MetaGrid Pro

User Guide

Last update: 04/24/22

www.metasystem.io
 Contents
HELLO. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3
FIRST STEPS. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
IMPORT/EXPORT. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
DASHBOARD. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
EDIT MODE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
BUTTONS. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
MIDI CC FADERS. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28
LABELS. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30
SCENE EDITOR. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31
MACRO EDITOR. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34
GRIDS. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38
CONTENT MANAGER. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40
COLOR SCHEMES. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45
COLOR SELECTOR. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46
SETTINGS. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48
KEYBOARD MAESTRO INTEGRATION (MAC ONLY) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51

! -2-
HELLO
Thank you for purchasing MetaGrid Pro - the next iteration of the flexible and powerful utility app
that enables you to control your favorite applications on a Mac or PC directly from your iPad through
WiFi or USB. We hope it will find a home in your creative environment!

We did our best to make MetaGrid Pro as intuitive and user friendly as possible. However, you will
need a few minutes to set it up and get familiar with its concepts and functions. To help you we have
created this User Guide and a comprehensive set of video tutorials with step-by-step connection and
operation instructions.

If you have any problems, questions, feedback or feature requests, don’t hesitate to contact us at
[email protected]. You can also join our user forum where you will find useful tips, support
info and content created by the MetaSystem team and the MetaGrid user community.

Enjoy MetaGrid Pro!

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 FIRST STEPS
We all love things that are straightforward and familiar. You will find out that MetaGrid Pro is an
easy-to-use tool with an intuitive user interface. The basic setup is minimal and includes just a few
easy steps:

METAGRID PRO PURCHASE

1 MetaGrid Pro can be purchased and downloaded from the App Store.

2 METASERVER INSTALLATION
MetaGrid Pro needs MetaServer - a small server application - to be installed on your computer to
receive and process keyboard shortcuts and MIDI messages.
1. Go to www.metasystem.io > Downloads and download MetaServer app for Windows or Mac.
2. Copy Metaserver.app/exe to the Applications (Mac)/Program Files folder (PC).
3. Launch MetaServer. You will see the icon on the menu bar (Mac)/task bar (PC).
For OSX 10.14 and later: you will need to give MetaServer permissions to control your computer. Go
! to System Preferences > Security & Privacy > Accessibility > Privacy and System Preferences >
Security & Privacy > Accessibility > Input Monitoring and select the checkbox next to the Meta-
Server icon.

! On some Windows machines you may be asked to install .NET Framework 3.5 to run MetaServer.
Proceed with the installation.

! Occasionally, some antivirus software may identify MetaServer as a threat. Simply ignore the warn-
ing. Sometimes antivirus/antimalware software can add MetaServer to their black list. This makes
it impossible for MetaServer to communicate with MetaGrid Pro. Remove MetaServer from their
black list to enable MetaGrid Pro to detect MetaServer on your Win computer.
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 WIFI NETWORK/USB SETUP ON YOUR COMPUTER AND iPAD
3 MetaServer needs an active Wi-Fi or USB connection to establish communication between MetaGrid
Pro on your iPad and your computer. You can use your local Wi-Fi network or create an ad-hoc Wi-Fi
connection.

! Your computer and your iPad must be connected to the same Wi-Fi network.

! Use the appropriate cable to connect your iPad to your computer though USB connection. No addi-
tional setup is needed on Mac. For Windows you need to install Apple iTunes on your machine.

METAGRID PRO SETUP

4
To set up in MetaGrid Pro on your iPad:
1. Open MetaGrid Pro on your iPad.
2. You will see the Available Computers screen where you can select a computer with an active
MetaServer instance. If no computers are listed, make sure both your computer and your iPad
are connected to the same Wi-Fi network or your computer and your iPad are connected with
an appropriate cable. Then pull down the list to refresh the computer list.
3. If your computer is still not showing in the list, tap Add computer... and choose either Manual
Setup or Scan QR Code. On your computer, click on the MetaServer icon and go to Setup...
> Network to display the IP addresses for your computer and the QR code with encoded net-
work information. Enter one of the IP addresses or scan the QR code with the camera on your
iPad. The computer will then be added to the list of available computers.
4. Select your computer. MetaGrid Pro’s dashboard will then display with the default grid for the
Desktop profile (see “CONTENT MANAGER” on page 40 for more information on Profiles,
Workspaces and Grids).
Congratulations! MetaGrid Pro on your iPad can now trigger macros on your computer.

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 To disconnect your iPad, tap the profile icon in the left upper corner of the screen to display Settings
and touch Disconnect. The link will be added and the Connection Screen will appear.

MetaServer can simultaneously have up to 4 iPads running MetaGrid Pro (or earlier versions of Me-
taGrid), which means you can control your computer using multiple iPads! No additional setup is
needed - just connect your additional iPads as outlined in the instructions above.

i MetaGrid Pro also automatically reconnects to the last known host on Wi-Fi/USB. MetaGrid Pro also
remembers the name of the last connected computer and automatically reconnects on launch or af-
ter disconnection.

OFFLINE MODE
MetaGrid Pro can also work in an offline mode. This enables you to edit MetaGrid Pro content while
not connected to the computer. To enter the offline mode, tap the Offline button in the bottom right
corner of the Connection Screen.

ADDITIONAL SETUP OPTIONS

If you want to send MIDI commands and / or app-specific commands to DAW applications, you will
need to do some additional setup in those programs. For easy step-by-step procedures, see the DAW
& MIDI Setup Guide that can be downloaded from here.

