Connectivity / realtime
Wireless MIDI Controller
Turns a phone or tablet into a MIDI control surface over WebRTC, with no cables, apps or drivers.
Published · Updated
- WebRTC
- Web MIDI
- TypeScript
What it is
Open a page on your computer, scan a code with your phone, and the phone becomes a set of pads, faders and knobs that send MIDI-style messages to the computer. Nothing to install on either device.
How it works
The two browsers find each other through a small signalling step, then open a direct WebRTC peer connection. Control messages travel over a WebRTC data channel, usually across your local network, so they do not round-trip through a server.
On the desktop side, incoming messages can drive the GK Heart Engine directly or be forwarded to other software through the Web MIDI API where the browser supports it.
Design decisions
Musical control is sensitive to timing, so messages are kept tiny and the data channel is configured for low latency. Continuous controls like faders send only meaningful changes rather than a flood of identical values.
Touch layouts are sized for thumbs, not mice: large targets, no hover states, and visual feedback the moment a control is touched.