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Multiple Players

Gamepad MIDI can run up to four controllers at once. Each one is a player, with its own mappings, its own preset, and its own MIDI output port.

This guide explains how players work and how to set them up.

What a Player Is

A player is an independent instrument inside Gamepad MIDI. Each player has:

  • Its own mappings — every control mapped separately from the other players
  • Its own preset — load a preset for one player without touching the rest
  • Its own MIDI output port — Gamepad MIDI 1 through Gamepad MIDI 4
  • Its own settings — smoothing, stick area, and touchpad behaviour
  • One controller, chosen by you

Gamepad MIDI opens with a single player, which behaves exactly as earlier versions did. Everything below is optional.

Adding a Player

The player tabs sit along the top of the window. Click + to add a player, up to four.

A new player automatically takes the first connected controller that no other player has claimed. If every controller is already spoken for, it starts with no controller and waits for you to pick one.

Choosing a Controller

Under the player tabs is the Controller dropdown. It lists every connected controller, plus None.

Selecting a controller assigns it to the player currently shown. A controller already claimed by another player appears greyed out and labelled with that player's name, so two players can never end up sharing one pad.

This matters when your computer reports more devices than you expect. Some hardware — the Steam Deck's built-in controls, for example — appears as more than one device. Rather than guessing which one the app picked, choose it explicitly and switch if the first choice doesn't respond.

Removing a Player

Each player tab except Player 1 has a small × on its right-hand side. Clicking it removes that player and shifts the remaining players down.

Player 1 cannot be removed — there is always at least one player.

MIDI Routing

Each player gets its own virtual MIDI port, created automatically:

Player MIDI port
Player 1 Gamepad MIDI
Player 2 Gamepad MIDI 2
Player 3 Gamepad MIDI 3
Player 4 Gamepad MIDI 4

In your DAW, set each track's MIDI input to a different port and each player drives a different instrument. No channel filtering or extra routing required.

You can also point a player at a hardware MIDI output instead, using the MIDI Output dropdown next to the controller picker. That choice is remembered per player.

Presets Are Per Player

Loading a preset applies it to the currently selected player only. The other players carry on unchanged.

This means you can build a session where Player 1 runs a drum kit and Player 2 runs a filter-sweep layout, switch Player 2's preset mid-performance, and leave Player 1 playing.

Each player remembers its own preset between sessions.

Disconnecting and Reconnecting

If a controller is unplugged or its battery dies, its player stays exactly as it was — mappings, preset, MIDI port and settings are all kept. The tab simply shows no controller.

Plug the same controller back in and it returns to the player that had it.

Tips

  • Two people, one computer. Give each player its own MIDI port and its own instrument track. Both play at once, independently.
  • Two pads, one person. Nothing requires two people. A controller in each hand, with different mappings on each, is a perfectly good setup.
  • Test one player at a time. When first setting up, select a player and press its controller's buttons to confirm the visualisation responds before moving on.

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