MIDI controllers

MIDI Learn connects hardware buttons, faders, and knobs to Grit controls. Assignments are saved per device. The Akai APC40 MK1 also has a built-in layout with button and encoder feedback.

Create your first assignment#

1. Connect the controller and open Settings → Controls → MIDI Learn….
2. Enable MIDI and choose the controller’s input.
3. Select Global for master controls, or a numbered deck for that deck’s controls.
4. Choose the appropriate Fader / encoder mode.
5. Click Learn beside a function, then press or move the hardware control.
6. After the assignment appears, try it again to operate the function.

The capture gesture itself does not perform the assigned action. Grit saves the device, MIDI channel, and note or CC number automatically. Relearn replaces the assignment; Remove clears it. Cancel, Close, or Escape cancels a pending capture, which also expires after 30 seconds.

A physical control has one assignment per device. Learning it for another function moves that assignment. One generic input is active at a time, while each device retains its saved mappings.

Choose the correct input mode#

Use Absolute · Pickup for ordinary faders and knobs that send a position. After assigning one, move it through Grit’s current value before it takes control. Pickup also rearms when you change that value with the mouse or another controller, preventing the next small hardware movement from causing a sudden jump.

For endless encoders, match the mode to the controller’s configuration before learning:

Grit mode	Encoding
Relative · 1 / 127	Two’s complement
Relative · 65 / 63	Binary offset
Relative · 1 / 65	Sign/magnitude

Relative encoders do not require pickup. If a knob moves backward, jumps, or barely changes the value, check its hardware mode and relearn with the matching setting.

Choose useful targets#

Global targets include master and headphone volume, crossfader, CUE/Master mix, tempo, tap tempo, Stop All, both launch grids, Sections and Juggle, and the pad step, finer or coarser.

Deck targets include volume, gain, EQ, filter, Roll, Chop, Fade, play/pause, stop, mute, headphone cue, vocal/instrumental toggles, keylock, bend, and the first 16 section positions. Buttons trigger on press. Bend stays active while held and releases when you let go.

Start with deck volume, play/pause, cue, and two or three section buttons. Add effects after those controls feel predictable. See Audio and headphones before mapping headphone controls.

Use the APC40 MK1 preset#

Connect and power the APC40 MK1, then enable MIDI in Settings → Controls. Keep None · APC40 preset only selected in MIDI Learn when you want the built-in layout. Selecting the APC40 as a learned input replaces that input’s preset with your assignments.

Hardware control	Grit action
Clip-matrix columns	One column per deck, five section pads per page.
Up / Down	Previous / next five sections.
Track Select 1–8, large row	Trigger the same pads as A–K, at the same step, in the selected deck’s active or queued section, on the Juggle grid.
Activator 1–8, small row	Select a deck in the visible layout.
Left / Right	Select the previous / next visible deck.
Hold Send A + Activator	Toggle mute for that deck. Release Send A to restore deck selection.
Send B / Send C	Previous / next bank of eight pads in the section. Device buttons 7 / 8 do the same.
Deck faders / master fader	Deck volumes / master volume.
Crossfader	Blend decks assigned to the left and right sides.
Solo / Record Arm	Toggle vocals / instrumental without changing deck selection.
Shift + Solo	Toggle headphone cue for that deck.
Shift + Record Arm	Cycle crossfader assignment: Thru → Left → Right → Thru.
Shift + Activator	Restore Full stems for that deck.
Clip Stop	Stop that deck.
Track knobs 1–8	Each deck’s filter.
Device knobs 1–4	Selected deck’s Gain, low EQ, mid EQ, high EQ.
Device knobs 5–8	Selected deck’s Roll, Chop, Fade, Filter.
Device buttons 1 / 2	Toggle the selected deck’s pitch lock / Fade. Fade switches between 65% and off.
Device buttons 3–5	Select Full / Acap / Inst on the selected deck.
Device button 6	Reset the selected deck’s Gain, EQ, Filter, Roll, Chop, and Fade.
Scene buttons 1–5, held	Temporary ¼, ⅛, 1/16, 1/32, 1/64 bar roll on the selected deck.
Nudge − / +, held	Bend the selected deck backward / forward.
Shift + Nudge − / +	Session tempo −/+0.1 BPM; hold to repeat. Release Nudge or Shift to stop repeating.
Cue Level	Headphone volume.
Shift + Cue Level	Headphone CUE/Master mix: left toward cue, right toward master.
Play	Launch the first section of the current page on a ready deck, or pause/resume the selected playing deck.
Stop	Stop the selected deck.
Stop All Clips	Stop every deck.
Shift + Stop All Clips	Cancel pending launches.
Tap Tempo	Tap the session tempo.

The large Track Select row plays bars; the smaller Activator row selects decks. Keep that distinction in mind despite the controller’s printed labels. All eight bar buttons remain available in a four-deck layout. Yellow clip pads are available, blinking yellow pads are queued, and green pads are playing.

The Solo and Record Arm lights show the vocal and instrumental combination: both lit means Full, and both off means silence while playback continues. Hold a Scene button for a temporary roll; releasing it restores the deck’s Roll knob setting. See Loops and scratch for how the underlying song continues.

The preset is for APC40 MK1. Other controllers can use MIDI Learn. Generic learned mappings do not send LED or ring feedback and accept notes and CC messages; MIDI clock, aftertouch, pitch bend, 14-bit CC, and NRPN are not Learn inputs.

If a controller stops responding#

Check that MIDI is enabled and the intended input is selected. An offline input needs reconnecting. Close other applications using the controller, then retry. If a fader alone appears unresponsive, move it through the on-screen position to satisfy pickup. For a keyboard fallback, keep Keyboard shortcuts nearby.