# KeyPad MIDI Controller — SFZ, SF2 Player · Piano & Pads

> Mobile MIDI controller with built-in sound engine and expressive performance controls. (iPhone/iPad app by DiscoDSP LLC.)

- Source: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/keypad-midi-controller/id6758680165 (this page in markdown: same URL + `.md`)
- Developer: [DiscoDSP LLC](https://appshunter.io/developer/1465262828)
- Category: Music, Productivity
- Price: Free
- Rating: 5.00/5 from 9 App Store ratings · 5 written reviews indexed
- Age rating: 4+
- Requires: iOS 14.0 · 13 MB
- Released: 2026-02-05
- Data updated: 2026-08-25
- Monetization: free
- User reviews in markdown: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/keypad-midi-controller/id6758680165/reviews.md

## What is KeyPad MIDI Controller?

Transform your iPad or iPhone into a professional MIDI controller with a touch-optimized piano keyboard, isomorphic grid, drum pads, and XY performance controls. Control iOS apps, hardware synths, and Mac software wirelessly or wired, as a standalone app or an AUv3 plugin in your favorite DAW.

Perfect for mobile producers, live performers, beat makers, and sound designers.

CORE FEATURES

• Built-in sound engine for SF2, SFZ, WAV, and M4A.
• Piano keyboard, isomorphic grid, 9-pad drum grid, and XY performance pad.
• Scale mode with 12 scales and any root key, on both piano and grid.
• Aftertouch and MPE with Mono AT, Poly AT, and XY MPE modes.
• Aftertouch and Mod Wheel remapping to any MIDI CC or Pitch Bend.
• Velocity, Pitch Bend, and Modulation faders, plus a latching sustain button.
• AUv3 plugin for GarageBand, AUM, Cubasis, BeatMaker, and Drambo.
• Network MIDI, OSC output, and 16 MIDI channels + Omni.
• Adaptive interface for all iPad and iPhone sizes.

VIEW MODES

Switch between five layouts from the View menu:

Piano: a familiar 2-octave keyboard with height-based velocity.
Grid: Isomorphic: every row and column keeps the same interval, so chords and scales have one shape anywhere.
Grid: 2 Rows: a piano-style pair of rows, naturals below, sharps above.
Grid: Minor Thirds: columns step up by 3 semitones, rows move chromatically.
Grid: Big Piano: large naturals with quarter-size sharps.

Your view, layout, and root note persist across sessions.

SCALE MODE

Choose from 12 scales - Major, Natural Minor, Harmonic Minor, Melodic Minor, Dorian, Phrygian, Lydian, Mixolydian, Locrian, Pentatonic Major, Pentatonic Minor, Blues, and Whole Tone - in any of the 12 root keys.

On the grid, cells remap so only in-scale notes are laid out, putting every note under your fingers.

On the piano, the keyboard keeps its familiar shape - the black and white pattern is how you find your place without looking. Rather than move notes around, out-of-scale keys dim and stop responding to touch, so only the keys in your key are labelled and playable. Wrong notes are simply out of reach. Switch back to Chromatic anytime for the full keyboard.

GRID EXPRESSION

Every grid layout includes a dedicated mod-wheel row. A vibrant gradient highlights roots and notes, optional labels show note names, and per-note MPE with pitch bend gives each finger independent control.

BUILT-IN SOUND ENGINE

Play sounds directly without any external app. Load SF2 SoundFonts with multi-preset selection, or import SFZ, WAV, and M4A samples. The low-CPU engine maps samples across the keyboard automatically, and sound files persist across sessions.

AFTERTOUCH & MPE EXPRESSION

Add expressive depth with four aftertouch modes. Mono AT applies uniform pressure across chords, Poly AT sends independent pressure per note, and XY MPE allocates per-note MIDI channels (2-16) with Y on CC74 and X on Pitch Bend. Remap aftertouch or mod wheel to any MIDI CC or Pitch Wheel. A green gradient on pressed keys shows pressure in real time.

CONNECT TO YOUR MAC

Control Logic Pro, Ableton Live, or any Mac music software from your iPad or iPhone. Connect wirelessly over your local network with Bonjour, or plug in via USB for a rock-solid, zero-latency link.

STANDALONE OR AUV3

Load KeyPad inside GarageBand, AUM, Cubasis, BeatMaker, Drambo, or any AUv3 host to play your instruments without switching apps, with settings saved in your project. Or run it standalone to drive hardware synths, route MIDI to other iOS apps, or control your Mac.

