Paint Audio MIDI Captain Foot Controller Multi-Effects Keyboards Synthesizer USB-MIDI musical software Bias with Time Engine Function Support all PC/CC/Note commander 10 Foot Switches (Blue)

I’ve tried several different controllers over the years, most of them in the $400+ range. I was honestly a little skeptical going into this, but I’ve been really happy with this MIDI controller. For anyone considering it for a church/worship setting using Ableton Live in Arrangement View, here are my thoughts. My specific needs: These aren’t anything crazy, but I couldn’t find them all together on a single controller until now: - Pedal-style footswitch. Our MD is a guitar player, so this style was really important to us. - Flexible button assignments. Some buttons needed to send MIDI notes while others needed to toggle channels on/off in Ableton. - Visual indicators. Lights on the pedal that clearly show whether a toggle is on or off. Initial impressions: This thing feels very solid. It has an all-metal housing and metal buttons, and overall it feels well built. The display is small, but still readable. The functionality is honestly way beyond anything I’ll probably ever need, but once I got it dialed in for our setup I was extremely happy with it. Initial setup: There is definitely a bit of a learning curve if you’re trying to configure it for something specific like I was. I found that Super Mode worked best for our needs. Editing on a Mac was a little unusual at first, but not overly difficult. Most of the MIDI messages and coding I needed were easy to find with a quick Google search. Ableton compatibility: Ableton recognized it right away. All I had to do was enable Remote for the input in Ableton’s MIDI settings and it was ready to go. You will still need to configure the controller itself before mapping things in Ableton, but once that’s done it works great. For comparison, we’ve used a Looptimus pedal for about eight years. The MIDI Captain is definitely more complex and not nearly as plug-and-play, but the Looptimus simply couldn’t do the things I listed above. At this point, I honestly can’t imagine there’s much you could want to do that this controller wouldn’t be capable of.

I ordered this device because it is far more compact than my old Behringer MIDI Controller, and seemed to be the best value at this price point. I needed something that could be programmed in various configurations for my Headrush LooperBoard and possibly also for my Headrush MX-5. So I needed more programming flexibility than other controllers in this price range often have. When I first received the MIDI captain, the text-file based programming seemed a bit daunting. But I quickly learned the setup system (it turns out that it wasn't nearly as complicated as it at first seemed) and was able to get it up and running right away. I had a bit of a disappointment when I learned that "Bank up and down" buttons only changed PC codes, not CC codes. That meant that I was limited to 8 CC codes (or 10 if I reprogrammed the Up/Down buttons). The Looperboard uses only CC codes, so I was hoping to have multiple pages of CC codes to switch between. HOWEVER! I emailed their tech support and asked if there was a way to configure it to meet my needs. I got a very prompt response from Wilson, the owner of PaintAudio, and he agreed to make a new version of the firmware to meet my needs. I just installed that new version today, and it is GREAT! It still does everything the old version did, but now has a "geek mode" that lets you configure up to 6 simultaneous PC, CC, and note codes for each button press AND release, and allows for 16 pages/banks of these! Best of all, these changes can be made directly on the device, so there's no need to plug it into a computer to adjust settings anymore. I am incredibly impressed with this customer service and with the new possibilities opened up by this new firmware.

My needs were simple. Got this to replace an ancient ROLLS Midi-Buddy controller from min-90s's for use with a new guitar head, a Hughs&Kettner Deluxe 40 with in-board EFX, I needed a way to set up and save my settings/patches across multiple banks, for different songs/sets and the old ROLLS pedal was rapidly going south, either not sending PC commands or sending wrong one which is very bad when you are playing in front of 150 people (bad switching can totally blow a lead break, etc.). So I picked up a PA MIDICaptain in Blue and it solved all those problems. It is sort of a bear to program but read the docs, watch the online video for Geek Mode (what I needed) and experiment. Took me about 3 hours from opening box to having all basic programming tasks complete. Still, it does need better documentation. Basically, what I has to do was just go into Geek Mode and set up each button with a PC event, using same channel the ROLLS was on (Channel 1) and the program number for Bank. I also changed my opening screen to a custom one I created and set it for all lights on (I am using it with a 9V 1A supply shared with my CryBaby Wah). So far, it has been rock-solid and reliable and I am very happy with it. I do not have any problems with the button spacing (use the clear toppers from PA!) and it has a much smaller overall footprint, I may check out the wireless option but I don' see much need for it. Interesting though. What I do think PA should do is make a custom case for it with compartments for a 20' MIDI cable, Power supply the two extra clear toppers.

