MIDI Bagpipes Control Surface 4.0

This application serves as a MIDI control surface for Irish and Scottish bagpipe fingering, designed specifically for the iPad. It facilitates the performance of hardware MIDI synthesizers, samplers, or other MIDI-enabled applications through a CoreMIDI-compatible interface, which can be connected via the dock connector or virtual MIDI instruments such as Roland Sound Canvas for iOS, Universal Piper, or Sonosaurus ThumbJam.

The fingering schemes are based either on traditional Irish Uilleann pipes or Scottish Highland bagpipes. Notably, the app does not generate sound independently; instead, it transmits MIDI data to external sound sources. It supports separate MIDI channels for the chanter and drones, allowing for flexible performance configurations.

Prior to use, users must disable "Multitasking Gestures" within the iPad Settings under the General section, as simultaneous finger inputs—up to nine—are required for operation. The interface includes a selector below the drone puck to switch between Uilleann and Highland fingering modes. Assistance labels can be accessed by tapping the '?' icon in the upper left corner.

For Uilleann piping mode, the back-D note behavior can be configured as either 'Open' (played upon touch) or 'Closed' (played upon release), aligning with authentic playing techniques. The drone sound is toggled by interacting with the drone puck; for Highland pipers, a transposition of two semitones is recommended to match traditional pitch arrangements.

Using the Uilleann chanter fingering mode involves pressing specific holes with corresponding fingers: three holes on the left for the left hand, four on the right for the right hand, and using the green "Octave" bar with the left little finger to reach higher notes. Optional vibrato effects are achievable through holes below the main fingered positions.

In Highland mode, players utilize a thumb-controlled back hole represented by a bar at the bottom of the screen; covering this allows access to lower notes. Fingering involves pressing designated areas with appropriated fingers as indicated: left half of the chanter with fingers from left hand, right half with fingers from right hand. Additional controls include a 'Back-D' button for octave shifts (Uilleann mode only), a 'Stop' button for staccato effects (Uilleann mode only), and a 'Bend' button for pitch modulation and vibrato (Uilleann mode only).

The app allows independent adjustment of MIDI channel, attack velocity, and volume settings for both chanter and drones via top-screen sliders. Transposition within a range of one octave can be performed using dedicated sliders. The "Transmit MIDI Port" toggle enables choosing between omnidirectional MIDI transmission ("Omni") or virtual port targeting specific applications ("Virtual Port"). When configured for virtual ports, compatible apps such as Universal Piper and ThumbJam will recognize the input accordingly. All settings are saved between sessions.

A 'Shhh' icon is available to silence any hanging or stuck notes. Additional MIDI setup resources and demonstration videos can be found on AppCordions.com.