Sonoclast Plastic Pitch MIDI Microtuner

The Plastic Pitch is an award winning MIDI microtuner with an intuitive interface made for experimenting with pitch. Create a custom scale with the twelve black and white tuning knobs, and play the scale with a standard MIDI keyboard or other MIDI controller. The tuning knobs operate at a one-cent resolution and can also be quantized to a Scala tuning. Tune multiple synths and multiple voices simultaneously using the four MIDI inputs and four MIDI outputs.

The Plastic Pitch receives input from MIDI controllers and transmits microtuned output to MIDI synthesizers. On the input side, use any combination of an MPE controller, basic MIDI keyboard, or other MIDI source like a DAW or sequencer. On the output side, MIDI tuning is accomplished using MIDI Polyphonic Expression (MPE), basic MIDI pitch bend, and/or MIDI Tuning Standard (MTS)–the tuning method is user configurable and independent for each of the four MIDI outputs.

Find the comprehensive manual and multiple demo videos on the web page below.

It provides an intuitive hardware interface for experimenting with different tunings. It can simultaneously tune multiple MIDI controllers and multiple MIDI synths.

I entered a prototype of this in the 2021 MIDI Innovation Awards and was awarded second prize. Since then, I streamlined the design and added more features. I released the result for sale in February 2025.

Some features I added since 2021 are:

– three DIN inputs and three DIN outputs so that it’s easy to experiment with simultaneously tuning three different voices, for example, bass, melody, and harmony.

– using Scala to quantize the tuning knobs to a particular scale instead of only 1-cent resolution.

– support for MPE controllers—so that each note can be tuned independently but still pitch bent smoothly with MPE.

– support for splitting a 16-part multitimbral synth to tune while playing four different timbres.

– tuning automation for each tuning knob with a DAW using MIDI CCs.

– a Web MIDI configuration tool (runs in a web browser) that provides extensive user-configurable options.

Being able to change tuning in a hands-on and musically intuitive way and hear the result immediately.