OK, I'm not a programming expert, and an a complete newbie with MIDI. I'm a guitar player and bought Amplitube at the holiday rate. I love it BTW. I was excited in watching videos on how easy it is to use with MIDI. A perfect solution to play while traveling...... No go for me. I spent a day and a half trying to get this to work. When I used the "learn" feature in Amplitube it would let me assign 3 foot switches and then it would duplicate CC#s it trying to learn more which messed up the whole preset. There is no software for this to help. It has "geek mode" which must be for programming nerds because I couldn't' get it to work by changing the CC# in "geek mode" to match the corresponding number I assigned in amplitube (click on the CC# and drag up or down). So I thought, well, maybe I should update the firmware. I didn't do this initially as it looks like the last update was in April of last year and my unit had the same version. Just for the heck of it I followed the directions to update the firmware. YES I had saved a copy of the license folder from 1st start up and used that in the firmware update. Now the unit is bricked. When I attempt to copy the updated files I get an error that says the operation can't be completer because "code.py" can't be read or written. The screen on the unit is black. I wanted to love it. It's sturdy and looks like it's built to last. Again, I'm no expert, but after a day and a half learning midi programing and watching you tube vids I feel like I should have a unit fully set up and be rocking again.... I tried emailing their support with no reply. There's also no way to chat or call them for tech support. If there were a 0 star rating, I'd still give it a 1 because of the build quality.

There's a lot to love about this pedal. But there are a few small areas for improvement that buyers should know in advance. None of these are deal breakers. And it's hard to find *anything* with the capabilities and versatility this midi pedal offers. Read the other reviews, watch the many YT videos praising this pedal to learn what's great about it (those videos are all 100% right). And to be clear, none of my complaints make me regret my purchase. But here are a couple things that keep me from giving this 5 stars. First, let's talk about the midi ports. IDK why, but the ports are slightly further apart than midi ports usually are. Why does this matter? Because if you're going to use anything other than the Paint Audio wireless midi adapter, you're going to find that it barely fits. The cable between the two is stretched to the point it's going to break quickly with repeated use. To use a standard wireless midi adapter you're going to need to use an extension cable or adapter, which is unnecessary, inelegant, and inconvenient. Now, let's talk about batteries. It doesn't come with an internal battery, which just seems a little cheap at this price point. But, you can use your own rechargeable AAs. In a way, that's a nice feature, because in theory you could quickly swap batteries at a gig if you forgot to charge it at home (more on why this fails below). It even has a setting that allows you to charge the batteries over USB while installed in the device. That's great. But here's where it gets weird. That feature only works when the device is turned on. You can't charge the batteries inside the pedal with the device off. Ok, so take the batteries out for charging. Well, that gets weird too. The battery compartment is poorly designed IMO. On mine, one battery easily slides out, but it runs into the retainer spring before you can pull it free. It's like the hinge on the battery door doesn't fold back far enough. So you have to wrestle with the battery a little to get it out. But the other battery... it won't slide out at all. It's like the sleeve that holds it in is a hair too tight. No amount of shaking will dislodge the battery. The only way to remove it is to grab a tool and pull it out. I can't imagine doing this in the middle of a gig. I will say, normal alkaline batteries slide out easily. It's only my rechargeable ones that have this problem. I've noticed before that rechargeables all seem to be a fraction of a mm wider than non-rechargeables. But in any case, the battery compartment should accommodate all AA batteries. My last critique is more of a feature request. I'm using this in "Geek Mode" which manages to be both super customizable and incredibly intuitive and easy. But there's one setting missing in Geek Mode that I wish were there. There's no way to set the inactive color of the footswitch LEDs. You can set the color of the active state of each button, but when the button is off, so is the LED. It looks like you can change this in "Super Mode" but I haven't gotten into that yet. I just wish we had one more setting for the button LED so you could set one color for "on" and different color for "off." If you're reading this and thinking, "man, this guy is really picking nits," you're right, I am. None of these critiques should prevent you from buying this pedal. The fact that these are the only things I have to complain about says that Paint Audio got everything else about this pedal right. Overall this is a great pedal. It solved a problem for me in a way that almost feels magical. I wanted a way to control my band's video playlist live during shows without going full Ableton/backing tracks/etc. It's a bespoke need that there just wasn't an easy out of the box solution for. Using the Midi Captain in Geek mode, I got it all setup and working in a few minutes. It's a brilliant device and I'm very happy with my purchase. There are just a few minor things that are preventing me from giving it a five star review.

Love this thing - especially in supermode, which is basic text files - so easy to setup the way I need with my various pieces of midi-enabled gear. PC, CC, midi notes, and HID controls - all there! I believe some people had a hard time getting going with this. Just invest the hour to read the manuals (the user guide and supermode), do a couple trial runs, and you'll get the hang of it in no time. Using it w/ ableton, aeros studio looper, guitar tabs pro, and a few other things. Great value for the money!

