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Getting Started

Welcome to MIDI Router Client! This guide walks you through the core concepts and gets you routing MIDI in under 10 minutes.

The Big Picture

MIDI Router Client works around three key concepts:

  1. Presets — Collections of routing rules and controls grouped together
  2. Routes — Instructions for how MIDI data flows from input to output
  3. User Controls — On-screen sliders and dropdowns that send MIDI commands

Typical workflow: Install → Create Preset → Add Route (EasyConfig) → Add User Controls → Test & Deploy

Tag‑Based Filtering with Regex and :Label shortcuts

Adding tags like :midi, :arp, or :mix inside a description automatically creates quick‑access buttons that populate the filter field, allowing fast navigation through large routing configurations.

Step 1: Install MIDI Router Client

Choose your platform:

Step 2: Create Your First Preset

A preset is where you store everything: routes, controls, and port settings.

  1. Open MIDI Router Client
  2. Navigate to the Presets tab
  3. Click New Preset and name it (e.g., “My First Setup”) or use the default one already created with a fresh startup.
  4. (Optional) Set activation mode to “select” for MIDI-triggered preset switching

✅ Done! Your preset is ready to use. Now it’s time to route MIDI.

Step 3: Create Your First Route

For beginners, use EasyConfig instead of manually building routes—it’s much simpler.

  1. Navigate to the In Ports tab
  2. Select your connected MIDI input device
  3. Click EasyConfig (not Routes)
  4. Follow the guided setup:
    • Choose your input device
    • Choose your output destination
    • (Optional) Select which MIDI messages to filter or transform (e.g., CC, Note On)

Want to learn the advanced way? Once you’ve created an EasyConfig, inspect the generated Route to see how it works. This reverse-engineering method is the fastest way to master routes.

Step 4: Add User Controls (Optional)

User controls are interactive sliders and dropdowns on-screen.

  1. Navigate to User Controls
  2. Click New Control
  3. Choose a type (Slider, Dropdown, etc.)
  4. Configure which MIDI message it sends (CC, Program Change, NRPN)
  5. Set the range and labels

Now you can trigger MIDI commands with a mouse click or touch.

Step 5: Test & Debug

Use Monitoring to verify MIDI data:

  1. Go to In Ports tab
  2. Select your input device
  3. Click Monitoring in current or external dialog window.
  4. Send MIDI to your input — you should see messages logged in real-time

Troubleshooting tips:

  • MIDI clock messages appearing as junk? Enable “Ignore MIDI Clock” in Port Settings
  • 14-bit CC values showing as two separate messages? Use “14-bit CC Translation” in port settings
  • Not sure what that NRPN is? Monitoring translates it to human-readable format

Next Steps

Now that you have a basic setup working:

Common Scenarios

Scenario 1: Route a Keyboard to a Synth

  1. Create a preset named “Keyboard → Synth”
  2. Use EasyConfig to map your keyboard input to the synth output
  3. EasyConfig will route all events by default
  4. ✅ Done! Press keys on your keyboard to control the synth

Scenario 2: Create a Custom Mixer with Sliders

  1. Create a preset
  2. Add a route forwarding CC messages
  3. In User Controls, add sliders ex. (CC 7, 10, 11, etc.)
  4. Label them (Volume, Pan, Reverb, etc.)
  5. ✅ Now control multiple parameters with on-screen sliders

Scenario 3: Switch Setups with MIDI

  1. Create multiple presets (e.g., “Rock Setup”, “Jazz Setup”)
  2. In each preset, set activation mode to “select”
  3. Assign a Program Change number to trigger each preset
  4. ✅ Send Program Change from your controller to instantly switch presets

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