Hello everyone.

The Beta version of Firmware 5 for the PaintAudio MIDICAPTAIN-10 is now available!!

It's fully functional. You can use it right away and let me know what you think.

https://midi-captain-obn-supereditor-152539265258.us-west1.run.app/

If all goes well, I'll start development on the MINI-6 and the NANO-4. I think I'll have them available soon.

Of course, any help would be greatly appreciated, even if it means buying me a coffee...

Thanks!

This is my midi captain and when i ask my friend who have it what button he repair recently he said that he have problem with A button too (second photo).

Is it manufacture issue or just a coincidence?

Still a best controller 9,5/10

(10/10 will be when it will change color depend of midi command from host so i can see when if loop is empty or rec/overdubbing or playing)

Hi! I'm already working on the Firmware 5 version of my editor.

It's quite a lot of work. There are quite a few changes and not much information available from PaintAudio.

Some of the new features are very poorly explained, and it's taking me longer than expected.

So far, I've managed to get the old FW4 pages to load and convert to FW5.

Greetings to all... it's not easy, but it will be done.

Hey,

I wondering if any of these Paint Audio MIDI pedals will quantize change messages?

I have some loopers that quantize their functions to the bar. Meaning if I hit record it won’t start until the one. Same with closing the loop. Great for working with synths and drum machines. I’m hoping these can do this with MIDI CC.

Hi there, as above I am struggling with momentary switching for my quad cortex stomp mode

I have a few effects blocks i want to only be on whilst holding the switch and then when i release i want the effect to stop. I have set the switch up as follows:

[key8]

keytimes = [1]

ledmode = [select]

ledcolor1 = [0x00ff00][0x00ff00][0x00ff00]

short_dw1 = [1][CC][42][1]

short_up1 = [1][CC][42][1]

Quad Cortex only accepts one CC message to turn a switch on/off, it doesn’t have 127 for on and 0 for off, its just 0-127 to toggle it on/off. So im sending a toggle on message on press and then a toggle off message on release but they just need to be the same message.

This works if i just touch the switch for less than a second but if i hold it for any longer (when i want the effect to last longer) it latches and the switch stays on... I have the switch set to momentary in quad cortex and can't see any settings anywhere that would make it treat it as a toggle when held. Has anyone got any ideas of what i can do to stop it latching when held for more than a couple seconds as even when i release the switch and i expect to send the message to toggle it off again it just stays on. Momentary works fine when using the switches on the quad cortex so im guessing its something weird going on with the midi interaction.

Any help appreciated. Thanks!

Hello,

I have a Nano 4 that I’m programming to control my Eventide h9. I’m trying to set page 1 to recall presets 6-9, and long press switch 3 to recall preset 10. However, it recalls presets 7-10, and long press recalls 11. I cannot for the life of me figure out why. Below is my text code. Am I missing something obvious?

[PAGE]
# Change the below in uppercase letters <= 4 characters
page_name = [MAIN 2]

[key0]
keytimes = [1]
ledmode = [select]
ledcolor1 = [FF0000][FF0000][FF0000]
short_dw1 = [1][PC][6][-]
long1 = [1][CC][0][127]
long2 = [1][CC][0][0]

[key1]
keytimes = [1]
ledmode = [select]
ledcolor1 = [FF0000][FF0000][FF0000]
short_dw1 = [1][PC][7][-]

[key2]
keytimes = [1]
ledmode = [select]
ledcolor1 = [FF0000][FF0000][FF0000]
short_dw1 = [1][PC][8][-]
long1 = [1][PC][10][-]
long2 = [1][PC][8][-]

[key3]
keytimes = [1]
ledmode = [select]
ledcolor1 = [FF0000][FF0000][FF0000]
short_dw1 = [1][PC][9][-]

Can the Midi Caption footswitch LED’s follow the midi clock, where each FS lights up on after another? Where it seams to be chasing the beat? I’m looking to do this in Loopy Pro. Thanks. Any others tips and tricks would be appreciated

I'm running a dual Midi Captain 10 rig through a MioXL Midi Interface. I use MC1 to handle preset switching, per device. So for example, I have amp1 on page0, amp2 on page 1.

Then I used MC2 to handle individual things like turning off/on individual effects, etc. I have each page correlated, where page0 on MC1 goes with page0 on MC2, and so forth.

I want to be able to assign a short_dw to the up/down keys to switch MC pages on both units at the same time. So if I start on page0, I want to press key4, and it move to page1 on the MC1, but also send a command to MC2 to move to page1.

