Support

Contributing

1. Fork the repository
2. Create a feature branch
3. Make your changes
4. Add tests if applicable
5. Submit a pull request

License

MIT License - see LICENSE file for details.

Acknowledgments

• Inspired by the Ableton MCP Server
• Built with the Model Context Protocol
• Uses python-osc for OSC communication