Use the controller on your desk
Any class-compliant MIDI controller works - the same ones that plug into a laptop without a driver. No extra software, no bridge app.
Three steps
Plug it in
Connect the controller before you open the pad editor. If you plug it in later, the page picks it up as soon as the browser reports it.
Press Learn
Select a button in the editor and press Learn. The next key you hit on the controller becomes the link - the pad does not play while it is listening.
Save
Links are stored with the pad, per controller. Two controllers can use the same note number for different buttons without clashing.
Browser support
Web MIDI is not available everywhere. The pad itself never depends on it: mouse, touch and keyboard keep working regardless.
| Browser | Web MIDI |
|---|---|
| Chrome, Edge, Opera | Yes, no prompt |
| Safari 18+ | Yes, asks permission per site |
| Firefox | Not without a site-permission add-on |
Questions
Does my controller work?
If it works on a laptop without installing a driver, it works here. That covers nearly every pad controller, keyboard and control surface sold in the last fifteen years.
I pressed Learn but nothing happens.
Check the browser first - Firefox does not support Web MIDI out of the box. Then check that the controller is not held open by another program: a DAW usually claims the port exclusively on Windows.
Which MIDI channel should I use?
None in particular. Links are stored for all channels by default, so whatever your controller sends will match. Most people never need to know their channel.
Does velocity work?
Yes. How hard you hit sets how loud the sound plays, on a curve that follows perceived loudness rather than the raw number.
Can I switch banks from the controller?
Yes - a key can be linked to a bank instead of a button, which is what the extra row of buttons on most controllers is good for.