How to connect any floor MIDI controller to Loopy Pro

In this article, I'd like to tell you how to connect any foot controller or floor MIDI controller to Loopy Pro. It also might be a useful topic for those who don't know what footswitch to buy yet.

At first, we need a proper MIDI controller – not a simple TRS footswitch like these:

All these footswitches will NOT work with Loopy Pro directly. So, we need a proper floor MIDI controller. There are three types of connection for MIDI controllers that are suitable for us:

USB connection,
MIDI connection,
Wireless connection (Bluetooth)

Let’s look at all these three types of connection in more detail.

1. USB connection

Usually you can connect your footswitch controller to iPhone or iPad using some simple adapter: USB to Lightning, or USB-A to USB-C. Since MIDI controller is a digital device, it should be powered. A MIDI controller can be powered by batteries or regular power supply, and an example of this type of controller is M-VAVE Chocolate. It has a USB-C and it has internal batteries.

I assume if you want to use a MIDI controller with Loopy Pro, you'd like to use an audio interface as well.

In this case, we should connect both these devices through USB hub, and then both of them goes to iPhone or iPad.

2. MIDI connection

What if your MIDI controller has no USB, just old school MIDI connection? Then you can use audio interface with the MIDI port. You should connect your controller to the port, and then it goes through USB cable to your iPhone or iPad. For example, such an old school device Behringer FCB1010 controller which has a couple of expression pedals. And there is only MIDI port, it has no USB. In this case this connection works great.

If your interface has no MIDI-port, then you might use MIDI-to-USB converter (iRig MIDI2) or MIDI-to-USB cable.

In this case, you can connect your MIDI controller to USB hub with this converter or cable and connect your audio interface which has no MIDI-port to same USB hub, and it goes to iPad or iPhone.

If you want to extend your MIDI controller with two more buttons or four more buttons, you can do this. A lot of controllers has an extra TRS port, and you can connect a simple TRS footswitch to extend your MIDI controller.

This is the case when you can use a simple TRS footswitch with Loopy Pro.

Interesting fact: a lot of amp sim processors or amp sim pedals can work as a MIDI controller. For example, Line 6 HX Stomp works as an audio interface and as a MIDI controller too. So we can connect it via USB to an iPhone or iPad and use its buttons to control Loopy Pro.

Also, we can extend these buttons with a simple TRS footswitch to control Loopy Pro. And it works for Quad Cortex, for Helix, for Hotone Ampero.

Also, there are 2 in 1 devices like audio interface and footswitch in one box.

For example, XSONIC XTONE or iRig Stomp.

3. Wirelessly

Some controllers have built-in Bluetooth adapters. So, you may connect it wirelessly to an iPhone or iPad. However, there might be a noticeable latency. I had a bad wireless experience with a cheap controller – M-VAVE Chocolate. It’s unusable for precise actions like start loop recording or stop. To be honest, the same controller works fine when connected with a cable.

However, I heard quite positive reviews on Boss FS-1-WL. Also, there are XSonic Airstep and iRig Blueboard. By the way, you can buy CME MIDI adapters to turn any MIDI controller into a wireless one.

How to set up a controller

Let’s talk about MIDI commands – the signals that your controller sends to Loopy Pro. There are different types of MIDI commands. I strongly recommend using only CC commands with Loopy Pro.

Usually, I set it that way:

Pedal 1 – send CC#1 127 on press, CC#1 0 on release

Pedal 2 – send CC#2 127 on press, CC#2 0 on release

…

Also, there is such a parameter as a channel, like channel 1 (CH1). We need it if we use several MIDI devices. In our case, you might set channel 1 and forget about this parameter.

On many MIDI controllers, you can select a profile. I recommend choosing a profile that works similarly or configuring it manually.

I use the Morningstar MC8 controller. If you also have a controller from this company, you can simply use my bank, download and import it via this link: https://www.loopymax.com/footswitch-template. I've created a separate video guide for this.

The same for Line6 Helix devices. Here I’ve made a special preset you can download and import. And I’ve made a special video guide for this too.

By the way, here is my personal live-looping stage setup:

How to check if your MIDI controller sets up properly?

There are MIDI monitoring apps, for example MIDI Wrench. You can download it for free and it works very simple. When we press or release buttons, it shows on the screen incoming MIDI events. In our case when you press footswtich №1, it should send CC command channel #1, CC (controller) number #1, value is 127. And the same command, but value is 0 when you release the footswtich.