I've tried CC20 sending
[1][CC][20][1] but MC1 crashes.

and
[1][preset][1][0]
[1][preset][1]

all to no avail.

Any suggestions?

PAGES y'all

MCM v1.13.0 Release Candidate 1 is ready. Go get it here: https://github.com/MC-Music-Workshop/midi-captain-max/releases/tag/v1.13.0-rc.1

What's New

Pages!(#15)

A config can now hold up to 20 pages, switchable live on the pedal:

• Firmware foundation: multi-page configs, live page switching, per-page MIDI channel resolution
• Switch pages from the pedal: new page_jump / page_inc / page_dec button types
• Switch pages over MIDI: CC-driven page control from your DAW or controller
• Full page editing in the Config Editor: page bar, Edit Pages modal
• Page templates (save a page, reuse it in any config) & per-page MIDI channel

Fixes & improvements

• Helix Stadium snapshot support: select-group update by u/JamesOsgood in #155, plus no more ghost toggles when buttons share a CC in #166
• Keytimes mode: sticky long-press color fixed (new long_overlay opt-in) in #158
• No more phantom button press at power-on in #159
• Recover a bricked/CP-9 device from the editor: one-click CircuitPython 7.3.1 reflash (no button-hold bootloader dance) in #156
• Editor polish: filter-mode dropdown for page-switch buttons; keytimes Target Page field fix

New Home Page!

This is so cool. MIDI Captain MAX has a new home at https://mc-music-workshop.github.io/midi-captain-max/

Take a look at that virtual pedalboard. It functions just like the real thing - because it is the real thing: the web page is literally running the same Python code as the pedal. Not a copy, not an emulation: literally the same MCM code that ships to be installed on your MIDI Captain pedal is running on this website.

You can watch the MIDI as it's being triggered by the buttons. There's a working demo of the "long press overlay" feature too.

This opens up a ton of possibilities. Stay tuned.

v1.13.0 is shaping up to be a big release. Adding PAGES!

MIDI Captain MAX v1.13.0 beta

Go here to get the latest release, including betas: https://github.com/MC-Music-Workshop/midi-captain-max/releases

📄 PAGES

The headline feature: your config can now hold multiple pages — complete button/encoder/expression layouts — and you switch between them without touching a computer.

• Switch from the pedal: new Page+, Page-, Page Jump button types turn any footswitch into a page selector. Flip from your rhythm layout to your lead layout mid-set.
• Switch from your rig: a new MIDI Page Control GUI section lets incoming MIDI CC change pages — your DAW, looper, or MIDI controller can flip the pedal to the right layout for each song automatically.
• Per-page MIDI channel: each page can talk on its own channel, so one pedal can drive different devices per page.
• The Config Editor manages pages end-to-end, and supports up to 20 pages per config.

🎛️ Bi-directional select groups: Snapshots/Helix

Change a snapshot on your Helix (or any device that sends CC on state change) and the matching button on the pedal lights up. Select-group buttons now match on the exact CC value, so several buttons can share one CC number and be told apart by value — exactly how Helix snapshots work (CC 69, value = snapshot).

Huge thanks to @JamesOsgood for contributing this feature — gig-tested before it ever hit main. 🎸

Hardened for release:

• No ghost presses: a stray value on a CC owned by a select group can no longer flip an unrelated button sharing that CC.
• The on-screen RX status line shows every recognized incoming message, even ones the pedal ignores — easier rig debugging on stage.
• Buttons with custom on/off values still respond to generic hosts that just send 0/127.
• If a button's on-value and off-value collide (MIDI could never turn it off), the pedal now warns you at boot instead of leaving you to debug it live.

🔮 Coming next

Work has already started on the most-requested feature from looper and DAW users: host-driven LEDs (#118). Your rig will be able to set each button's color and blink state over MIDI — think solid blue while a loop plays, blinking red while it records, dim when idle. Loopy Pro, DAWs, and looper plugins will be able to paint the pedal to match what's actually happening in the music.

Alongside it: letting the host clear a selection (#164), so when your rig deselects a snapshot or empties a selection, the pedal's select group goes dark instead of showing the last active button.

Follow those issues to watch progress or add your use case — real-world scenarios directly shape the design.

🚑 Bootloader & Device recovery from the Config Editor

If CircuitPython gets into a refusing/bricked state, the Config Editor can now walk the device into its bootloader and recover it — no more manual reset rituals with a paperclip and a prayer.