Had one disappointment. Discovered that the black one doesn’t have wireless. I had an old 5 pin BTle transmitter that worked. My old Roland expression pedal worked. Rechargeable AA batteries worked. I also had rechargeable 12 volt batteries and the adapter plugged in. Also it has usb B data and power. This addressed all my needs as compared to my old BlueBoard and KMI 12 step. Mostly metal and sturdy. One review claimed he broke two of the buttons but didn’t describe how he did it. Update: Tech support helped me restore after it failed after sitting for 6 months. The procedure was to reformat and copy the files back to the drive

The reviews are pretty unfair with this one. This is a product for high skilled people woth midi programming. Not user friendly in general terms, but totally versatile for people with specific midi needs

Das Gerät ist hochwertig verarbeitet und macht durch die beleuchteten LED-Taster auch optisch einiges her. Besonders für Live- und Homestudio-Gitarristen bietet es alle wichtigen Funktionen, die man im Alltag benötigt. Zu den wichtigsten Features gehören: Mehrere frei programmierbare Fußtaster mit LED-Anzeige Senden von MIDI Program Change (PC) und Control Change (CC) Befehlen Unterstützung für verschiedene MIDI-Protokolle (z. B. USB-MIDI und 5-Pin MIDI, je nach Version) Preset- und Bank-Wechsel für schnelles Umschalten Kompatibilität mit gängigen Modelern und Effektgeräten (z. B. Kemper, Helix, Quad Cortex etc.) Kompaktes, roadtaugliches Metallgehäuse Ich bin sehr zufrieden und würde jederzeit erneut kaufen 🤘

Seul produit sur le marché qui soit aussi puissant, souple d'utilisation et compact. La programmation et les mises à jour de Firmware sont un peu foutraque, mais après tout, pas plus que les autres footswitch du même genre (prévoir un doliprane et un peu de motivation). Sinon, preset parfait, bien pensé et "out of the box" pour un Kemper Player. Attention avec les piles rechargeables ! L'affichage devient vite très sombre et l'autonomie est assez limitée. Avec des piles neuves (non rechargeables, donc) on tient dans les 3/4 heures. Par contre la connection direct en USB qui fait à la fois alimentation et liaison midi tout en un, très pratique.

Midi problem solver. Rugged build and versatile. I wanted to let the company know I thought it was great so I sent them an email which I never do. Also, with a suggestion for a future firmware modification. Wilson, the face of the company responded within 20 minutes to thank me and let me know my rather obvious suggestion was already going to be included in the next firmware update. Impressive to say the least. Buy this thing if you need a powerful, inexpensive midi switcher! Don't let the inexpensive part make you think it's not powerful. One thing I needed to do was have the ability through midi to turn on a return in my preamp. This allows a synth sound from my Ipad, triggered by a Fishman Triple play to be routed to the output of the preamp. My combination of gear made a loud pop sound out of the box when I switched in the return if notes were being played. Not very professional. The Midi Captain allowed me to send All notes off to the synth as well as a patch change on switch down, followed by 'return on', then volume change on the return to match the patch volume to the preamp patch, and all notes back on, on the synth on switch up. Kind of convoluted, but no more pop. I've still got several commands left on that switch to dim the lights, trigger pyrotechnics, or make me a drink... no, it won't actually do that last thing. Buy it, it's good!

Ottimo, pratico e robusto

Deciding to buy this was difficult. People either rave about it or talk about horrendous experiences. I have an expanded pedal board based on a Boss ES8 and Morningstar ML5 for 5 extra loops. The ES8 doesn’t quite give me enough footswitches and I’m limited on space. The Morningstar MC6 Pro has fewer switches, is bulkier and costs nearly 3 times the price so I got my Captain delivered yesterday. I am very happy with it. I have 2 banks set up mainly addressing the ML5 and easy access of Source Audio EQ2 presets. I have read no manual but I watched the firmware update video and got all the other information from Scott Uhl’s 22 minute video. Firmware update hit a glitch on my Mac. I got an error transferring the entire update so I did it a folder at a time. Turns out a couple of language files, which I don’t need, were the issue so I left them off. Other issue I encountered, which I also experienced with the ML5 (but fixed by getting a MIDI hub), is that with the ES8 MIDI going through the Captain - ES8 commands weren’t getting to my other devices. This was fixed by putting the Captain MIDI before the ES8. As the Captain is another controller on the board I couldn’t put it through the MIDI hub. Complaints? Well I can’t bring myself to pay £40 for the wireless dongle. Around £25 would be more sensible. Also note - and I realised this after I ordered the STD version so I had to cancel and reorder - the STD version does not have WiFi! For the extra £10 it’s worth having it even if you don’t need it now.