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IMPORT/EXPORT
MetaGrid Pro enables you to import or export macros and objects (buttons and faders) as well as
profiles, workspaces, grids and even your entire database via Dropbox and / or by sharing.

Import/Export through your Dropbox account

Pre-requisities:

• You will need n active Dropbox account

• The Dropbox app must be installed on your iPad

To add MetaGrid Pro to your Dropbox account as a

connected app:
1. Tap the profile icon in the upper left corner of
MetaGrid Pro’s Dashboard to open Settings.
2. Tap Content Manager. There is a share but-
ton for each section: Profiles, Workspaces and
Grids. Tap one of them.
3. Select either Import from Dropbox or Export
from Dropbox.
4. After a short while, you will be transferred to
Dropbox app where you need to tap Allow to
add MetaGrid Pro as a connected app to your
Dropbox account.

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 Upon connection MetaGrid Pro will create the following folders in Apps > Metagrid directory in your
Dropbox file structure.

1. /Backup
It stores global backup file called Metagrid.mbackup file.

To create the backup file:

1. Tap the profile icon in the upper left corner of the Dashboard.
2. Touch Backup and select Export to Dropbox. A global backup file called MetaGrid Pro Backup.
mbackup file is stored.

! Backing up your files is highly recommended. Every time you do so, MetaGrid Pro Backup.mbackup
file will be updated and overwritten.

To restore the backup file:

1. Tap the profile icon in the upper left corner of the Dashboard.
2. Touch Restore From Backup and select Import from Dropbox.
The entire database will be restored from the contents of the backup for ALL applications.

2. /Buttons

This folder contains .mbutton. These are created when you export individual buttons from the Edit
Pane screen.

The file name is: <profile name>_<button name>.mbutton.

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3. /Grids
This folder contains .mgrid files. These are created when you export individual views from the Con-
tent Manager Screen. The file name is: <profile name>_<grid name>.mgrid

4. /Workspaces
This folder contains .mspace files. These are created when you export workspaces. The file name is:
<profile_name><workspace name>.mspace

5. /Profiles
This folder contains .mprofile files. These are created when you export profiles. The file name is:
<profile name>.mspace

You can share the exported files with other users. To import files received from other users, place the
files in appropriate folders above. They will then appear on the Import screen in MetaGrid Pro.

Import/Export through iOS Share menu

MetaGrid Pro enables you to share your custom content through email, messages and files.

To share a Macro/Button/Grid/Workspace/Profile:
1. Tap the share button in the respective editor (Content Manager, Edit Pane or Macro Editor).
Tap the respective export option and then tap Share.
2. Select an app you want to share your content with or tap Save to Files.

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To import a Macro/Button/Grid/Workspace/Profile from email/Files:
1. Tap the MetaGrid Pro content file from an email message or in Files on your iPad.
2. Tap the Share button in your email app/Files and choose MetaGrid Pro.
3. MetaGrid Pro will inform you that it has received a Macro/Button/Grid/Workspace/Profile. It
has been placed in a temporary import cache from where you can import it from the Content
Manager (Profiles, Workspaces and Grids), Edit Pane (buttons and faders) or Macro Editor
(Macros).
4. Go to the respective editor, tap the share button for the content type you want to import and
tap Import.
5. Tap From Local Cache.
6. Select the item you want to import. Once the file has been imported, it will be removed from
the local import cache.

To import a content from the previous MetaGrid version:

You can import content (Viewsets, Views and Buttons) from the previous version of MetaGrid by using
Dropbox to copy the files to the following folders:

/viewsets -> /workspaces

/views -> /grids

The MetaGrid Pro content files are all available for import. If you use the iOS share functionality,
please follow the standard procedure to import resources from email/Files etc.

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DASHBOARD

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 The Dashboard appears when MetaGrid Pro is linked to your computer, or when Metagrid Pro is in
an Offline mode. The Dashboard consists of the following components:

Top Bar
1

Starting from the left, the Top Bar features:

Profile Icon - the icon for the currently active Profile (for more information, see “Profiles” on page
41). Tap the Profile Icon to display the Settings window. For more information, see “SETTINGS” on
page 48.

Profile Name - the name of the active Profile

Grid Name - the name of the active Grid. The Grid Name is displayed below the Profile Name.

Edit Button - this enables Edit Mode

i Top bar also features the Action Bar. This shows the macro components assigned to the button. The
bar is briefly visible when you tap a button with a macro assigned to it.

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2 Scene Bar
The Scene Bar is a sidebar located on the left edge of the screen. Starting from the top,
The Scene Bar consists of the following components:

Connection Type Icon - this shows the connection state (USB, Wi-Fi or Offline)

Lock Button - this enables you to temporarily pin the currently active Profile and pre-
vent MetaGrid Pro from changing the Profile when you switch to a different application
on your computer.

Back Button - this enables you to navigate back to previously displayed Grids. The
button is active when the Grid has been changed by either an external MIDI message,
a computer keyboard shortcut or by pressing a button on the Grid that then displays a
different grid.

Scenes - This section shows the Scenes you have created for the current Profile. For
more information, see “SCENE EDITOR” on page 31.