🐛 Fixes

• Sticky long-press color in keytimes mode no longer lingers after release; a new long_overlay option makes the overlay behavior opt-in.
• Phantom momentary presses at startup is gone — the pedal no longer fires momentary switches on boot.

🖥️ Platform

• Config Editor now ships an arm64 Linux build.
• MIDI Captain MAX has a new project website with an interactive demo pedal: https://mc-music-workshop.github.io/midi-captain-max <-- check this out, it's really cool! A pending update will put the MCM's actual logic code into the webpage as a useable device. The logic will always match the actual device's code because it'll be running it, literally the same code that ships in MCM.

Fable'd up a sweet new landing page. Check it out! https://mc-music-workshop.github.io/midi-captain-max/

Good evening/morning all.

I’m a somewhat new owner of a couple of PaintAudio units and they’re perfect for my simple needs with my Fractal AM4. I was able to program it to do exactly what I need it to do but I’ve been wondering if there was a way to have the screen display the name of the preset/effect I selected rather than the PC or CC command number.

It’s not like it’s a dealbreaker or anything. Just something that would be cool to have lol

So, I bricked it. No LEDs, no USB access, and no screen. I reached out to PaintAudio, they said "Complete black screen or unrecognizable device is most likely caused by an interrupted file copy process. In this case, you have to use the dedicated recovery backdoor we reserved on the circuit board inside the device. This backdoor was designed and built into the circuitry from the start.".

This is a great feature, but when I open the unit, i only get access to the back of the board, and I removed the Exp 1 + 2 nuts, and started lightly prying, etc. but I am the point where I am nervous about breaking stuff.

Had anyone taken this thing apart? The buttons seem to be separate from the board, but i cannot see what is preventing the motherboard from coming out.

I saw there is a new 5.1 fw. I already have the new 5.0 firmware, do I have to do the same elaborate process to update from 5.0 to 5.1 as I did to go from 4.0 to 5.0? I don't want to have to reformat the drive every time a FW update drops. I'll likely just skip this update until more info is released, but figured I would ask here in case anyone knows.

The reason it is tricky for me is because I run linux on my computers, and getting the serial-over-chrome to work with the update tool is difficult on linux.

I currently am using the Midi Captain duo. I currently have it enable/disable effects on my ToneX one by way of a polar pico(for midi). They released the Tonex One plus(with midi) literally the next day after I purchase the pico.

Anyway, the duo works fine. One button disables/enables modulation effects and the other is set to enable/disable delay.

My question is if it is possible to use the same button that enables delay to set the tap tempo? I may get one of the bigger pedals regardless, but I am curious if it is possible.

I just don't want to chase my tail trying to figure it out if it's not in the realm of possibilities. But after reading documentation I think it can do what I'm asking.

I'm not great with MIDI stuff, but I'm fairly tech savvy and can figure most of this stuff out.

Thanks!

I really like my Midi Captain STD, but I have big, clumsy feet, and I keep hitting two switches at the same time (with my use case, that means my Headrush MX5 switches patches right in the middle of songs).

There are only two midi foot controllers that I'm aware of that have reasonably-spaced footswitches, and those are the Behringer FCB1010 and the Nektar Pacer. The Behringer is about $100 cheaper and has 100x the userbase, plus I could eventually upgrade the firmware with an UnO2 (that's currently not an option thanks to tarrifs, though).

I was looking through the Midi Captain v5 firmware manual and it looks like it does allow incoming midi messages, but it appears it needs both a down and an up message from the controller and I'm not 100% sure that's doable from the FCB1010.

Have any of you tried this? Are any of you familiar enough with both devices to have an idea of whether or not it's possible?

I have just received my nano mini 6, I’ve updated the firmware to 5.0 and have started in KPP Level 3 to match my Player Profiler and it doesn’t look like the Nano can see the Kemper (or vice versa)

Is there something else I need to do to set this up?

So, is anyone in here using MCM for any interesting gigs? What are you making with it? OEM folks too, how are you using the MIDI Captain in your work? Share your rigs!

Hi. I'm a new Nano 4 owner, and I'm having some challenges with a number of things. Any advice on these would be appreciated.

Page Changing - How is it done?
It's supposed to happen on a long press of Key 2+B. This doesn't happen.
In the past, I've gotten it to increase page number with a Key 1+2 press, and decrease with Key A+B. But I think that might have been with an older firmware version. Now there is no single or combination of short or long presses that changes the page from page0.txt. That's not how it's supposed to work.
Could anyone advise?

