My name is Helmut Keller. I have written a new firmware for the MIDI footcontroller MIDI Captain from Paint Audio. With this firmware Gig Performer can control the LEDs and display texts and tuner data on the MIDI Captain.
The firmware is available free of charge at my website:
The installion process, the firmware features and the communication with Gig Performer is described in a detailed document on the same website.
Looks very interesting. Thanks for sharing.
Will this also work for the Mini and Nano versions of the Midi captain?
Would be very cool to see a video of the Controller in Action With GP
My firmware requires one of the three MIDI Captain versions with ten footswitches.
I don’t own one of the smaller devices and could not test a firmware for them. But people who own one these devices are encouraged to modify my firmware and rease it as an open source project.
Making a video of a MIDI Captain with my firmwre in action is a good idea. Maybe I will have some time in the next weeks to do it.
So cool, thank you for your effort. Flashed it yesterday and its working like a charme. Waited long for this feature from Paintaudio itself.
Glad to see that this works.
Post here some photos 
I just ordered one of these and a Morningstar MC8 pro…This looks very very handy!
What an excellent contribution, thanks Helmut!
There are always new insights to help perfect your setup. Thanks for your input.
Hello folks! I am such a newbie to Gig Performer and to MIDI control stuff. You could say I’m “MIDIliterate”. Or not…. 
I do not own GP…yet.. I downloaded the trial and I’m tryna get as much info as I can on MIDI peripherals. I have an FCB1010 but have noticed folks having to add a special chip to get it to work with GP. No biggie, but I am looking at more compact options.
I have been checking out the small format controllers like the Paint Audio MIDI Captain Foot Controller and their small expression pedals. How easy is this to set up with GP? Will the Mission Exp pedals work with this unit?
The reason for the interest in GP is that I am having an HTSG (Hanewinckel Touch Style Guitar) custom made and should be getting it in the next few months. It’s 10 string tapping instrument like the Warr Guitar (in fact, the luthier, Pete Hanewinckel, used to be the main builder at Warr. My HTSG is a stereo instrument with 2 outputs, one for each set of 5 strings, and piezo/MIDI across all 10 strings. I really want to use my plugins and set up a true, stereo rig with my MacBook Pro for recording and gigging. I love my Helix Rack, but lugging all that gear around (amp, cab, foot controller, etc) is getting a bit long in the tooth. Simply having my laptop, interface, and controller would be amazing.
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Those chips have been around for ages and were developed to address bugs and missing features with the original firmware that impacted its use with ANY software.
The chips are not expensiveI would be surprised if there was any FB1010 owner who hasn’t installed it. It’s highly recommended.
You need an adapter cable to use Mission expressions pedals with MIDI Captain as described in my paper (a cable that swaps tip an ring). You can use MIDI Captain with GP without any modifications. Hower it is a one way road. The MC sends mesages but does not react on messages. Thus the LEDs on MC are not synchonized with GP. If want this features and if you want to display song or preset names on the MC you have to install my firmware on the MC. You need only a USB cable an a computer to do so. The setup I use is exactly the setup you want: A Laptop with GP, an audio interface and the MC connected with an expression pedal. This setup is ways more compact and flexible compared to a Helix. However you have more pieces and cables to set up. Every external connetion is a risk factor during live performances. You can find my paper and the MC firmware at: Helmut Keller Audio
Thank you Helmut! I just purchased GP Pro and am looking forward to the possibilities. I may stick with my Behringerc FCB1010 for now, but I really like the compact style of the MC. Again, thank you!
Just ordered my eprom!
@Helmut this is fantastic!! I happen to host a forum on Reddit for the MIDI Captain: https://www.reddit.com/r/paintaudiomidicaptain
Please announce this over there, too!
I was on the cusp of trying PySwitch as an alternative to the Supermode firmware, mostly to see if it would support incoming control messages to keep the pedal in sync with the host. Does yours do that?
How does yours compare to PySwitch?
I can’t wait to check it out! I have a 10 and a 6.
Yes, my firmware controls the footswitch-LEDs by incommig control change messages.
PySwitch works with Kemper only, My firmware is more general.
@Helmut would you mind if i share this post on my Reddit? https://www.reddit.com/r/paintaudiomidicaptain
The more I look at your Captain code and the GP script, the more i think this is going to be a really great upgrade/alternative for users looking for more out of their Captains. I can also see what might be needed to get it to support the 1, 2, 4, and 6 variants. I am so glad you shared this!
I use two cheap Nektar expression pedals with my Captain. They have a polarity switch to enable Tip-Ring or Ring-Tip operation, making them compatible with any expression host. Many other pedals feature this, but the Nektar is the cheapest.
Yes, you can share this post.
Thank you! Following up here to say I have installed it successfully on my captain! I haven’t tested it other than confirming it was sending signals with ViewMIDI, but it’s worth noting that it all worked on the first try - kudos to you @Helmut for clear instructions and some promising looking firmware!
I successfully installed the alternative firmware, it looks great.
I am stuck at the point of getting GP to send MIDI messages back out to the Captain. How is that configured in the wiring view? I tried creating MIDI In and MIDI Out plugin blocks, and pointing the SendNowToMidiOutDevice() calls to the Out device. But nothing happens. What’s the trick to getting GP to send MIDI back to the Captain?
thanks!
