Satoshi Kajii has released micPad, available for $2.99.
Touchscreen finger-drumming on an iPad often feels stiff and robotic because standard iPad displays can’t measure how hard or soft you strike the screen. micPad, a clever utility app by Satoshi Kajii, solves this problem with an acoustic approach: it uses your iPad’s built-in microphone to detect the physical impact of your taps and translate them into expressive MIDI performance data in real time.
When you tap your fingers on the glass or frame of your iPad, it produces a distinct acoustic transient. micPad monitors this tap noise through the internal microphone, instantly calculating its intensity and translating it into standard MIDI velocity values (0–127). The result? Tapping gently plays a soft, subtle note, while striking the screen harder triggers full velocity—giving software synths and drum kits authentic, nuanced dynamics.
To prevent audio feedback from interfering with the microphone’s tap detection, micPad requires listening via headphones connected to your iPad.
While micPad functions as a standalone app with its own internal device manager, it really shines as an AUv3 (Audio Unit v3) plugin. You can insert it into popular iOS audio hosts like AUM or Loopy Pro. Simply route micPad into an audio track receiving the iPad mic’s input, map its MIDI output to your favorite synth or sampler, and start playing dynamically.
Features include:
- Acoustic Velocity Engine: Uses the iPad’s internal microphone to measure physical tap noise and dynamically control MIDI velocity.
- 9 Fully Assignable Pads: Customize each pad to send any MIDI note number for drum kit layouts or custom melodic scales.
- AUv3 & Standalone Modes: Use it seamlessly inside iOS DAWs (AUM, Loopy Pro) or as a standalone MIDI generator.
- MIC Toggle Switch: Easily switch off microphone sensing to lock all pads to a uniform, fixed velocity (default: 64).
- Real-time Transpose Slider: Transpose assigned MIDI notes up or down instantly across all pads on the fly.
- Edit & Play Modes: Toggle quickly between editing pad pitch assignments and playing live.
- Bank & Preset System: Create bank folders, save custom kit presets, and import/export preset files in standalone mode.
For more information on micPad, click here:
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