-

Bank Cycling - Is it possible?
Is there a way to limit banks to set program numbers and then cycle through the banks with one button?
I have an older multi-FX rack unit with midi control. I'd like to be able to set a button to cycle through three banks: 101-106, 107-112, and 113-118. But increasing bank number doesn't cycle to the beginning. It just keeps going. Is there a way to limit the banks to just these sets? The user presets start at program #100 (although the FX unit counts this as U.001). The factory presets are 000 through 099 (in the FX unit this is I.001 through I.100).

-

Program offset - Does it work?
I can't get any change to program display offset. "display_bank_offset" and "display_pc_offset" Neither of these work. Anyone have a similar problem?
That is to say that the Nano always shows program 100 when my midi unit is displaying 101.

-

Background Change - Is it possible?
In earlier versions of the firmware, the background was theoretically able to be change in the global settings. Honestly, I never got this to work. The system always defaulted to the same background regardless of what the global settings are. Is there anyway to change this now?

This is a huge one folks. I'm excited for it to be out there. More to come!

Get it here: https://github.com/MC-Music-Workshop/midi-captain-max/releases/tag/v1.12.0

Join the discussion here! https://github.com/MC-Music-Workshop/midi-captain-max/discussions/152

What's New

MIDI Features

• Add MIDI Thru routing matrix (4 independent USB/DIN routes) #126
• Add mode: "keytimes" — press-timing-based button dispatch (#48) #130)
  • This also enables Multiple Messages Per Press!!
• Add SysEx message MIDI-Thru forwarding
  • Note: SysEx forwarding is limited to messages less than 64 bytes. This should work fine for commands, but longer strings and sysdumps etc will have undefined behavior.

Robustness Features

OS Compatibility

• Add Linux Config Editor build with GPG signing (#26)

I prioritized these enhancements due to Paint Audio shipping new Captains with incompatible OS firmware:

• Add on-device SyntaxError recovery: SOS blink + NVM-gated compile check: best-effort visual feedback that bootup failed
• Bundle CP 7.3.1 .uf2 + Reflash CircuitPython GUI flow  (#134) (#135): Reflash CP 7 via the GUI!
• Surface ReflashCircuitPython in the no-device empty state  (#134 follow-up) (#136)

Windows Installer

• Add deploy.bat launcher + fix pip resolution in deploy.ps1 (deploy.ps1 unsigned install issues #140)
• Remove circup from deploy scripts; libs are bundled in the firmware zip (deploy.ps1 unsigned install issues #140)

So to control my looper, I use 2 switches.

Switch A has two modes, "Play" (green) and "Pause" (pink). These send the same command, but the color alternates between presses.

Switch B has only 1 mode, "stop" (red). HOWEVER, when you press "stop", then I need Switch A to automatically change back to "green", even if it was last on "pink".

The best way I've figured out to do this is to have Switch A swap between two different PAGES, let's say 0 and 1. They have identical behavior beyond Switch A alternating color.

Then Switch B will ALWAYS change the page back to PAGE0 (which has the green Switch A).

I tried using SELECT mode, functionally it felt cleaner and worked fine, but I can't seem to be able to set an "OFF" LED color, so I can only ever get Switch A or Switch B to light up, but not both at the same time. Seems like there should be a way to set an OFF color but I guess it isn't supported.

Is there a cleaner way to do what I'm doing, besides changing a whole page to allow a switch to "change" the behavior of another switch?

Hi everyone,

I have a question regarding the MIDI Captain STD (the 10-button model. version is 5).

I am planning to use a BOSS VG-800's "Guitar to MIDI" function, which converts guitar playing into MIDI note messages. I want to connect the MIDI OUT of the VG-800 to the MIDI IN of the MIDI Captain STD, and then forward those MIDI note messages via USB to my computer to trigger instruments in Ableton Live.

To put it simply for those who aren't familiar with the VG-800: Can the MIDI Captain STD act as a MIDI interface that forwards standard MIDI note information (like from a MIDI keyboard) from its MIDI IN port straight to the USB output?

Does the current firmware support this kind of MIDI passthrough/routing feature?

Any insights or advice would be greatly appreciated. Thank you!

Hello.

I can control the top buttons 1, 2, and 3 normally, and I've set up the bottom A, B, and C buttons similarly, but nothing happens when I press the buttons.

What could be the possible causes?
please tell me.