Control Changes in MIDI—AKA How to Make Your Pedals Actually Do Something

Control changes in MIDI are basically tiny messages fired from pedals, knobs, & sliders that tell your music to get spicy. They also yell at apps like OnSong if you're into that sort of thing.

Type

Wanna set up a control change in the MIDI editor? Cool story bro—pick "Control" in the type section & we'll pretend you know what you're doing.

Channel

The channel is where your MIDI control change gets sent or received. OnSong's got your back & defaults to listenin' on all channels because we're inclusive like that. If you're feelin' fancy, smash the plus & minus buttons to lock it down to one specific channel. You're welcome.

Control

Tap on the "None" option & pick a control to send or receive. OnSong will flex & show you a whole list of control values (0 through 127, yawn) with some of 'em actually named so you're not totally lost.

Pro tip nobody asked for: You can rename controls while pickin' 'em. Just tap "Edit," then tap the control name & boom—you're a wizard now.

Value

Sendin' a control change? You can pick what number to send (0 to 127, because MIDI is obsessed with that range). Slide the slider around like you're playin' DJ, or tap the value on the left to pick from a list like a normal person.

Latching On/Off

Flip this switch & watch it toggle between your fancy configured value & zero every single time you trigger it. Living on the edge? That's us.