Microdesignum MIDI Forte 14F2D-1P Plus

The Microdesignum MIDI Forte 14F2D-1P Plus is a foot-operated MIDI controller with 14 foot buttons, a numeric LED display and a character LED display, built with one expression pedal mounted on the board¹. It is made by Microdesignum, a Czech maker of MIDI controllers and retrofit MIDI modules for guitar effects, and it sits in the middle of the maker's MIDI Forte line of floor controllers¹.

The "1P" in the name is the key to what this version is: the same 14-button controller as the MIDI Forte 14F2D, but fitted to a board with one expression pedal and upgraded with an Eth (EtherCon) connector that carries MIDI In, MIDI Out and power over a single cable¹. Microdesignum lists it at 14,000.00 Kč and marks it temporarily unavailable as of October 2026¹.

The controls: 14 foot buttons and a built-in expression pedal

The playing surface is 14 foot buttons, operated entirely by foot, with a numeric LED display and a character LED display showing where you are in the preset structure¹. A 16-character blue backlit LCD display lets you set a name for each layer, so you can label what a switch row does rather than remembering numbers¹.

One expression pedal comes mounted on the board, and the controller has two inputs for expression pedals, so a second pedal can be added¹. That makes this version the middle option for players who want one pedal now and the option of a second later, without moving up to the MIDI Forte 14F2D-2P Plus, which ships with two pedals on the board¹².

Presets, registers and the red and green layers

Preset storage is organized as 12 registers by 32 banks¹. Each register has two layers, one red and one green, which effectively doubles what each register can do¹. On each layer you can set up to 8 MIDI commands, either Program Change or Control Change, and each command can be on a different MIDI channel⁵. That channel-per-command structure means a single button press can, for example, switch a preset on one device while sending a Control Change to another, all from one layer.

The layer names you type on the LCD display are what distinguish the red and green layers in use: the same register can carry two named configurations, and the color tells you which one is active¹.

Connections through the Eth port

The Plus versions of the MIDI Forte add an Eth (EtherCon) connector that carries MIDI In, MIDI Out and power over one cable¹. This is the main practical difference from the base MIDI Forte 14F2D, which has no ETH port⁵: instead of separate MIDI and power runs to the board, a single locked EtherCon cable handles everything, which simplifies cabling on a larger rig.

The 14F2D-2P Plus goes a step further and includes an aluminum connector box for mounting in a rack, giving the EtherCon connection a fixed home in a rack case².

How it fits in the MIDI Forte series

Microdesignum offers three basic MIDI Forte models: the 10F2D, the 14F2D and the 16F2D, each purchasable as the controller alone or as a set with one or two expression pedals⁶. The number in the model name tracks the register count: the 14F2D has 12 registers, while the 16F2D has 14 registers, and both share the same 400 × 160 × 47 (35) mm controller dimensions⁶.

Within the 14F2D line, the versions differ like this:

All of these share the 12 registers × 32 banks structure, the two-layer registers and the 16-character LCD, and all are listed at the same 2,000 kg weight¹⁵²³. The MIDI Forte 16F2D-2P Plus scales the concept up to 16 foot buttons, 14 registers and two displays⁴.

Microdesignum also builds MIDI controllers in smaller formats, including the MIDI Piccolo 2F1D, and makes retrofit MIDI modules for effects like the EHX POG2 and the EHX Cathedral, which is worth knowing if you are planning a rig around a Forte: the same maker can add MIDI control to pedals that never had it.

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