ASIO-DM-Activator is a plugin for Cubase and Studio One that enables the ASIO Direct Monitoring feature (also known as "Blue Z") for audio interfaces that lack native support for it.
This plugin will attempt to work with any audio interface that uses the Thesycon driver, regardless of the manufacturer. However, guaranteed support is limited to the Audient iD14 MKII, as I don’t own other hardware for testing. If you use an iD or EVO series interface, it will likely work, but I’d still appreciate your feedback whether it does or not.
The code is structured to allow easy addition of other drivers besides Thesycon. I’d love to hear from you if you can help with coding and expanding support for additional hardware.
The iD series lacks a physical Direct Monitoring button, meaning you have to grab the mouse and open the mixer app every time you need to toggle it. Now, the button will be right inside the DAW, and the DAW can even switch it on automatically during recording. A significant time saver.
As a DAW plugin, ASIO-DM-Activator intercepts the audio subsystem initialization, modifies the driver's capability response, and adds Direct Monitoring to the list of supported features. When successful, your DAW will display DM as available. From this point on, the familiar monitoring button changes its behavior, turning into a zero-latency Direct Monitoring switch.
Each time you enable or disable monitoring on a track, the plugin translates the activation request into a format understood by the driver. To the driver, it looks like you’re manually adjusting the mixer slider with your mouse.
- Only two channel states are supported: ON and OFF. This ensures the volume balance you've set in the mixer app remains unchanged.
- Only the Main mix is affected. Cue A/B remains untouched.
Place the asio-dm-activator.dll file in the appropriate folder:
- Cubase:
C:\Program Files\Steinberg\Cubase 14\Components - Studio One:
C:\Program Files\PreSonus\Studio One 7\Plugins
- A 64-bit OS and 64-bit DAW are required.
- Compatible with Windows 7 and later.
- If multiple devices from the same manufacturer are connected, the plugin will use the first one.
- Beta version: Use at your own risk.
If the plugin misbehaves — wrong channels, no monitoring on your device — run DebugView to check the logs. The real-time output provides insight into plugin's operation and may help identify issues. If you decide to open an issue, include these logs to expedite troubleshooting.
