Midibro DIY kit

Compact DIY MIDI event processor. A swiss-army knife for your MIDI setup.

Built upon the acclaimed and now discontinued MIDIpal by Mutable Instruments, the Midibro is a smart and small MIDI processor available as a DIY kit.
Insert it between a MIDI keyboard (or sequencer) and a MIDI sound module to unleash powerful compositional tools and effects.

The most versatile MIDI event processor

Compositional tools

  • Arpeggiator: Arpeggiate your chords. 4 modes (up, down, up&down, random), 15 rhythmic patterns, adjustable tempo, rhythmical division, gate and groove, syncable to MIDI clock.
  • Step sequencer: Record step-by-step a sequence of up to 128 notes (with ties, rests, slides and accents), and play it back with transposition. As simple and elegant as the classic SH-101 sequencer!
  • Randomizer: Randomize note values, velocity, and send random CC at each key press.
  • Keyboard-controlled drums sequencer. Control a drum module from a keyboard by triggering and combining patterns — one for each key of a 49 keys keyboard. Create mesmerizing Euclidean drum patterns.
  • Chord memory: Enjoy the classic *chord memory* feature of early 80s synths.
  • Delay. Up to 32 echo notes added after each note, transposition and velocity adjustment for creating feedback arpeggio effects, syncable to MIDI clock.
  • Scale processor. Never miss a note in a solo… The scale mapper replaces each note you play by its nearest neighbour in one of the 25 preset scales. It can also transpose and add voicing/random harmonies.

MIDI message generation

  • Clock: Make your MIDI setup groove! MIDI clock source with adjustable tempo and adjustable groove/shuffle/humanization patterns, from super-tight to funky.
  • CC-LFO: Generate up to 4 tempo-synced LFOs and cyclic automation movements for any MIDI Control Change (CC) message.
  • CC knob: Use the Midibro as a knob to send any CC or NRPN message.

MIDI setup plumbing

  • Dispatcher: Play a rack of monophonic synths like a polysynth. The Midibro will automatically route each note of a chord to a different MIDI channel.
  • Monitor: Sometimes things go wrong with a MIDI setup… Use the Midibro as a trusted source to display the stream of MIDI messages coming from a cable.
  • BPM counter: Use the Midibro to check the accuracy of a MIDI clock signal coming from a sequencer or drum machine.
  • Splitter: Control several synths from a single keyboard by routing one half of the keyboard to a MIDI channel, the other half to another.
  • Channel filter: Remove all MIDI messages coming from a specific channel.
  • Channel Merger: Merge several MIDI channels into a single MIDI stream.
  • Clock divider generates a slower subdivision of a MIDI clock.

The Midibro can also store 4 custom MIDI transform setups, each of them made of up to 4 filtering/remapping rules.

Other features

  • The Midibro is fully compatible with the original MIDIpal, meaning it is able to run all the different available MIDIpal firmwares.
  • As a consequence, its source code is open source and easily modifiable… So why not use it to implement your own MIDI transformation features?
  • The Midibro is open hardware.

Differences vs original MIDIpal

There are no differences if you plan to use the Midibro “as-is”.
If you plan to hack it, note that there are a few minor differences :

  • Only 6 internal analog inputs are available for hacking (vs 8)
  • An EEPROM can be added (tho not supplied in the kit) to store more settings (sequences, etc…). Beware: this needs firmware hacks.

Buy one Discontinued

65.83

Full DIY kit including :

  • Bare PCB
  • Pre-programmed chip
  • All components needed for the build
  • See-thru black case
  • Screws/spacers

Power supply (2.1mm, 9V, center positive) not included in the kit.

DISCONTINUED – we won’t have any more in stock

Out of stock

SKU: AT-MIDIBRO-KIT Category: