LIVE: Build Your Custom MIDI Controller in 2026 — From Idea to PCB, Firmware & Enclosure
An English livestream walkthrough of MIDI controller layout, 32 potentiometers with multiplexers, LED strips, motorized faders, KiCad PCB and enclosure design.
Tutorials, reviews and DIY projects about MIDI controllers, Arduino and music production. Learn how to choose your gear, build your own controls and improve your setup.
Browse the posts
An English livestream walkthrough of MIDI controller layout, 32 potentiometers with multiplexers, LED strips, motorized faders, KiCad PCB and enclosure design.
A Portuguese livestream walkthrough of MIDI controller design, from board inputs and multiplexers to firmware, LED feedback, KiCad PCB, panel graphics and enclosure.
A compact custom MIDI controller for Filipe Ret uses three arcade buttons and three potentiometers for live vocal control.
Build a Pro Micro DJ MIDI controller with two encoders, five pots, five arcade buttons, a fitted enclosure, debug-first firmware, and Traktor mappings.
Build a sensor MIDI controller with an LDR and accelerometer: calibrate light and motion, then map a hand sweep to a filter and tilt to an air scratch.
Build an Arduino MIDI controller with four potentiometers and twelve buttons: layout, B10K wiring, enclosure dimensions, debug firmware and Ableton Live mapping.
Turn a shoebox and reused controls into an Arduino MIDI project, then configure the control counts and pins and map the result in Ableton Live.
A practical tour of the Traktorino DJ MIDI controller: deck controls, mixer, encoder layers, LED feedback, USB MIDI, and modular open-source construction.
A launch livestream documents the Traktorino’s DJ layout, USB MIDI and LED feedback, Pro Micro with two multiplexers, modular enclosure, and open-source rationale.
Meet Traktorino 2.0, an Arduino DJ MIDI controller with thirteen illuminated buttons, three faders, ten pots, an encoder and configurable LED colours.
Explore all ten projects in this MIDI Innovation Awards 2025 reaction, including Anukari, DataBass, Morphonium, Azoteq, Demon Box and Roto-Control.
Dr. Hugo Flores explains VampNet, custom sound palettes, Token Telephone and live AI instruments built around sound design and performance.
Understand expressive MIDI controllers through MPE, pressure, position, Hall-effect and optical sensors, and the relationship between gesture and sound.
Follow an Arduino DJ MIDI controller prototype through PCB assembly, switch clearances, fader footprints and the mechanical fixes needed for the next revision.
Choose DIY MIDI controller components by electrical values, dimensions, shaft and footprint. Compare manufacturer part numbers across Mouser, DigiKey and LCSC.
Discover how Drumbeam combines position, velocity, a multitouch sensor, LED segments and ESP32 browser configuration in an expressive MIDI controller for drummers.
Explore Demon Box with its creator: electromagnetic sensing, the inductor array, audio and control connections, and the evolution of a new instrument.
Build a Raspberry Pi Pico MIDI controller with an LDR and fidget spinner: Arduino IDE setup, TinyUSB MIDI, 3.3 V wiring, calibration and musical mapping.
Discover MIDIhex, an isomorphic MIDI keyboard with Hall-effect key sensing, velocity, microtonal layouts and custom mechanical design.
Follow the L1V3 Box MIDI routing workflow: destinations, filters, MIDI Learn conditions, reverse CC and an Octatrack break-and-drop performance example.
Explore the L1V3 Box programmable MIDI router with Pascal: Lua rules, USB host, routing, an Octatrack performance example and the prototype development.
Explore ten MIDI Innovation Awards 2024 projects, from foot control and magnetic sequencing to expressive drums, isomorphic keys and proximity sensing.
Build and play the CircuitMess Synthia DIY sampler and sequencer kit, with soldering, control tests, pattern editing and the limits noticed during sampling.
Build and configure the OpenMIDIStomper Arduino MIDI foot controller: eight banks, a switch matrix, expression inputs and browser-generated message presets.
Design a MIDI controller enclosure in Fusion 360: measure the board, constrain mounting holes and export a laser-cut acrylic base through DXF and SVG.
Learn how a rotary encoder works, why interrupts help read it, and how Arduino can turn its movement into MIDI messages.
Learn the idea behind the One Knob Universal Controller, which uses a physical knob as a mouse control for adjusting on-screen parameters.
Explore ten 2024 Guthman finalists, from a sound-making table and a circle guitar to tactile vocal tools and motion-driven instruments.
See how Faduino combines a motorized fader, buttons and an encoder in a MIDI control surface for a DAW.
Learn how a potentiometer connects to an Arduino analog input and how its reading can become a MIDI Control Change message.
See how a Mini Moog-style DIY MIDI controller can provide hands-on control of software synths and effects in an Ableton Live template.
How the ERAE Touch turns finger position and pressure into MIDI expression, and what to consider before choosing this kind of controller.
A look at the GIGA R1 WiFi's processor, connections and audio hardware for makers planning a music project.
What the GX49 does well, where its controls reach their limits, and how to get started with MIDI input and mapping in Ableton Live.
A review of the SHIK N32B kit, its 32 assignable knobs, buttons, display, and setup workflow.
A practical look at the Orca Mini 25's mini keys, RGB pads, knobs and touch strips, with the trade-offs that matter in a compact MIDI setup.
What the Panda Mini's mini keys, pads, knobs and sliders offer, plus the build and connection trade-offs to consider.
Try another search or browse all posts.