OmniSpace Button - This button enables the OmniSpace mode. MetaGrid Pro will
display the OmniSpace Profile. For more information about the OmniSpace Profile, see
“CONTENT MANAGER” on page 40

3 Grid Area
This is the place where the magic happens - the large central area that displays your
grids.

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EDIT MODE

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 To enter Edit Mode, tap the Edit button on the Dashboard. The top bar and side bar will change its
content giving you access to the following editing options:

1 Layout / Object / Done buttons

This area enables you to switch between the two editor modes: Layout and Object. The Object but-
ton is selected by default after entering the Edit Mode. For more information, see ”Layout Editing”
on page 18 and “Object Editing” on page 16. Exiting from Edit Mode is achieved by pressing the
Done button.

2 Editor Function buttons

The buttons in this area change depending on whether Layout mode or Object mode is selected.

3 Grid Selector button

This display the Grid Selector Screen that enables you to select a grid for editing, create new grids
and access Content Manager.

4 Edit Scenes button

This displays the Scene Editor Screen where you can create, delete and edit scenes. For more infor-
mation, see “SCENE EDITOR” on page 31.

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Object Editing
To enable object editing mode, tap the Object button (enabled by default when you enter the Edit
Mode). This mode enables you to edit an existing object on the grid. To edit an object, tap it. You will
see the Edit Pane appear on the right edge of the screen. This is where you can edit object proper-
ties.

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 The Object Editor features the following components for editing objects placed on the grid:

1 Editor Function buttons

Undo/Redo - this enables you to undo or redo actions related to editing objects on the grid

Style - this displays the Copy & Paste Style screen where you can specify attributes that you want
to paste to the selected object. To copy a style, enable the toggle switch on the Copy & Paste Style
screen. The button will be become highlighted, which means that the pasting option will be limited
only to the parameters selected on the Copy & Paste Style screen.

Multi - this toggles the Multi-selection Mode that enables you to select multiple objects of the
same type on the grid (e.g. buttons or faders or labels).

Copy - this copies any objects you have selected to the clipboard.

Paste - this pastes the object you have copied. If the Style button is enabled, pasting will only be ap-
plied to the parameters you have selected on the Copy & Paste Style screen.

2 Edit Pane
The Edit Pane enables you to edit the properties for any object you have selected. The screen is dis-
played automatically when you tap an object in the Grid Area. To close the pane, tap the right arrow
icon on the left of the pane. The contents of the Edit Pane depends on the selected object.

To change the position of an object on the grid:

1. Press and hold an object you would like to move.
2. Drag and drop it to the target slot.
3. The source and target objects will change their positions.

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Layout Editing
MetaGrid Pro enables you to create objects of various sizes and place them anywhere on the grid. To
enable layout editing mode, tap the Layout button.

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Flexible Grid - Introduction
MetaGrid Pro enables you to create objects of various sizes and place them anywhere on the grid by
selecting the space the object will occupy.

Instead of a blank canvas, MetaGrid Pro is grid-based. Underneath each grid there is an master
24x24 grid with empty slots. These slots can be resized and filled with various grid objects depending
on your needs. Each grid is created with a grid size you have selected (see “GRIDS” on page 38) and
pre-populated with blank buttons. However, this is only a starting point – you are not restricted to
this layout, you can alter it until it suits your requirements.

Modifying the layout is achieved in the Layout Editor. Objects can be deleted by clearing them off
the grid, made bigger by merging them with empty neighbouring slots or made smaller by splitting
them.

Layout modifications can be done with the following editor function buttons (from the left).

Undo/Redo - this enables you to undo or redo actions related to editing objects on the grid

Merge - this enables you to merge multiple slots

Split - this enables you to split a slot into four smaller slots

Add - this displays the Object Type Selector that enables you to add an object to an empty slot on
the grid.

Clear - this removes the object currently assigned to the slot.

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 As a guide, here are a couple of layout modification scenarios:

To merge several slots:

1. Select the buttons you want to merge by panning across them (keeping your finger down). Se-
lected buttons will be highlighted with a blue outline.
2. Tap Clear to remove buttons from the slots.
3. Select the empty slots into which you’d like to place an object, or one object and at least one
empty slot and press Merge. The selected items will be merged in one bigger entity - an emp-
ty slot or a larger original object.
The merging operation can be performed on empty slots, which results in one larger empty slot, or
i on the multiple selection consisting of one object and at least one empty slot, which results in the ex-
isting object becoming larger.

To split an existing object:

1. Tap the object/empty slot you want to split.
2. Tap Split
If you have selected an empty slot, this slot will be split into smaller slots. If you have selected an ob-
ject, the split action will result into four smaller slots, with one occupied by the original grid object.

To create a fader:
1. Merge slots into a large slot where you’d like to place the fader.
2. Selected the slot that was created by the merge action
3. Tap Add and select Fader. The fader will be added to the selected slot.

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To create a label:
1. Select a slot where you’d like to add a label.
2. Tap Add and select Label. The label will be added to the selected slot.

To remove multiple objects from the grid:

1. Select the objects you wish to remove by panning across them (keeping your finger down).
2. Tap Clear. All the selected objects will be removed from the grid leaving empty slots for fur-
ther layout modification.

To add multiple objects to the grid:

1. Select the empty slots you wish to fill with objects by panning across them (keeping your fin-
ger down.
2. Tap Add and select an object. All selected empty slots will be filled with the objects you have
selected.

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BUTTONS
The button is the heart of MetaGrid Pro. Powerful and highly configurable, they are where you set
up instructions to trigger anything from simple keystrokes to complex macros that control your com-
puter.

MetaGrid Pro features 3 types of buttons: Standard Buttons, Momentary Switches and Latching
Switches. By default, all the grids created in MetaGrid Pro are prepopulated with standard buttons.

