MIDISteel: a lap-steel inspired midi controller

[Victor Wong]

Here's me performing Sleepwalk as part of my presentation at the end of my two weeks at 2026 Upstream Artist Residency where I developed v1 of the MIDISteel device: a MIDI controller I built that is inspired by the 6-string lap steel guitar.

https://youtu.be/KGcdEa0TDdY

It was really important to me that I could demonstrate that the instrument was actually playable live, and what better tune than the one that started my love of the steel? The controller is just running through Logic and some presets on the Retro Synth plugin.

The MIDISteel is composed primarily of two softpot ribbon sensors, a Teensy 4.0 microcontroller, 3D printed hardware bits, and a plank of plywood from my garage. See attached picture!

The idea of the instrument was to distill the performance features of the lap steel guitar: non-fretted playing with a steel tone bar and 6 virtual "strings". Rather than try to come up with some kind of sub-par synthesizer from scratch, I decided to instead rely on plugins and mobile apps to synthesis. I worked primarily with Logic Pro's Alchemy and RetroSynth plugins, and the Moog Model D app on iPad and iPhone. In fact, the iPhone can power this controller so it can act as a completely standalone portable instrument. Just for fun, the prototype has a phone mount for this purpose!

After puzzling over the complexity of DIY "pluck sensors", the strings were instead simplified to individual string trigger buttons. Buttons aren't as expressive as real strings, but in some ways more precise in terms of operation (a nice crutch for mediocre players like myself).

This button/key operation lent itself to using a piano-style sustain pedal for held notes, so that is how it activates sustain.

It supports a staple of the steel guitar: a volume expression pedal which maps to the MIDI channel 11. Two knobs are assignable to custom midi CC messages. The first is mapped to modulation/vibrato. I mapped the second to the EQ filter control to give it the vibe of 50s "boo-wah" tone swells.

Finally, there's a feature that would delight many nerdy steelers known to clear parties by discussing their obscure tunings: up 6 programmable tunings that can be changed on the fly. If you must know (and I know you must) I defaulted to A6 (high fifth), C6 (high third), Open D, Jerry Byrd Diatonic C, B11, and E13.

I would love to "productize" this further with a custom PCB and perhaps offer it as a DIY kit when I find the time and if there's enough interest... so let me know if you'd be interested!

You can hear this and other tunes on a little EP I recorded the following week:
https://vicwong.bandcamp.com/album/down ... -midisteel

[Mike Neer]

That's really cool, Vic! Congratulations on bringing this to life.

I've been exploring MIDI steel guitar for a few years but with the MIDI Guitar software. I was able to get very far in my journey with it, building quite a library of sounds, but it was something that I did mostly behind closed doors, there was so little outside interest in it. Steel guitar players tend to be purists, but I was into synthesizers long before I ever knew what a steel guitar was. I do have a lot of hope for the future though, and I think the MIDISteel would be a super cool vehicle for some new music, especially electronic music.

[Tim Toberer]

I really admire people who can do this kind of stuff. It is way outside my wheelhouse, but I like it. Keep us posted on you cool projects.