From a blank canvas
to your first cue.
Start small: one device, one saved preset, one song. Get that working before building your whole show.
A simple setup, step by step.
- Sign in to Petal
Choose Apple, phone, or Google on the welcome screen. Complete the provider’s sign-in flow. Sign-in is portrait; the authenticated app switches to landscape.
- Connect your controller
Connect a supported USB MIDI device, or follow the Bluetooth pairing screen. Confirm the app shows a connected device before testing MIDI.
- Add one piece of gear
Open Devices, tap +, and choose or create a device. Set its MIDI channel to match the receiving gear, then save.
- Save a preset
Open that device’s Presets and create a preset with a simple MIDI message. Verify the receiving device responds.
- Create a song
In Songs, tap +. Give the song a name, tempo, and time signature. Build its sections and place a preset event on the timeline.
- Make a performance
In Performances, tap + and choose Empty or All Songs. Add your song, open it, and use Play to rehearse the cue.
Before you press Play.
Check three things: connection, receiving channel, and saved changes. Keep your test message simple enough that you can hear or see the result immediately.
Events at the beginning of a song can be applied when the program loads. Treat selecting or loading a song as a meaningful action, and rehearse how it affects connected gear.
Build up in layers.
Once one cue works, add a second device or create a patch that combines several presets. Then add timed changes, ramps, and the rest of your performance order. Save and rehearse each layer before moving on.