To change the button type:

1. Tap a button in the Object Editor to display the Edit Pane.
2. Tap the object type name (Button) at the top left of the Edit Pane.
3. Select the button type from the Button Type Selector list.

The following configuration options in the Edit Pane are identical for all button types. These are:

More (...) - thi is the icon in the upper right corner of the Edit Pane. Pressing the icon displays the
Actions menu with the following actions Copy Macro: Mac -> Win and Copy Macro: Win -> Mac.
These actions copy and paste respective macros between the different operating systems. The menu
also features a Reset Button function – which reverts all the button settings to their default values.

Share - (the icon to the left of the More button). This enables you to import/export a button through
Dropbox and / or the iOS Share options.

Macro (Mac/Win) - displays the Macro Editor. Clicking in either the Mac or Windows field displays
the Macro Editor (for more information see “MACRO EDITOR” on page 34).

Text - this is where the text displayed on the button is entered.

Text Size - this sets the size of the text displayed on the button
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Style Presets - this enables you to choose from 11 preconfigured button color styles

Colors - this displays the Color Selector that enables you to choose colors for the following button
elements: background, border, text, icon and background image.

Target Application - buttons on one grid in MetaGrid Pro can trigger macros in different applica-
tions – you’re not limited to staying with just one application. This option enables you to specify the
target application on your computer that will receive the assigned macro.

Here the description and unique options for each button type:

Standard Button
The Standard Button is an object that reacts to the touch down action and has only one visual state.
Here are the unique setup options:

Enable Repeat on Long Press - with this option enabled, tap and hold the button to continuously
trigger the macro, same as holding the keyboard key will repeatably type the respective character.

Grid Display Action:

– None - No action is taken (default)

– Go to Previous Grid - this switches to the previously displayed grid

– Grid Display Action: Display Grid - - this enables the user to specify a grid from the same
workspace that will be shown after that button is pressed. If a macro is included with the but-
ton, the macro will be triggered before the display switches to the specified grid.

– Show / Hide Omnispace – – this enables users to switch to and from the Omnispace Profile.

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 Latching Switch
This button has two states - On and Off - that can be toggled by the touch down action. For each
state you can assign dedicated macros and visual options.

These are the unique setup options for the Latching Switch:

Latch Off/On Switch - this enables you to switch between the On / Off button states and configure
the options for each respective state. In Edit Mode, when set to On, all the buttons with two states
(momentary and latching switches) will change their state to On and all standard buttons will be
dimmed.

Toggle On Incoming MIDI - with this option enabled, the switch will be toggled On or Off by an in-
coming MIDI CC message on the MetaSystem MIDI port. Set the CC value and channel for the Latch
On / Latch Off state and MetaGrid Pro will automatically toggle the switch once this MIDI message is
received from your DAW or your controller.

! The incoming MIDI message will not trigger a macro - it will only toggle the state of the switch.

Switch Group - this enables you to assign the Latching Switch to one of 19 switch groups.

Group Leader switch - this sets the Latching Switch as the leader for the button group

Leader responds to Followers - with this switch enabled, the leader switch in the ON state will be
turned off by any of the follower switches in the group.

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To use Latching Switches to set up a switch group with followers only:
1. Create a few latching switches on the grid.
2. Assign them all to the same switch group. Groups that have already been assigned to switches
are marked with an asterisk.
Pressing any switch in this group will turn off any switch that is currently active switch in this group.

To use Latching Switches to set up a switch group with a leader controlling followers:
1. Create a few latching switches on the grid.
2. Assign them to a switch group.
3. Select the switch you want to be the group leader, toggle the Group Leader switch to ON and
make sure the Leader Responds to Followers switch is set to Off.
Now followers have no control over their own state, i.e. they don’t change their state when touched.
Their state is always the same as the group leader. This means that they act as standard buttons but
the leader controls their visual states and, consequently , the macros assigned to each state.

To use Latching Switches to set up a switch group with a leader responding to followers (the leader will be
switched off by the followers within the same group):
1. Create a few latching switches on the grid.
2. Assign them to a switch group.
3. Select the switch you want to be the group leader and toggle the Group Leader switch to ON
and make sure the Leader Responds to Followers switch is set to On.
4. The enabled Leader responds to the followers.
Now the leader controls the state of the followers, but tapping a follower button will cause the leader
to switch off, which in result will toggle off all other followers in the group.

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 Momentary Switch
The Momentary Switch triggers dedicated macros on touch down and touch up actions. As an exam-
ple, it can be a switch that acts like a MIDI piano key, sendint MIDI Note On MIDI Note On when the
button is touched down and MIDI Note Off when the button is released (touch up).

Like a Latching Switch, the Momentary Switch also has two visual states.

There is only one unique setup option for the Momentary Switch:

Off/On Switch - this enables you to switch between the On / Off button states and configure the op-
tions for each respective state. In Edit Mode, when set to On, all the buttons with two states (momen-
tary and latching switches) will change their state to On and all standard buttons will be dimmed.

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 Custom Icons
MetaGrid Pro enables you to add custom icons to buttons. It can be either a graphic you made your-
self or an application icon.

To add a custom icon to the button:

1. On your computer, click MetaServer on the menu bar and select Setup > Files.
2. Tap the ... button and point to the source folder for your custom graphics.
3. Open MetaGrid Pro on your iPad, tap Edit, select an button and tap Icon in the Edit Pane.
4. Select the Custom category at the top of the Icon Selector window. On the left of the Icon
Selector window you should see the source folder (“root”) as well as any additional folders
within the source folder. The currently selected folder will be highlighted in blue. On the right
of the Icon Selector window you should see all the icons that you have placed in that folder.
5. Select an icon to add it to your button.

To add an application icon to the button:

1. Open MetaGrid Pro on your iPad, tap Edit, select an button and tap Icon in the Edit Pane.
2. Select the Local Apps category at the top of the Icon Selector window.
3. Select an icon to add it to your button.

! The local applications icons have limited resolution and therefore may be pixelated when used for
larger buttons. In that case, you can always find or make a hi-resolution icon for the respective appli-
cation and assign it to your button as a custom icon.

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 MIDI CC FADERS
MetaGrid Pro enables you to create MIDI CC faders that will enable you to enter MIDI CC values. The
Faders are highly customizable and can be positioned horizontally as well as vertically.

To add a fader to the grid:

1. Tap Edit.
2. Tap Layout.
3. Prepare the empty slot for the fader by clearing any existing objects and merging the empty
slots.
4. Select the empty slot for the fader.
5. Tap Add and select Fader.

The Edit Pane in the Object Editor will feature the following setup options:

Macro - By default, MIDI CC faders will use the MIDI CC Action (added by default). Just specify the CC
and Channel parameters. The value will be set by the fader.

i You can add other MIDI CC actions to the macro - the fader will set the same value for all MIDI CC ac-
tions in the macro. This means that you can control multiple MIDI controllers in your DAW using one
fader in MetaGrid Pro.

Text - this sets the fader name displayed under the fader.

i When the fader is being moved, the fader text shows the current value.

Cap Type - this determines the shape of the cap (None, Triangle, Circle, Rhombus).

Cap Size - this sets the size of the cap (Small, Medium, Large)
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 Fader Width - this enables you to choose from 5 predefined fader widths.

Style Presets - this enables you to choose from 11 pre-configured fader color styles

Colors - this enables you to choose colors for the following button elements: text, cap text, cap, val-
ue indicator, background line as well as the fader background and border

Relative To Finger - by default, when you touch the fader area, the cap jumps to the finger position.
With this option enabled, the cap will not jump when you touch the fader area but moving your finger
will cause the cap to move by the relative distance.

Reacts to Cap Touch Only - the fader reacts only when you touch and move the fader cap.

Horizontal - this changes the fader orientation to horizontal.

Hide Cap Text - this hides the current value indicator displayed on the cap

Hide Fader Title - this hides the fader title displayed beneath the fader.

During editing, the fader is always set to 50 in the Edit Mode. This can’t be manipulated in Edit
i Mode. When you leave Edit Mode, the fader will be reset to its last value or the value being reported
by a DAW.

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LABELS
MetaGrid Pro enables you to create text labels and place them anywhere on the grid. The labels are
static and not interactive .

To add a label to the grid:

1. Tap Edit.
2. Tap Layout.
3. Prepare an empty slot for the fader by clearing any existing objects and merging the empty
slots.
4. Select the empty slot for the label.
5. Tap Add and select Label.

The Edit Pane in the Object Editor will feature the following setup options:

Text - this sets the label text.

Text Size - this sets the label text size.

Layout - you can choose from three layout types: text only, text with underline at the bottom of the
label, and text inside a background rectangle with rounded corners.

Alignment - this sets the text alignment (Left, Centre, Right)

Label Text Color - this sets the color of the text

Label Secondary Color - this sets the color for the label underline or the rectangular background

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SCENE EDITOR

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Scenes in MetaGrid Pro enable you to easily switch between different grids created for your favorite
application. Each scene corresponds to a dedicated scene button in the Scene Section on the Side
Bar. For each application you can create multiple scenes for neat organization and fast access to your
favorite grids.

The Scene Editor consist of two ares: Scene List and Scene Details.

The Scene List area, on the left of the Scene Editor, features the list of all scenes assigned to the
workspace.

The Scene Details area, on the right of the Scene Editor, features all the configuration options for
the scene currently selected in the Scene List area.

The Scene Details section features the following configuration options:

Name - this sets the scene name

Icon - this displays the Icon Selector that enables you to select an icon for the selected scene.

Primary/Secondary Scene - this enables you to assign the primary and secondary grid to the select-
ed scene.

Primary Macro - this enables you to define the macro to be triggered while tapping the scene but-
ton. The macro will be triggered when switching from the secondary grid to the primary grid or if the
scene has only the primary grid assigned.

Secondary Macro - this enables you to define the macro to be triggered while tapping the scene but-
ton. When assigned to the secondary grid, the macro will be triggered after switching from the pri-
mary grid to the secondary.

Switch on Incoming MIDI CC – this enables you to define the MIDI CC message that will instruct Me-
taGrid Pro to enable the selected scene.
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 To create a new scene:
1. Touch Edit and tap the Add icon in the top right corner of the Scene Editor.
2. A new Scene will appear. The new scene is ready for editing.

To edit a scene:
1. Touch Edit and tap Edit. The Scene Editor will appear featuring the list of the available scenes
for the current workspace.
2. Select a scene by touching it and then makes the changes you require.

To change the scene order:

1. Long press the scene on the Scene List.
2. Drag and drop it to the desired position on the list.

i When the grid being displayed is not assigned to the current scene - it could have been selected via
the Content Manager, by pressing a button or via an incoming MIDI message) - a rectangle will ap-
pear in the bottom area of the scene button on the Side Bar. To return to the grid assigned to the
currently active scene, press the scene button. The rectangle will disappear.