TOUCH-OPTIMIZED PERFORMANCE

Height-Based Velocity: Touch keys at different vertical positions for dynamic velocity, with three curves to shape the response.

XY Performance Pad: Control two parameters at once with multi-touch. Assign any MIDI CC to each axis for filter sweeps, effect morphing, or live sound manipulation.

Smart Layout: Scales to the window, keeping the full layout with controls and pads on iPhone, iPad, Split View, and AUv3 plugin.

## Key features

- Touch-optimized piano keyboard
- 9-pad drum grid
- XY performance pad
- Built-in sound engine (SF2, SFZ, WAV, M4A)
- AUv3 plugin support
- Network MIDI for Mac control
- Aftertouch and MPE expression

## Recent user reviews (5 of 5)

All indexed reviews: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/keypad-midi-controller/id6758680165/reviews.md

### 5/5 — So good!

*2026-08-07*

Love all the different keyboard modes, and the ability to apply a scale to each of them! This beats out another paid app I have for a midi controller.

The devs were also real fast to respond to a request! Thank you!

**Developer response:** Thanks for the report. The keyboard size issue has been fixed in version 1.14.

### 5/5 — Well thought out

*2026-08-05*

Appreciated

### 5/5 — Awesome app

*2026-07-28*

Thanks a lot!!!

### 5/5 — Need A 8X4 pad mod

*2026-06-07*

A 8X4 pad mod like Ableton Move should be useful l.

### 5/5 — Best AuV3 keyboard

*2026-02-25*

There's only a few auv3 keyboards, this is the best and it's free.  So dope.

## Frequently asked questions about KeyPad MIDI Controller

### What is KeyPad MIDI Controller?

KeyPad MIDI Controller transforms your iPad or iPhone into a professional MIDI controller. It features a touch-optimized piano keyboard, drum pads, and XY performance controls, allowing you to control music software and hardware.

### Can KeyPad MIDI Controller play sounds on its own?

Yes, KeyPad MIDI Controller includes a built-in sound engine. It supports loading SF2 SoundFonts, SFZ instruments, and WAV/M4A samples, allowing you to play sounds directly without needing other apps.

### How can I connect KeyPad MIDI Controller to my Mac?

You can connect KeyPad MIDI Controller to your Mac wirelessly via Network MIDI over your local network, or wired using USB for a zero-latency connection. This allows you to control Mac music software like Logic Pro or Ableton Live.

### Does KeyPad MIDI Controller work as a plugin?

Yes, KeyPad MIDI Controller functions as an AUv3 plugin. You can load it directly into AUv3-compatible DAWs on iOS such as GarageBand, AUM, Cubasis, BeatMaker, and Drambo.

### What kind of expressive controls does KeyPad MIDI Controller offer?

KeyPad MIDI Controller offers advanced expressive controls including velocity-sensitive keys, pitch bend and modulation faders, sustain pedal support, and four aftertouch modes (Mono AT, Poly AT, XY MPE). It also provides visual feedback for pressure intensity.

### Is KeyPad MIDI Controller suitable for beginners?

While offering advanced features, KeyPad MIDI Controller's touch-optimized interface and built-in sound engine make it accessible for beginners looking to explore MIDI control and music production on their mobile devices.

### What devices are supported by KeyPad MIDI Controller?

KeyPad MIDI Controller is supported on iPhone and iPad devices. Its adaptive interface is optimized for all screen sizes, ensuring a consistent experience across different Apple mobile devices.

### Does KeyPad MIDI Controller have ads?

No, KeyPad MIDI Controller does not contain advertisements. It is a completely ad-free application, ensuring an uninterrupted music creation experience.

## Version history (last 5 releases)

### 1.14 — 2026-08-06

Fixed AUv3 on iPhone showing only a keyboard, with no menu button and no way to reach view modes, aftertouch, or scales. The full layout now fits the windows hosts provide, and the menu button stays available at any size.

The interface now scales instead of using fixed spacing, so controls keep their proportions on small screens and in Split View. Fixes the sustain button collapsing to a line, the wheels stretching out of shape, and labels being cut short.

### 1.13.1 — 2026-07-28

Fixed stuck notes when playing across out-of-scale keys.
Scales saved in earlier versions no longer mute piano keys.

### 1.13 — 2026-07-27

Scale mode now works on the piano. Pick a scale and a root key, and out-of-scale keys dim and stop responding to touch, so wrong notes are out of reach while the keyboard keeps the familiar shape you navigate by. Only playable keys stay labelled, and in-scale sharps are now named so you can see the accidentals in your key at a glance. Set Scale back to Chromatic for the full keyboard.

Added Scale Root, so scales can start on any of the 12 keys. Previously every scale was locked to C, which made keys like D Dorian or F# Lydian unreachable.

Scale now works in the 2 Rows grid too, with rows splitting by accidental so sharps sit on the upper row above their naturals.

Fixed 2-row sharps being offset half a cell to the right, which left them straddling two naturals and pushed each octave's last sharp off the edge.

The MIDI menu is now two rows per direction, each showing its current selection at a glance: MIDI In channel and devices, MIDI Out channel and device.

Added MIDI input device selection, so you can mute a controller that's sending unwanted data without unplugging it. New devices stay enabled by default.

KeyPad's virtual MIDI port is now simply named "KeyPad", and is never opened as an input, so it can't feed its own output back in.

Redrew the pitch bend and mod wheels as shaded rotating cylinders that turn with the value.

Fixed the Mod Wheel CC remap sharing menu IDs with the Scale list, where choosing a low CC number would silently change the grid scale instead.

### 1.12 — 2026-06-21

MPE pitch bend now broadcasts to all member channels, so notes you're already holding bend correctly instead of staying fixed.

Added a Big Piano grid view with refined sharp corners and cleaner natural-key labels. Grid layouts are now a radio group in the View menu, and a new scale remap mode plus piano sharp shift give you more ways to lay out the keyboard.

Key Width moved into the View menu as its own group for consistency.

Added a minor-thirds grid mode (columns step up by 3 semitones, rows go chromatic).

Double-tapping SUSTAIN (or tapping it with two fingers) now latches it on, with a red border and held-key lighting; a single tap releases the lock. MPE sustain broadcasts CC64 across all member channels so held notes sustain reliably.

Fixed grid slide velocity to keep the original strike velocity instead of re-reading at the cell edge. Grid MPE output is now deduplicated for parity with the piano, and MPE pitch-bend stepping is smoother thanks to non-blocking MIDI output and deduplication.

### 1.11 — 2026-06-13

Major overhaul of MPE. All per-note expression settings now live in a dedicated MPE menu with a single toggle to enable it. Aftertouch and MPE are mutually exclusive, keeping the controls clean.

The vertical axis to Up only (CC74, the new default), Up/Down (CC74), or Down only (Aftertouch/Z), and assign the horizontal axis to Pitch Bend with a selectable range (2 to 96 semitones), a MIDI CC of your choice, or off entirely.

MPE now behaves like a proper MPE controller. Pressing a key no longer jumps the timbre or filter value — expression starts centered and responds to how you slide from the touch point, matching hardware like Seaboard and LinnStrument.

Pitch bend on the piano is now smooth and continuous instead of stepped, scaled to the chosen range, and expression responds immediately on press with no delay. Key lighting updates correctly while pressing and holding, sliding down in "Up only" mode no longer changes the key color, and remapped horizontal CCs sweep their full range across the key.

Under the hood, MPE setup messages are now spec-compliant for better compatibility across synths, CC74 is centered on note-on with expression values reset cleanly on release, and all MPE settings are saved and restored between sessions.

## More apps by DiscoDSP LLC

- [OB-Xd AUv3 Synth](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/ob-xd-auv3-synth/id1465262829)
- [Scope AUv3 Visualizer](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/scope-auv3-visualizer/id1512571419)
- [OPL AUv3 FM Synth](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/opl-auv3-fm-synth/id1516617949)
- [Schroeder AUv3 Reverb](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/schroeder-auv3-reverb/id1527402838)
- [ThrillMe AUv3 Compressor](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/thrillme-auv3-compressor/id6633713618)
- [OB-Xd 3 AUv3 Synth](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/ob-xd-3-auv3-synth/id6654915211)

All apps by DiscoDSP LLC: https://appshunter.io/developer/1465262828

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*Data collected daily from the US App Store and indexed by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/). User reviews are verbatim App Store reviews. Ratings, prices and chart positions refresh continuously; this snapshot is from 2026-08-25.*