Gustavo Silveira holding his handmade wooden MIDI controller

FREE ONE-HOUR WORKSHOP

BUILD THE MIDI CONTROLLEROF YOUR DREAMS

Make it yours at a fraction of the price.

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YOUR FIRST MIDI BUILD

What you'll learn.

Go from choosing an Arduino to connecting buttons and knobs, then adapt a ready-made code template. A practical introduction, even if you've never built a circuit.

MIDI, controllers & Arduino

Understand how the board and music software communicate.

Gustavo holding an Arduino Pro Micro board

Choose your Arduino

Meet the Uno and Pro Micro before choosing your starting point.

Arduino Uno connected to buttons and potentiometers on a breadboard

Connect your first circuit

Learn how buttons and potentiometers connect on a breadboard.

Arduino MIDI circuit controlling Ableton Live

Make it send MIDI

Adapt the supplied code template and see your circuit control music software.

Traktorino printed circuit board with knobs, faders and LEDs

Explore enclosures & PCBs

Get introductory tips for the next stages of your build.

Four custom musical instruments and MIDI controllers built by Gustavo

Expand your controller

Discover possibilities beyond your first circuit.

Start Building for Free

REAL PEOPLE. REAL PROJECTS.

See what my students have built.

Custom controllers, personal workflows, and a lot of hands-on learning. Projects shared by the Nerd Musician community.

Student project collage with arcade buttons, mixing controllers, foot controls and wooden MIDI instruments — Controllers built around real musical ideasView full size ↗

Original community posts showing student controllers by Patrice, André Solis and Mike Lombardi — Projects and stories from the communityView full size ↗

Original student posts showing a Cubase controller, a mixing desk and an illuminated arcade MIDI controller — Learning, experimenting, and finishing a first buildView full size ↗

Build Your Own MIDI Controller

Gustavo Silveira with his illuminated XT Synth

Gustavo and the XT Synth — where music meets electronics.

MEET YOUR INSTRUCTOR

Gustavo Silveira.

Composer, multimedia artist, music technologist, and creator of Nerd Musician. Gustavo brings music and electronics together through instruments you can build with your own hands.

Master’s in Music Technology · Georgia Southern University
Creator of the XT Synth · presented at the Guthman competition
Averitt Award for Excellence in Instruction · 2018

Read his story on Arduino ↗

YOUR FIRST PROJECT STARTS HERE

Build something
that makes music.

Start with the free Workshop. Learn the circuit, adapt the template, and take the first step toward your own MIDI controller.

A MIDI controller beside a laptop running the Builder in a music studio

PREVIEW · Post-registration page. No registration has been completed here.

CONGRATULATIONS!

But before you unlock access to your free course…

Please read this page carefully. You'll only see this offer once. When you leave this page, it will be gone for good.

What if I told you…

There's an even easier way to build your MIDI controller.

See how it works

In the Workshop, you learn to adapt my code.
With the Builder, your code and schematics are generated for you.

MIDI Controller Builder

Just drag. Drop. Build.

Drag and drop components onto the canvas. MIDI Controller Builder generates your code, schematics, wiring guide, and more.

Layout

Design your controller

Drag and drop components onto the canvas and arrange your layout.

Schematic

See your connections

Generate schematics and a wiring guide for your build.

Firmware

Get your code

Download Arduino Pro Micro code for your buttons and knobs.

See the app in the screenshots above. Basic includes Arduino Pro Micro firmware for buttons and knobs, plus BOM, schematics, and a wiring guide.

Explore Basic & pricing

YOUR EXCLUSIVE WORKSHOP PRICE

MIDI Controller Builder Basic

Turn your layout into code and a wiring plan — without adapting a template.

Basic normally costs US$27. Get the exclusive Workshop price here.

MIDI CONTROLLER BUILDER

YOUR EXCLUSIVE WORKSHOP PRICE

Basic

Lifetime Access

~~$27~~

Pay once. Use Basic for life. No subscription.

Design your controller layout
Generate Arduino Pro Micro firmware for buttons and knobs
Export BOM, schematic, and wiring guide

Only on this page. Only at this step.

If you skip this offer, you won't be able to get this promotional price later. Your free Workshop is still yours to access.

The special offer is a preview. Availability and account eligibility must be confirmed by the server.

BUILD THE MIDI CONTROLLEROF YOUR DREAMS