No sound in your DAW

Split the problem in half by listening to MIDIpad itself.

• MIDIpad is silent too → the problem is upstream of the DAW. See No sound from MIDIpad.
• MIDIpad plays, the DAW is silent → the problem is MIDIpad → DAW. Continue below.

If the picker is on MIDI Only you can't use that test as it stands; choose a voice or a kit for a moment to hear whether the instrument is playing at all.

Routing checks

1. Is the right input enabled in the DAW? Chords arrives on MIDIpad Chords, drums on MIDIpad Drums - two separate ports. Most DAWs list MIDI inputs in their settings with per-port enable switches; some need the port enabled and assigned per track.
2. Is the track armed or monitoring? A track receives MIDI but only sounds when it's record-armed or input-monitoring. Check the track's input meter: if it flickers when you play, MIDI is arriving and the issue is the instrument or patch.
3. Was the DAW open before MIDIpad? Some DAWs only scan for new MIDI ports at launch. Restart the DAW with MIDIpad already running.
4. Check the channel filter. In Demo Mode (and single-channel mode) Chords arrives on channel 1; a track filtered to channels 2-7 for the per-string setup will hear nothing from a demo build. Drums always arrives on channel 10. Set the track to "all channels" to test.
5. Is the synth listening to what MIDIpad sends? Notes carry velocity, and Chords' decay rides channel pressure. A patch that ignores velocity and maps no pressure can sound near-silent on soft strums. Flick hard as a test, then try a plucky, velocity-sensitive patch. For Drums, use a GM-mapped kit, or check where the notes are pointed in Kits and voice mapping.

Sounds wrong rather than silent

If Chords comes through but every note sits half-open or permanently bright, the receiving patch is probably treating the timbre stream as an offset. MIDIpad sends CC74 as an absolute position resting at 64 by default, the way an MPE synth expects - not as an amount added to zero. Map it as a position, or take the stream out of the picture by setting Agitation ceiling to zero in Settings → Audio & MIDI → Expression.

If you're hearing MIDIpad and the DAW at once and want only the DAW, set the picker to MIDI Only.