Gamepad MIDI v1.2.0:
Chord & Strum Modes
We've added some new ways to use your gamepad for music. You can now play chords with buttons, strum notes with your touchpad, and get more out of each stick axis.
Here's a rundown of what's new and how to use it.
What's New in v1.2.0
Strum Mode
Swipe across your touchpad or push a stick to trigger notes one by one, like strumming a guitar. Great for arpeggios and expressive playing.
Chord Mode
Stack up to 6 notes on a single button or trigger. Press once, play a whole chord. Simple as that.
Split Axis Mode
Get two CC parameters from one stick axis. Push left for one thing, push right for another. Doubles your control options.
Dual Gate Notes
Bidirectional controls can now send different notes for each direction. Push up for one note, down for another.
Strum Mode
Strum Mode spreads your chord notes across an axis. As you move through the range, each note triggers at a different position. The result feels a lot like strumming strings.
How It Works
Swipe Up
Notes play low to high: C3 → E3 → G3 → C4
Swipe Down
Notes play high to low: C4 → G3 → E3 → C3
Bidirectional
Enable this for back-and-forth strumming
Strum Parameters
Strum Width
Controls how much of the axis range triggers notes. A smaller width means notes are packed closer together, requiring less movement to strum through the whole chord.
Note Length
How long each strummed note plays before the note-off is sent. Shorter lengths give you staccato plucks, longer lengths let notes ring out and overlap.
Chord Mode
Chord Mode lets you assign multiple notes to one control. Press a button and all the notes play together. You can add up to 6 notes per mapping.
Example Setup
Each note can have its own velocity if you want different dynamics within the chord. With triggers, you can also set a threshold so the chord only plays when you press hard enough.
Split Axis Mode
Normally, a stick axis maps its full range (-1 to +1) to one CC. Split Axis Mode gives you two separate CCs instead—one for each direction from center.
Example: Left Stick X
Center = both at 0. Each direction is independent.
🎮 Tip: 4 Parameters Per Stick
Use Split Axis on both X and Y to control 4 different parameters with one stick. Up for attack, down for release, left for resonance, right for cutoff—you get the idea.
Ideas to Try
Touchpad Strum
Set up Strum Mode on your touchpad Y-axis with a chord. Swipe up and down to strum. Use buttons to switch between chord shapes.
Stick Arpeggiator
Use Strum Mode on a stick with bidirectional on. Push forward for ascending notes, pull back for descending. Adjust note length for different feels.
8-Parameter Control
Enable Split Axis on both sticks for 8 CC parameters total. Map them to your synth's macro knobs for quick sound tweaking.
Try It Out
These features are available now in version 1.2.0. Check out the product page for more details and download links.
Gamepad MIDI