Tablet 2 MIDI is a standalone windows application that allow you to use your graphics tablet / tablet PC / digitizer as a set of MIDI controllers. You can add a virtually unlimited number of controllers, by defining areas of the tablet surface as buttons, sliders or XY-pads. Controllers can be layered for even more customization.

You define controllers either with the mouse or with the tablet pen.

Using the pen you can digitize any hand drawn controller layout, in other words: add midi output to a piece of paper.

If you prefer drawing with the mouse, you can use a simple right click menu to quickly add a controller

Controllers can be moved, resized and copied. Finally the whole layout can be printed

By having a paper copy of the layout directly on the tablet surface you can move controllers simply by pointing on the tablet and moving the pen. This means you can avoid Looking at the screen - just like when using any hardware midi-controller.

If your tablet supports pressure, tilt and rotation you get a total of 7 parameters that can be mapped to any MIDI Continous Controller or note.

The classis example of usage is to play a theramin VSTi: you can control both pitch, amplitude and filter simultaniously. Textures / drones and pads are handy to control with XY pads too. I've had great luck controlling string based pads using the tablet as a virtual "bow"

If you like to experiment, you'll appreciate the Free form controllers - these are defined by hand-drawing two lines of any shape. Proximity to the first line creates low values, the other creates high values. Freeform controllers can be circular, curved, triangular, you name it!

Version history

0.94 (current)

• Mouse mode (suitable for tablet PC's) - activated using CAPS-LOCK
• Crosshairs and axis in XY-Pads
• Better looking sliders
• Bigger position indicator
• Left handed mouse bugfix
• Button bugfix
• Calibration improved
• VST version updated to VST2.4
• VST version now allows printing

0.93

• Fixed crashes when closing the VST editor window

0.92

• GUI performance improvements - at least twice as fast
• Fixed a bug in printer calibration
• Ability to disable controller transparency (to cut CPU / fix performance issues with some graphics cards)

0.91

• Fixed VST version bug, now works in Energy XT, Live, Bidule, FL studio

0.9 (current)

• VST plugin version included (still in beta state, cannot initialize in Live and Bidule)
• more flexibility in window modes:
  • F3 toggles file list
  • F4 toggles transparency
• fixed bug with auto disabled parameters not being properly disabled

0.85

• Manual updated
• Toggle button bug fixed
• Window transparency submenu (right click titlebar or taskbar item)
• Work / Display mode:
  Display mode makes window transparent both display and mouse wise and hides the file browser
  use F4 to toggle.
• Changes to midi map dialog keyboard shortcuts
• New controllers have speed, tilt and rotation parameters disabled by default

0.8

• More keyboard shortcuts:
  • TAB to navigate controllers
  • Arrow Keys to move controllers
  • Enter to show CC editor
  • TAB to navigate editor items
  • Arrow keys to change values
• always on top setting remembered
• snap to grid
• added "string" mode to buttons - uses speed to set velocity of notes
• NRPN CC numbers use the full 0-16383 range now
• CC numbers constrained to 0-31 when using old fashioned 14 bit midi
• freehand controller values constrained
• Always on top option (right click titlebar) works well with the roll up / roll down feature (double click titlebar)

0.74

• midi event type and midi mode controls are now drop down menus
• button retriggering bug fixed
• spacebar toggles tablet active state
• backwards compatibility restored
• crashes when loading large configuration fixed