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MACRO EDITOR
MetaGrid Pro enables you to control you com-
puter with a sequence of actions that can be
configured in the Macro Editor.

To create a macro:
1. Select a grid object in the Object Editor
and tap Macro in the Edit Pane.
2. Touch Macro to display the Macro Edi-
tor.
3. Tap the plus icon to add an action.
4. You can define a name for the macro.
The name will be displayed on the Ac-
tion Bar in the Dashboard instead of
separate macro components.
To change the order of actions:
1. Long press an action and drag it to the
desired position.
To test the macro from the Macro Editor:
1. Tap the Test Macro icon in the middle
of the top bar in the Macro Editor.
The macro will be performed in the application
in focus on your computer.

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To delete/copy/duplicate (“Clone”) the action from the Macro Editor:
1. Swipe right on the action block and press Delete. To copy or duplicate an action, swipe left on
the action block and select the appropriate action.
To import or export a macro:
1. Tap the Share icon in the upper left corner of the Macro Editor and select the appropriate ac-
tion. For more information on importing andexporting items in MetaGrid Pro, see “IMPORT/
EXPORT” on page 7.
Macros in MetaGrid Pro can consist of the following actions:

Keyboard shortcuts
This action sends the user-defined combination of keystrokes to your computer pogram. You can
create combinations of keystrokes using keys like Cmd, Option, Ctrl, Shift and any key available on a
standard computer keyboard with a numeric keypad.

Text
This action sends the user-defined text to your favorite application running on your computer. The
text cannot contain non-English characters.

Pause
For complex macros, it is likely you will need pauses between actions to allow time between different
instructions. The Pause action enables you to specify the length of the pause between two actions.

MIDI Note On
This action sends a MIDI Note On message on a specified MIDI channel for a program or device that
has been set up to receive signals for MetaServer.

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MIDI Note Off
This action sends a MIDI Note Off message on a specified MIDI channel for a program or device that
has been set up to receive signals for MetaServer.

MIDI Program Change

This action sends a MIDI Program Change message on a specified MIDI channel for a program or de-
vice that has been set up to receive signals for MetaServer.

MIDI Continuous Controller

This action sends a MIDI CC message on a specified MIDI channel for a program or device that has
been set up to receive signals for MetaServer.

MIDI CC Steps
This action sends a MIDI CC message with a variable value on a specified MIDI channel for a program
or device that has been set up to receive signals for MetaServer. There are two types of behaviors:
increment or decrement by a given value or cycle between predefined values from the range. The
action depends on the number of values chosen on the MIDI Value Steps screen. If you select one
value, the gesture will increment or decrement the CC value by the selected value. If you select more
than one value, the gesture will increment or decrement the value applying the next value from the
specified range. If you tap the up or down arrow icon you can specify if you want to increment or
decrement the value.

Application-specific actions
MetaGrid enables you to add application-specific actions based on predefined commands sets for
Cubase and Nuendo, Ableton Live, Studio One, Logic Pro X, Digital Performer, Reaper and Dorico. For
more information on setting up your DAW and MetaGrid Pro read the MIDI & DAW Setup Guide
that can be downloaded from here.

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UACC actions
These actions enable the user to add a preassigned command from menu that will trigger a specific
articulation in Spitfire Audio’s instruments. The names of the articulations and respective commands
are based on Spitfire Audio’s specifications available online.

Keyboard Maestro actions

These actions enable the user to add a Keyboard Maestro macro. For more information, see “KEY-
BOARD MAESTRO INTEGRATION (MAC ONLY)” on page 51.

Activate Application actions

These actions enable the user to activate applications on their computer. When the action is added to
the macro, MetaGrid Pro automatically assigns the respective icon to the button (if it is available).

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GRIDS
Grids are the central concept of MetaGrid Pro.
Grids are made up of a background and all the ob-
jects that have been placed and programmed.

To create a new grid:

1. Tap Edit.
2. Tap the current grid name under the pro-
file name in the left upper section of the
screen. The Grid Selector popover will ap-
pear.
3. Tap the plus icon to open the Grid Creator
popover window.
4. Specify a name for the new grid.
5. Select a grid skin. For more information on
skins, see “COLOR SCHEMES” on page 45.
6. Choose the grid resolution by using the
grid resolution selectors. . Select the num-
ber of columns you want from the num-
bers on the left, select the numbers of rows
you want from the numbers on the right.
7. (Optionally) You can specify an incoming
MIDI CC message that would tell MetaGrid
Pro to display this grid. Specify the incom-
ing MIDI CC message that should tell Meta-
Grid Pro to display the grid you are about
to create.
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 8. Press Create at the top of the Grid Creator popover screen to create the grid.

With one exception, the new grids are all pre-populated with standard buttons. You can change the
i layout in the Layout Editor by removing, merging and splitting existing objects. The exception is a 24
x 24 grid. This is the smallest possible grid and, in this instance, no objects will be added. This will
enable you to start layout editing from scratch.

i You can also create a new grid from the Content Manager. For more information, see “CONTENT
MANAGER” on page 40.

To edit or delete an existing grid:

1. Tap Edit.
2. Tap the current grid name under the profile name in the left upper section of the screen. The
Grid Selector popover will appear.
3. Tap Content Manager.
4. In the Grids area, select the grid you want then swipe left for the option to edit the grid, or
swipe right for the option to delete the grid.
For more information on the Content Manager, see “CONTENT MANAGER” on page 40.

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CONTENT MANAGER

-40- MetaGrid Pro User Guide

The Content Manager enables you manage the various different entities – Profiles, Workspaces
and Grids - in MetaGrid Pro. The Content Manager can be accessed from the Settings Menu or
from the Grid Selector.

Profiles
The Profiles area lists all the programs on your computer that have MetaGrid workspaces assigned
to them. By default, MetaGrid Pro comes with two profiles already created: Desktop and OmniS-
pace.

If MetaGrid Pro doesn’t find a profile for an application in focus on your computer, it will display the
Desktop profile. The OmniSpace profile is displayed when you tap the OmniSpace button. This pro-
file is available regardless of the application in focus on your computer, so it is a very useful space for
any system-wide macros and functions like Screen or Window arrangements, Application switchers.

To create a new profile for the application in focus on your computer:

1. In the Content Editor, tap the plus icon in the Profiles area.
2. In the Create New Profile popover select the application that is currently in focus on your
computer. The new profile will be created.

To create a new custom profile:

1. In the Content Editor, tap the plus icon in the Profiles area.
2. In the Create New Profile popover select Custom Profile.
3. Enter the name of the profile. Please note that MetaGrid Pro recognises the profile by match-
ing the name of the profile with the name of the application currently in focus on your com-
puter. Therefore, make sure that the entered name is the same as the name of the application
you want to control.
4. Select the icon from the list of icons for all applications available on your computer (if avail-
able)
-41- MetaGrid Pro User Guide
The Profile Icon Selector window is populated with icons when MetaGrid Pro connects with Meta-
Server. If you haven’t yet connected MetaGrid Pro to your computer, for example you are in the Of-
fline mode, there will be no icons in the Profile Icon Selector.

To edit, copy orduplicate a Profile:

1. Select the profile you want to edit,copy orduplicate.
2. Swipe right and tap the option you require.

To delete a Profile:
1. Select the profile you want to delete.
2. Swipe left and tap Delete.

Workspaces
Workspaces are the containers for grids and scenes. A Profile can have multiple workspaces, but
only one of them may be active at any given moment. When you create a new profile, MetaGrid Pro
automatically creates a default workspace with a default grid and one scene. Workspaces are a help-
ful organisational entities for testing or checking the content received from other users for example.
You don’t have to merge content created by other users with your production workspace, but you
can easily activate their workspaces, test the grids and macros and then decide which of them you
want to integrate with your workspace by copying and pasting.

To create a new Workspace for the selected Profile:

1. In the Content Editor, select the profile in the Profiles area.
2. Tap the plus icon in the Workspaces area. A new Workspace will be created with one default
grid and one scene.

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To activate a Workspace:
1. Select the Workspace and swipe right.
2. Select Activate to activate the Workspace.

To edit/copy/duplicate a workspace:
1. Select the Workspace you want to edit, copy or duplicate.
2. Swipe right and tap the option you require.

To delete the Workspace:

1. Select the workspace you want to delete.
2. Swipe left and tap Delete.

Grids Area
Grids are the containers for Buttons, Faders and Text Labels.

To create a new grid for the selected Workspace:

1. In the Content Manager, select the Profile and the Workspace for which you want to create a
Grid.
2. Tap the plus icon in the Grids area. The Grid Creator will appear where you can specify the
Name, Skin and Resolution for the new grid.

To edit, copy orduplicate a workspace:

1. Select the Grid you want to edit, copy or duplicate.
2. Swipe right and tap the option you require.

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 To delete a Grid:
1. Select the Grid you want to delete.
2. Swipe left and tap Delete.

i You can’t delete the Grids assigned to scenes. Each workspace must contain at least one grid.

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 COLOR SCHEMES
MetaGrid Pro features a color scheme mechanism that enables you to adjust the appearance of
Grids and the user interface to suit your creative environment.

Each grid can be assigned with a color scheme sets the dominant colors for the grid itself as well as
the MetaGrid Pro user interface items. Basically, each time the grid is changed as a reaction to the
profile being switched, or by changing scenes, or by an incoming MIDI message, MetaGrid Pro will
impose the color scheme selected for the currently displayed grid across all user interface items in
the dashboard.

To change the Color Scheme assigned to a grid:

1. Go to the Content Editor and select the grid you want to edit.
2. Swipe right and tap Edit.
3. Select one from the 11 available Skins.

i Skin selection will have no impact on the already existing grid objects. However, all the new grid ob-
jects will be created with the color scheme predefined for the currently selected skin.

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 COLOR SELECTOR
MetaGrid Pro features a comprehensive Color Selection tool that enables you to set the colors of all
grid objects to your liking. The Color Selector screen has two sections:

Standard Palettes
This section features 8 useful hard-coded color palettes: Gray Scale, Dark, Low, Faded, Saturated,
Vibrant, Bright and Light. The Standard Palettes provide you with a useful selection of accent and
background colors.

Custom Palettes
This section enables you to create custom color palettes based on hex values. By default, MetaGrid
i Pro comes with 14 custom color palettes (inspired by our favourite movies!). You can easily modify,
create, delete and reorder these palettes as well as add, remove and reorder colors any existing pal-
ettes.

To create a Custom Palette:

1. Open Color Selector by tapping an option (background, border, text, icon or image) from the
Color section in the Edit Pane.
2. Select Custom Palettes at the top of the Color Selector screen.
3. Tap Edit to display the Palette Editor.
4. Tap the plus icon to add a new palette. A new custom palette will be created with one color
swatch (gray).

To reorder palettes:
1. In the Palette Editor long press the drag indicator (three horizontal lines) on the right of the
palette you want to move and drag and drop the palette to the desired place on the list.

