What is ProxiMIDI?

ProxiMIDI is a USB MIDI controller that gives you the ability to control sound by moving your hand through the air. ProxiMIDI can detect both the location of your hand and how much your hand is moving. It can be used to control digital audio workstations, synths, samplers, and more.

ProxiMIDI also provides visual feedback via embedded lights to help you play more accurately and to visually enhance your performance.

Each ProxiMIDI is built individually using solid hardwood, resin, stainless steel fasteners, and electrical components in a small workshop in Brooklyn, New York, USA. ProxiMIDI is currently available in three sustainably-harvested North-American wood species: walnut, cherry, and maple.

Learn more about the capabilities of ProxiMIDI.

Frequently Asked Questions

• How can I use ProxiMIDI with a hardware synth?

  ProxiMIDI sends MIDI over USB - just like many modern controllers. If your synth has a USB input (host) port, ProxiMIDI should be able to connect directly and control it. This kind of port is usually USB type-A.

  If your synth does not have a USB input: You will need a separate device between your ProxiMIDI and your hardware synth. This device needs to both power the ProxiMIDI and convert MIDI over USB to MIDI over 5-pin DIN. If you want to accomplish this without using a computer, you will need a hardware device called a MIDI USB host. ProxiMIDI has been tested with both the Kenton MIDI USB host and the DoreMIDI USB MIDI Host.

  Note: You can cycle through your saved presets by simply waving your hand across the top surface, however, to make edits to your presets you will need to temporarily connect ProxiMIDI to a computer and use the ProxiMIDI Control application.

• How can I use ProxiMIDI with a mobile device?

  ProxiMIDI is most easy to use with desktop/laptop computers, however, it is also possible to use ProxiMIDI with iOS devices. This only works if you connect your ProxiMIDI to the iOS device through a powered USB hub.

  Android devices are not currently supported, but will likely work using the same method as above (powered USB hub).

  Note: You can cycle through your saved presets by simply waving your hand across the top surface, however, to make edits to your presets you will need to temporarily connect ProxiMIDI to a computer and use the ProxiMIDI Control application.

• How can I use ProxiMIDI and another MIDI controller at the same time?

  ProxiMIDI is great for adding expression alongside a keyboard or a pad controller.

  To play notes on your other controller while controlling parameters such as modulation, pitch bend, volume, and more using ProxiMIDI:

  1. In ProxiMIDI Control, open the Expression tab.
  2. In your DAW, ensure that your virtual instrument is accepting multiple MIDI inputs (this is the default behavior of new instrument tracks in most DAWs).

  To select playable notes on your other controller while triggering those notes using ProxiMIDI:

  1. In ProxiMIDI Control, open the Instrument tab.
  2. In the Notes section, set Note Source to Incoming MIDI.
  3. In your DAW, create a MIDI track with another MIDI controller set as the MIDI input and ProxiMIDI set as the MIDI output.
  4. In your DAW, create another track containing a virtual instrument with ProxiMIDI set as the MIDI input.

  The active notes of your ProxiMIDI will now match whichever notes are currently being played on the external controller. And when you stop playing notes on the external controller, ProxiMIDI will remember your last chord

• How do I strum through notes using ProxiMIDI

  In the Instrument tab, When using Separate Notes, the playable range is divided into equal sized zones. If Number of Zones is set to Auto, the number of zones automatically based on your current number of selected notes. If you change the number of selected notes, the space will be redivided into zones of a different size. Fewer notes, bigger zones. More notes, smaller zones. This means that the trigger location of a new note moves in space.

  If you want to keep every zone in the same physical spot, set Number of Zones to a fixed number. The zones then stay put, and changing your selected notes changes only which note is triggered in each zone. You can think of it like strumming guitar strings. The locations of the strings stay in the same place even when the pitch of the strings change.

• Do I need to always have ProxiMIDI Control open when I use ProxiMIDI?

  No. ProxiMIDI Control only needs to be open when you want to make changes to your device. Presets are stored on the hardware itself so you can quit the application whenever you want. You can even switch through your saved presets without opening the application by waving your hand across the top surface or by sending a MIDI Program Change message from your DAW or controller.

• Can I use more than one ProxiMIDI at the same time?

  Yes! If you have more than one USB port, you can use more than one ProxiMIDI at the same time. Check out this short video of playing two ProxiMIDIs together. When more than one ProxiMIDI is connected, ProxiMIDI Control shows a separate tab for each device so that you can switch between editing them.

• Why do the notes sometimes not sound right when I use Pitch Snap?

  The Pitch Snap feature is based on MIDI Pitch Bend. You need to make sure that the Pitch Bend Range setting of the device that you are controlling matches the Pitch Range setting of your ProxiMIDI. If your pitch range is set to 1 octave, you will need to ensure that the Pitch Bend Range of your synth or virtual instrument is set to 12. For 2 octaves, you need to set 24.

• Are there any differences between the different wood options?

  Every ProxiMIDI is aesthetically unique but functionally identical. The different wood options change only the appearance of your device.

• Is ProxiMIDI compatible with Windows?

  Yes. ProxiMIDI is a class-compliant MIDI controller, which means that the hardware is fully compatible with Windows - ProxiMIDI will connect just like any other MIDI controller.
  
  The workflow of using the ProxiMIDI Control software is slightly different on Windows. The software capabilities are the same between macOS and Windows - the difference is that on Windows you may need to close all other MIDI-compatible applications before opening ProxiMIDI Control. Unfortunately, this is a limitation built into the Windows operating system. Windows only allows one application to communicate with a MIDI controller at a time. If another app is already using ProxiMIDI, the ProxiMIDI Control application will tell you.
  This means that you need to:

  1. Close your D.A.W. (or other music production software).
  2. Open ProxiMIDI Control.
  3. Make the desired changes to your ProxiMIDI presets.
  4. Close ProxiMIDI Control.
  5. Reopen your D.A.W.

Warranty

Copper & Cedar provides a one-year standard limited warranty for this product only to the person or entity that originally purchased the product. The warranty period starts on the date of delivery. Copper & Cedar warrants the hardware against defects in worksmanship and materials during the warranty period. Copper & Cedar does not warrant against normal wear and tear, nor damage caused by accident or abuses due to improper operation. You will be required to provide proof of purchase as a condition of receiving warranty service.