PAINTAUDIO 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 (Gold)

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.

If you are a progreammer and can handle diving into the geek mode then this is a great switch… It has 16 pages that you can setup with 10 controllers per page. I have used the ‘geek mode’ to map to Loopy Pro on my iPad using the USB and also use the MIDI out to control the affects on my amp. Beware though, if you make just one mistake in the setup then the unit will crash out and you will re-installed the code, so make sure you take a backup at each stage. Now it is all setup I totally love this controller and it does everything I need it to. The batteries also last a long time. Great value for money!!!

I’m sure the product itself is amazing- but I never received it. Had to open a case with Amazon and eventually got my money back. Seller never replied to messages

The MIDI Captain is well-made, powerful, versatile, provides great value, and has massive potential to evolve. I'm really rooting for this company to do well with this product. The MIDI Captain can work on a very basic level, allowing you to to control effects, sequencers, and other MIDI gear. It has different modes that will suit different types of users and workflows. The device is also capable of deep, expert-level configuration to do more complex tasks, including sending QWERTY keystrokes, mouse-clicks, and playing back timed sequences of actions. Unfortuately, the documentation is disorganized and not clearly written. For example, the instructions for installing the firmware say "Turn computer off" but it really means turn the MIDI Captain off. There's no way a noob could possibly know that. I think a new user might have trouble sorting through the different downloads and options that are on the website. I'm pretty experienced and it was kind of confusing to me. Be aware that managing data when it is in USB setup mode, all file processes are VERY slow. All the firmware installation tasks, deleting files, copying, emptying trash, ejecting, all take a LONG time-- way longer than you think should be necessary. Be patient. Just wait until it's done. It all works fine, though. And the docs do give accurate warnings about that. The expression pedals inputs are expecting a TRS connector, with the wiper of the potentiometer connected to the RING of the TRS plug (not the tip). If the pedal is wired/connected this way, it works perfectly. If your pedal doesn't work right, you might want to try adapting the cable so that the tip & ring are reversed. The manual makes no mention of this, but it is mentioned in one video. I've seen reviewers complain about the unit, when they've just got the wrong kind of pedal/wiring. I wish Paint Audio would add a proper MIDI NOTE OFF command (as opposed to using NOTE ON, VELOCITY 0). This way you can enter release velocities-- which is good both for synths that support it, but also can be used in other ways. I also wish that each and every command/message could be sent to any combination of MIDI, USB, and MIDI MATE-- even all three. That is how the Ampero Control works, and it's clever. It might make sense for there to be a user forum, but I could see why that's a can of worms. At the moment, it feels a bit like doing a research project to put the whole picture together. OK, after sharing some of the frustrations, I still think this is a fantastic product, and I'm hopeful that it will get more updates and improvements.

I have been using midi interfaces for guitar rigs for years. They are often complex, massive, and limited in functionality. For example the FBV only lets you change led colors when used with factory devices but the user can’t decide color. My previous Meloaudio Midi device could only send cc#69 with a value of 0-3 after a complex firmware upgrade leaving 4-7 orphaned on my device with no option to deep dive program to fix. It was semi-flexible. Others have no usb or midi din5 connection or won’t power with pedalboard standard 9volt input or even battery. This device with latest 3.0 Geek mode allows any cc with any value on button press and depress independently. It will even allow a chain of 6 commands to each press/depress if you like for more complex activity! This device can act as a 16x8 x12 command sending any combination of continuous control, program change, and or midi notes!!!! It literally replaces my big guitar midi pedal, page turner pedal, midi foot note keyboard, and control pad for SampleTank at the simultaneously in a footprint less than 1/2 of my previous guitar foot pedals. Pictures are custom colors (beyond basic rgb as you can see) on this device programmed by me with the great new onscreen interface. Getting the new firmware on the device was as easy as using a usb flash drive!!! Quality is superb all around. Only complaint is the spring on the battery compartment makes it a little awkward when removing/installing batteries but certainly not a deal breaker! I’m definitely going to upgrade to wireless module for 40$ asap!

Likes * Has all of the features I need. * Robust. Recovers from errors very well * Geek mode is the best way to set it up. Works the way you expect. * Excellent value for the money. * For Spark Live, way better than the Control X for about the same cost. Dislikes * Normal mode ( poor documentation.) * Supermode (likewise) Both sound very powerful, but don't deliver. It's still gestating, I guess. * If Normal/Supermode worked as advertised, Definitely 5 stars.

First the positives. The super mode is great in concept and price point is good. The build quality is great and also the lighted switches are highly customizable. The programming aspect via super mode is very customizable and you can program for single press, or cyclical press on press or release etc. However a few things make it difficult to use or cumbersome to use or even unusable/reliable 1. Power issue: my unit suffers from intermittent power loss. My guess is the 9V power jack is not connected properly. when I press on the foot switches sometimes it causes the unit to loose power. I have to wiggle the power cable at the jack to restart it. This makes it very unusable or unreliable for live use. I have reached out to support twice with zero response. 2. the programming for super mode while highly customizable -has to be done tethered to the PC. This is quite cumbersome if you are trying to program on the fly. A way to program it remotely via a phone app or via bluetooth would have been convenient For these issues I am giving it a 1 star rating. There is definitely scope for more improvement. I could have lived with the programming aspect - but the power issue just makes it too unreliable. maybe i received a bad unit.

I bought the MIDI Captain to pair with a few different Multi Effects pedals for guitar. The MIDI Captain has unparalleled functionality and is incredibly versatile. The programming (Even in the 'Advanced Mode' and 'Geek Mode' is extremely intuitive, making this perhaps the most programmable MIDI board around. My favorite thing to pair it with is the MOOER GE 250, Using Geek Mode, I can turn the MOOER into a stomp-box budget Kemper unit. I see absolutely no shortage of crazy cool things you can do with this pedal paired with gear that can take MIDI signals. My only complaint, really, are the switches. They feel noticeably worse than the Switches of standalone guitar pedals, including the GE250 which Ironically also has some pretty awful switches. The tactile response on the click is sub-par, and they feel scratchy even through my shoes. I suspect they will break in over time, because they do seem durable. A way I found to fix the tactile response of the switch is by using FootSwitch Toppers (Also from Mooer).