SinuslabsSINUSLABS

Help · Updated

How to set up loopMIDI on Windows

Just downloaded PadMap? Thanks — this is the one extra step Windows needs.

loopMIDI is a free tool by Tobias Erichsen that creates virtual MIDI ports: a cable inside your PC that one app sends MIDI into and another reads from. On macOS, PadMap creates its own port. On Windows, it sends through a loopMIDI port, and your DAW listens to the other end.

Short answer

Install loopMIDI, type PadMap as a new port name and click +, then pick that PadMap port in PadMap's MIDI dropdown and enable the same port as a MIDI input in your DAW. Turn on loopMIDI's autostart so the port exists every time you log in.

Set up loopMIDI in three steps

  1. 1

    Download and install loopMIDI

    Get it free from Tobias Erichsen's site and run the installer. loopMIDI lives in the system tray, next to the clock.
  2. 2

    Create a PadMap port

    Open loopMIDI from the tray, type PadMap as the port name and click +. The port appears in the list above — that's it, the cable exists.
  3. 3

    Select it in PadMap

    In PadMap, open the MIDI dropdown and pick the PadMap port. Everything your controller does now goes into that port.
  4. 4

    Enable the port in your DAW

    Your DAW sees the same port as a MIDI input called PadMap. Switch it on in the DAW's MIDI settings — step-by-step for Ableton Live, FL Studio, Bitwig Studio, REAPER and Cubase.

Keep the port there after a restart

A loopMIDI port only exists while loopMIDI is running. Right-click the tray icon and turn on autostart, so loopMIDI launches when you log in and the PadMap port is always waiting.

Start order still matters: most DAWs list MIDI devices once, at launch. If you opened the DAW before loopMIDI, restart the DAW.

When something doesn't work

  • The DAW doesn't list PadMap. Check loopMIDI is running and the port is in its list, then restart the DAW.
  • Notes double up or the port goes quiet. Your DAW is probably sending MIDI back out to the same port — a feedback loop. The fix is to use PadMap only as a MIDI input in the DAW and leave it off as an output.
  • The port name doesn't matter much. Any name works, as long as PadMap and the DAW use the same port. Calling it PadMap just makes it easy to find.

Written by Oskar Schachtschneider, who builds PadMap at Sinuslabs.

Questions

Is loopMIDI free?
Yes. loopMIDI is a free download from Tobias Erichsen's website.
Do I need loopMIDI on a Mac?
No. macOS lets PadMap create its own MIDI port, so loopMIDI is only needed on Windows.
Why doesn't my DAW see the loopMIDI port?
loopMIDI must be running with the port in its list before the DAW starts, because most DAWs only scan for MIDI devices at launch. Start loopMIDI first, then reopen the DAW and enable the port as a MIDI input.
Can I use one loopMIDI port for several apps?
A loopMIDI port carries whatever is sent into it to every app reading from it. For PadMap, keep one port that only PadMap sends into, so nothing else mixes into your controller's MIDI.

Related guides

All guides