MIDI controllers have been a mainstay in music studios and on stage for decades. However, while most musicians use MIDI controllers to play digital instruments like synthesizers, many guitar players are starting to discover the many sonic possibilities that integrating a MIDI controller into a pedalboard can deliver.
MIDI controllers offer numerous opportunities for guitar players to streamline their setups and make switching between different effects easier and more efficient. The only problem is that if you want to take advantage of the many benefits of MIDI pedalboard integration, you’ll need to make sure you know what you’re doing.
Whether you’re looking for a better way to control your pedalboard or simply want to experiment, here is everything you need to know about how to integrate a MIDI controller into your pedalboard.
Before getting into the details of how to combine MIDI controllers with a guitar effects pedalboard, it’s essential to understand precisely what a MIDI controller is and what MIDI stands for in the first place.
MIDI, or Musical Instrument Digital Interface, is a digital language that allows MIDI controllers to communicate with computers and other digital devices. This may seem complex, but the most important thing to understand is that MIDI controllers are not instruments. They are just controllers that take your inputs and send them to the computer or digital instrument you are playing.
Let’s compare a piano and a MIDI keyboard as an example. While pressing a piano key creates sound as the hammer hits the string, a MIDI keyboard makes no sound at all. Instead, when you press a key of a MIDI keyboard, it simply sends information about which key you pressed to the digital synthesizer, which then uses that information to produce the right note.
MIDI is simply information, and you can use MIDI controllers to control any type of MIDI-compatible devices, whether that’s a digital instrument, an effects pedal, or even stage lighting.
The main advantage of using MIDI with your pedalboard is to increase efficiency, which in turn can create new sonic possibilities to explore.
Let’s say you need to switch multiple effects pedals on or off all at once. Usually, you would have to hit every pedal individually in quick succession, but this is difficult and inefficient. Instead, you could program a MIDI controller to send a message to these pedals, switching them on and off simultaneously with a single input, thereby streamlining the entire process.
Another advantage of integrating MIDI controllers into your board is that you can use change the an effects pedal’s setting without manually turning each knob. This means that you can switch between different preset settings on the same pedal at the press of a button, adding a ton more control and versatility to your pedalboard.
The bad news is that MIDI controllers aren’t compatible with every single type of effects pedal. They can only directly interact with MIDI-compatible pedals, but that doesn’t necessarily mean that you’re entirely out of luck if you own non-MIDI pedals.
If you want to use your non-MIDI compatible pedals with a MIDI controller, you’ll need a loop switcher and multiple effects loops. Essentially, you can set up your non-MIDI pedals into one or numerous effects loops and then use the MIDI controller to control the loop switcher, which will switch between these effects loops.
While this doesn’t allow you to control each pedal individually, it enables you to keep your non-MIDI pedals usable in your rig while also taking advantage of the increased functionality that comes with using a MIDI controller with your MIDI-compatible effects pedals.
Setting up a MIDI pedalboard works similarly to setting up a standard pedalboard, with the addition of one extra step. First, simply organize your pedal chain into whatever order you desire.
Once you have your pedal chain, simply plug a MIDI cable into the MIDI output of your controller and then into the MIDI input of the first pedal in your chain. Then, take another MIDI cable, plug it into the MIDI Thru of your first pedal, and connect it to the MIDI In of your next pedal. Repeat this process until you reach the end of your pedal chain.
In most cases, it is really that simple. However, there are a few common issues to be aware of. Some pedals only have a MIDI in and no MIDI thru. In this case, all you need to do is place this pedal at the end of your MIDI chain.
On the other hand, some effects pedals have MIDI ports that differ from the standard five-pin type. If this is the case, all you need to do is acquire a MIDI box that you can place between the controller and your effects pedal. This MIDI box will convert a five-pin to whatever other type of MIDI in you need to connect to.
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