It speaks MIDI.
Every tilt and touch becomes notes and control data your studio can record, layer and route anywhere, a real MIDI controller, no cables, over your own Wi-Fi.
Tilt becomes
control data.
Turn MIDI Out on (MIDI tab, in the app) and Nimbus exposes itself as a MIDI source called “Nimbus Synth”, no cable, just your local network. Whatever you'd tap or tilt on the play field arrives in your DAW as one of these:
Notes
Each active slot plays on its own MIDI channel (1–6), note on/off from touch.
Velocity & expression
How hard you tap or wiggle a finger against the orb, sent once as note velocity, then continuously as CC 11 (expression).
Tilt → CC
Whatever's mapped to your 3 tilt axes (Settings › Mapping) sends live: Filter, Reverb, Detune, Wobble & Sub Drone are each their own CC.
Aftertouch
Channel Pressure from tilt, whenever Volume is mapped to an axis in Settings › Mapping.
What do you have
in hands?
Network MIDI is already built in.
- 1Turn MIDI output on in the app (MIDI tab).
- 2On your Mac, open Audio MIDI Setup → Window → Show MIDI Studio, then double-click Network. If your phone isn't listed under Sessions and Directories, click + and add it by hand — the app's MIDI tab shows the Host and Port to type in (some newer macOS versions no longer auto-detect it).
- 3In your DAW, choose “Nimbus Synth” (or the Network session) as a MIDI input and arm a track.
Two routes in. Pick the right one for your build.
winver, and check.rtpMIDI
by Tobias Erichsen · free for personal useA mature driver implementing the same Network MIDI (RTP-MIDI) protocol Apple uses: the standard way Windows musicians have received MIDI from an iPhone or iPad for well over a decade, and now from Android too.
- Works on Windows 7 through 11, no special build or hardware required
- Same connection method a Mac uses, Nimbus doesn't need to know the difference
- Not made by us, free for personal/non-commercial use, see their site for licensing and updates
Nimbus MIDI Bridge
Windows 11, version 24H2+ requiredOur own companion app, built on Microsoft's newer Windows MIDI Services stack (still a developer preview). Auto-discovers Nimbus on your Wi-Fi and connects with one tap, no manual Network MIDI setup.
- Needs Windows 11, version 24H2 or later, with Windows MIDI Services installed
- Auto-discovery, no IP address to type in
- Free, made by us: the underlying Microsoft stack is still preview, so rtpMIDI is the safer daily driver for now if you hit issues
How to connect with rtpMIDI
- 1Install rtpMIDI and open it.
- 2Turn MIDI output on in the app (MIDI tab). Your phone and PC must be on the same Wi-Fi.
- 3In rtpMIDI's session list, click +. If “Nimbus Synth” isn't listed under Directory (Bonjour), enter its Host and Port by hand instead — the app's MIDI tab shows both.
- 4In your DAW, pick the rtpMIDI virtual port as a MIDI input and arm a track.
How to connect with Nimbus MIDI Bridge
- 1Run Nimbus MIDI Bridge on your PC (same Wi-Fi as your phone). It asks for Administrator every time you open it, that's expected, not a red flag: it needs that to reset the Windows MIDI service before anything else can work.
- 2Turn MIDI output on in the app, open the MIDI tab's Windows page, and it should appear under “Found on your network” within a couple of seconds.
- 3Tap Connect. Open or reopen your DAW, then pick “Nimbus Synth” as a MIDI input.
- 4Tilt your phone or tap an orb, that's what actually starts sending. Being “Connected” only means the phone found your PC; the bridge (and your DAW) won't show activity until a note actually goes out.
reset-midi-service.bat from the app's folder by hand instead, or switch to rtpMIDI, which doesn't depend on that service at all.Still stuck?
Nothing arrives in the DAW at all
Confirm MIDI output is switched on in the app, and that your Mac/PC and phone are on the same Wi-Fi network (not a guest network, those usually isolate devices from each other). Then tilt the phone or tap an orb: a connection alone doesn't send anything, a note does.
Mac connection drops after sleep
Re-open Audio MIDI Setup → Network and reconnect, this is a macOS quirk with Network MIDI sessions in general, not specific to Nimbus.
rtpMIDI doesn't see the phone
Some routers block Bonjour/mDNS discovery between devices. Try a phone hotspot as a quick test, if it works there, it's a network/router setting, not the app.
Nimbus MIDI Bridge won't get past “checking MIDI service”
The underlying Microsoft stack is a developer preview and its background service can get stuck. The app already retries the repair twice, on its own, before it ever shows you this, so closing and reopening it just re-runs the same attempt and rarely changes anything. Run reset-midi-service.bat from the app's folder by hand instead, or switch to rtpMIDI, which doesn't depend on that service at all.
Which one should I use on Windows?
rtpMIDI if you want the safest, most proven option: it's been the standard way for over a decade and works on any Windows from 7 to 11. Nimbus MIDI Bridge if you're on a current Windows 11 (24H2+) and want the fastest one-tap setup, and don't mind it being newer and occasionally needing a restart.
Still stuck? Email us →