> ## Documentation Index > Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.gridshift.studio/llms.txt > Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further. # Settings > The Settings window holds what applies to Gridshift as a whole rather than to one project: audio devices and latency, MIDI controllers, the sample library and iCloud, plugins, privacy and experimental features. Press ⌘, to open it. ## Open Settings Press `⌘,`, or choose `Gridshift → Settings…`. Pick a pane in the sidebar, or type in its search field: `buffer`, `icloud` or `controller` finds the pane that holds it. `Escape` closes the window. ## Lower the latency while you play In **Audio**, choose a smaller **Buffer Size**, such as 128 samples, before you play or record live. The latency rows below show what that buys; go back to a larger size for big mixes. ## Line the playhead up with what you hear In **Audio**, drag **Playhead Offset**. Raise it if the sound still arrives after the playhead line has passed a hit; lower it if the line arrives late. **Reset** goes back to the hardware's own figure. ## Assign a controller profile In **MIDI**, every connected device has a picker: **Auto-detect**, **No profile**, or one of your installed profiles. **Create Profile for …** under a device starts the wizard. See [Controller Profiles](/controllers/controller-profiles.md). ## Try an experimental feature In **Experimental**, switch a feature on. It takes effect at once, without a relaunch, and switching it off again restores the usual behavior. ## Good to know * **Settings are Gridshift's, not the project's.** They apply to every project; a project's own key, tempo and sample rate live in the Inspector's Project tab ([The Window](/get-started/the-window.md)). * **The metronome, the count-in and Record Quantize are not here.** Right-click the metronome or record button in the transport bar ([Metronome](/record/metronome.md)). * **Most switches are also palette commands**, such as **Change Buffer Size**, **Change Input Device**, **Zero Latency Mode**, **Sync Samples On/Off** and **Smart Sample Search On/Off**. * **Wireless headphones add well over 100 ms on the way out.** Gridshift compensates the playhead and the recording for it, but playing in time needs wired output. * **Settings, tags, collections, shortcuts and favorites sync to your other Macs** whatever the iCloud switches say. See [iCloud](/sync/icloud.md). > **Audio** > > | Setting | What it does | > | - | - | > | **Monitor** | Your output devices and their monitoring plugins as profiles, with **New Profile…**: [Monitor Profiles](/mix/monitor-profiles.md) | > | **Input Device**, **Input Gain**, **Input Level** | What audio recording listens to and how loud: [Record Audio](/record/record-audio.md) | > | **Buffer Size** | 32 to 4096 samples. **256 samples** (default). Smaller is less latency and more CPU. | > | **Zero Latency Mode** | Bypasses plugin latency on the selected instrument track for live playing: [Zero Latency Monitoring](/record/zero-latency-monitoring.md) | > | **Sample Rate** | The device's current rate, shown only. The project's own rate is in the Project tab. | > | **Buffer Latency**, **Input Latency**, **Output Latency**, **Round-trip Latency** | What Gridshift compensates, in ms; Output and Round-trip include the Playhead Offset | > | **Playhead Offset** | −250 to +250 ms. **0** (default). | > > The input meter does not ask for microphone access and stays idle until access is granted. With a wireless input it stays idle until you arm a track, because listening would switch the headphones to call quality. > **MIDI** > > | Setting | What it does | > | - | - | > | **Connected MIDI Devices** | One picker per device: **Auto-detect** (named with the profile it would pick), **No profile** (plain MIDI), or a profile. A row says how many bindings are active, or **Routes as plain MIDI**. | > | **Create Profile for …** | Starts the profile wizard for that device; running it again replaces that device's profile of the same name | > | **Installed Profiles** | Every profile, with a pencil to change or remove single controls and **Delete** (asks first, cannot be undone) | > > Gridshift connects every MIDI input automatically. A profile is active only while its device is connected. > **Library** > > | Setting | What it does | > | - | - | > | **Your Library** | How many samples, where the library folder is (click to show it in Finder), and **Import Samples and MIDI Files…** | > | **Storage** | **Library on disk**, with **Free …** to clear waveforms you are not using; they are redrawn from the audio when needed | > | **Sync projects** | On (default). Puts your projects in iCloud and on the iPhone. | > | **Sync samples** | Off (default). Uploads every sample to iCloud and keeps a small copy of each here; says what it would upload before you switch it on. | > | **Optimize Mac storage** | Off (default), and needs Sync samples. When this Mac runs low on space, keeps only the small copy of samples you have not used in a while and fetches the original when you use one. | > | **Smart sample search** | Off until you switch it on (the first-launch setup suggests it). A one-time 170 MB download: [Smart Search](/library/smart-search.md). | > > A status row appears only when something needs attention, for example items iCloud rejected. Details of every sync: [iCloud](/sync/icloud.md). > **Plugins** > > | Part | What it does | > | - | - | > | **Instruments**, **Effects**, **MIDI Effects** | Which kind of plugin the table shows. **Effects** (default). | > | The table | **Favorites**, your [plugin categories](/sounds/plugin-categories.md) in order, and **Other**, each with its plugins, their maker and a star. **Search plugins** narrows it. | > | **+** / **−** | Make a category, or delete the selected one | > | **Scan for New**, **Rescan All** | Scan for plugins installed since the last scan, or check every one again. The line beside them counts your plugins and says when the last scan was. | > **Privacy** > > | Setting | What it does | > | - | - | > | **Send crash diagnostics automatically** | Off (default). Uploads the diagnostic of a crash from a previous session without asking, the same as **Always send** in the banner after a crash. | > | **What is included, and where reports go** | Expands to list it | > | **Open diagnostics folder…** | Shows the reports kept on this Mac. They are deleted once submitted; a failed submission is retried at the next launch. | > **Experimental** > > Features on trial, each off until you switch it on. They may change or be removed again. > > | Feature | What it does | > | - | - | > | **Plugin preview on hover** | Pointing at a plugin's interface on an effect card or in the Inspector opens it at full size, and it shrinks back when you move away. In the track list, pointing at a track's icon opens its instrument, sample editor or Sampler. See [Plugin Strip](/sounds/plugin-strip.md). | This documentation is built and hosted on [Mintlify](https://mintlify.com), a developer documentation platform.