Alana Balagot whipped this one up and – it’s a gem. The challenge: fit a completely functional MIDI keyboard onto a board the size of a credit or business card, and let it work with anything (USB-C, class compliant). The result: MidiCard.

There’s a lot of functionality on that little board:

  • 18-key keyboard (G – C, so octave and a half range)
  • Octave up/down buttons
  • Three velocity levels (p, mf, ff)
  • Sustain and modulation keys
  • USB-C connection for power and connectivity
  • Class-compliant, so use this with everything from your computer to your iPhone or Android smartphone (pre-iPhone 15 needs an adapter)
  • 3.5” x 2” and less than 1/4” thick (88.9mm x 50.8mm, around 6 mm thick)

It’s sold under MakerProducts, on Etsy (looks like it’s nearly sold out as I write this, but guessing more will come in):

MidiCard Tiny Portable MIDI Keyboard

Pair this with the awesome Music Thing 8mu, a fader controller in roughly the same size, and you have a complete pocket controller studio. (Now you just need a very, very tiny USB-C hub to use both.)

This review obviously doesn’t go with this product, but I like it anyway: “Perfect product for my Warhammer 40k hobby, arms are great for holding small models to the larger tanks. Paired with a table mounted magnifying glass it’s an awesome setup.”

I mean, obviously: at this size, don’t leave home without it.