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 To delete a Palette:
1. In the Palette Editor tap the red minus icon on the right of the palette and tap Delete.

To add a new color to a Custom Palette:

1. In the Palette Editor tap the pencil icon on the right of the palette you want to edit..
2. The Color Editor window will appear. Tap Add New Color at the top of the window. The de-
fault color will be added.

To edit a color to a Custom Palette:

1. In the Palette Editor tap the pencil icon on the right of the palette you want to edit.
2. 2. The Color Editor window will appear. Tap the Hex Value next to the Color Swatch and
then enter the Hex Value you require.

To reorder colors:
1. In the Color Editor Window, long press the drag indicator (three horizontal lines) on the right
of the color you want to move and drag and drop the color to the desired place on the list.

To delete a color:
1. Tap the red minus icon and then tap Delete.

Importing/Exporting Palettes
MetaGrid Pro enables you to import/export custom palettes through Dropbox or the iOS share
i menu. For more information on importing/exporting objects, see “IMPORT/EXPORT” on page 7.

The Custom Palettes are also included in the MetaGrid Pro backup file so every Custom Palette that
is currently present in your application will be restored after restoring from backup.

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SETTINGS
The Settings window in MetaGrid Pro is where you can change configuration settings and access
useful information.

To display the Settings window:

1. In the Dashboard, tap the Profile icon at the left right corner of the screen. The Settings win-
dow will appear with the following options:

VERSION INFO
1. Version - the current MetaGrid Pro version
2. Build Number - the current MetaGrid Pro build number

USER GUIDES
1. User Guide - displays the user guide for the current MetaGrid Pro version
2. DAW & MIDI Setup Guide - the user guide for setting up MIDI and supported DAWs

CONNECTION STATUS
This displays the name of the computer that is currently connected. On the right is a Disconnect but-
ton that disconnects your iPad from your computer and then shows the Connection screen.

CONTENT MANAGER
This displays Content Manager

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BACKUP
1. Backup – this creates a backup copy of the entire MetaGrid Pro database. Press the Back Up
button on the right to enable options to export the database to Dropbox, to share it to the Lo-
cal Cache or to cancel the backup.
2. Restore From Backup – this restores the backup database. Press the Restore button on the
right to enable options to import the backup from Dropbox, import the backup from the local
cache or to cancel restoring.

APPEARANCE
1. Border – turning this on shows a border around the Dashboard.
2. Display Grids on Full Screen – this removes the Top Bar and the Scene Bar from the display,
putting MetaGrid Pro into full screen mode. An Edit button appears in the top right corner of
the screen to enable users to switch back to the dashboard.
3. Hide Edit Button in Full Screen Mode – this hides the Edit button normally visible in Full
Screen Mode. To get back to the dashboard, swipe across from the left edge

SUPPORT
1. Contact Us - this automatically creates an email for you to write to us at support@metasys-
tem.io
2. Share Log Files - this sends logs from your device to [email protected] for debugging
purposes. To enable this functionality, you need to first enable the log options for MetaGrid
Pro in the iOS Settings.

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To enable log options in the iOS Settings:
1. Open Settings on you iPad.
2. Scroll down and tap MetaGrid Pro icon.
3. In the Debug section tap Logs
4. Switch on Enable logging
5. Set the Main Level options as instructed by the MetaSystem support team. Usually, when
more information is needed, you will need logs with Trace level enabled.

ADDITIONAL INFO
Information and background about MetaSystem’s development team

In addition to th eoptions in the Settings windows there are further options for MetaGrid Pro in iOS
Settings:

SOUND SETTINGS
1. Enable Sound - this enable sounds that are generated when tapping various MetaGrid Pro
user interface items.
2. Button - this sets the sounds that are generated while tapping on buttons.
3. Scene - this sets the sounds that are generated when changing scenes
4. OmniSpace - this sets the sounds generated when enabling or disabling OmniSpace mode.
5. Debug - this enables users to share Log Files

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KEYBOARD MAESTRO INTEGRATION (MAC
ONLY)
MetaGrid Pro is deeply integrated with Keyboard Maestro, the leading automation software for Mac.
MetaGrid Pro can directly trigger Keyboard Maestro macros without any keyboard shortcuts or MIDI
assignments.

PRE-RQUISITES

• Keyboard Maestro must be installed on your Mac

• MetaServer has been set up to to control Keyboard Maestro. MetaServer should ask for per-
mission during the first launch.

-51- MetaGrid Pro User Guide

 To assign a Keyboard Maestro macro to a button:
1. Create a custom button in MetaGrid Pro.
2. In the Edit Pane tap a macro for Mac. The Macro Editor will display. Tap the plus icon to add
a new action and select Keyboard Maestro from the list of actions.
3. Click on the Macro that has appeared. You will see all your Keyboard Maestro macros grouped
into the respective folders, reflecting the folder structure in Keyboard Maestro.
If the list is empty, it means that MetaServer doesn’t have automation permissions to run Keyboard
i Maestro macros on your Mac.
4. Assign a macro to your custom button by selecting it from the Keyboard Maestro macro list.
This macro will be triggered every time you press your custom MetaGrid Pro button. No fur-
ther assignments are needed.
To refresh Keyboard Maestro macro list, tap the Refresh button in the Keyboard Maestro Action
! screen in MetaGrid Pro.

If some of your Keyboard Maestro macros have been set to trigger only in selected applications,
! please add MetaServer to “Available in these applications” list in your macro settings in Keyboard
Maestro.

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