Press

People are saying nice things about MIDIpad! This page collects the coverage so far, the plain facts, and assets you're free to use in anything you write about it if you'd like to join in.

What people are saying

MusicRadar

Matt Mullen · 7 August 2026

“MIDIpad is something else, an instrument with its own harmonic and rhythmic logic, and its chord wheel and stick-controlled drum streams are unlike anything we've come across before.”
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Bedroom Producers Blog

Tomislav Zlatic · 6 August 2026

“I was surprised how much it feels like a real instrument rather than a simple gamepad-to-MIDI mapper.”
“The cool part is that the chord wheel keeps everything in key, so the worst you can play is a chord you didn't mean, instead of some random cacophony.”
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The facts

What it is
More than simply mapping gamepad buttons to MIDI notes or CCs, MIDIpad turns the gamepad you probably already own into two powerful, MPE-capable MIDI controllers: an expressive, scale-aware plucked-string engine and a real-time, gesture-driven drum sequencer.
Output
MIDI and MPE, no audio - MIDIpad makes no sound of its own. It shows up as two MIDI devices, MIDIpad Chords and MIDIpad Drums, and anything that takes MIDI in makes the sound. Free to play on one channel with notes and velocity; the full version opens the MPE and CC expression.
Controllers
Built for the PlayStation pads - the DualShock 4 and DualSense. Xbox and Switch Pro controllers play too, with limitations. Drums plays whole on anything with two analog sticks.
Platform
macOS only for the moment, but Windows 11 and Linux support are both on the way.
Price
Free to play in Demo Mode, with no time limit. The full version is $19 in early access (€19 / £16 by region · tax at checkout), and it covers every release through 1.0 and beyond.
Who makes it
Me, Steve Mitchell.

Assets

Click anything to download it. All of it is free to use in coverage of MIDIpad.

Wordmark

The MIDIpad wordmark, white on darkThe MIDIpad wordmark, black on light

SVG, in white and black.

App icon

The MIDIpad app icon

PNG, 512 × 512.

Screenshots

The MIDIpad window in the Default theme: Chords on stage with D minor armed, the key and tempo in the corners, the control band underneathThe MIDIpad window in the Default theme: Chords on stage with D minor armed, the key and tempo in the corners, the control band underneathThe chord wheel: the stick sweeps round and each chord arms as it points at itThe chord wheel: the stick sweeps round and each chord arms as it points at itThe drums dial: the hats keep time, the kick joins, the snare lands on the backbeatThe drums dial: the hats keep time, the kick joins, the snare lands on the backbeatThe Instrument Overlay floating over Ableton Live, a chord armedThe Instrument Overlay floating over Ableton Live, a chord armedMIDIpad in the Space theme, a chord armed and the notes fallingMIDIpad in the Space theme, a chord armed and the notes fallingMIDIpad in the Ember theme, a chord armed and the notes fallingMIDIpad in the Ember theme, a chord armed and the notes falling

Anything else?

If you're writing about MIDIpad and need something that isn't here - different shots, a review licence, answers - get in touch. I'm one person, so you'll get me.