Microdesignum MIDI Forte 14F2D-2P Plus

The Microdesignum MIDI Forte 14F2D-2P Plus is a foot-operated MIDI controller with 14 foot buttons, a numeric LED display and a character LED display, mounted on a board together with two expression pedals¹. It belongs to the MIDI Forte series, which Microdesignum describes as its line of luxury MIDI controllers, and it is built to sit at the front of a pedalboard or rack system and send MIDI commands to effects units, amps and switchers¹².

The core idea is simple: instead of tapping dance on individual pedals, you press one button and the controller fires a programmed set of MIDI messages at your gear. Each layer can be set with up to 8 MIDI commands, either Program Change or Control Change, and each of those commands can be on a different MIDI channel¹. That means a single press can switch a rack preamp's preset, change a delay patch on another unit and bump a mixer channel, all at once.

The controls: 14 foot buttons, 12 registers × 32 banks

The playing surface is 14 foot buttons, operated entirely by foot¹. Presets are organized as 12 registers across 32 banks, and each register has two layers, one red and one green¹. In practice that gives you two programmable states per register, so a single register can hold two different command sets you can flip between.

Each layer can carry up to 8 MIDI commands, Program Change or Control Change, and each command can be set to a different MIDI channel¹. The 16-character blue backlit LCD display lets you set the layer name, so you can label what each press actually does rather than remembering button numbers¹.

The manual adds a capability that goes beyond foot control: the MIDI Forte can act as a MIDI-controlled MIDI controller. Receiving one incoming MIDI command can send up to 8 user-programmed MIDI messages, so another controller or a sequencer can trigger the same programmed command sets³.

Power and connections over one EtherCon cable

The 14F2D-2P Plus carries an Eth (EtherCon) connector that runs MIDI In, MIDI Out and power over a single cable¹. For a player, that is the practical point of the Plus variants: one locked EtherCon run from the board to the rack replaces separate MIDI and power lines, which cuts cable clutter and the number of connections that can work loose on stage.

This is a difference within the series. The base MIDI Forte 14F2D has no ETH port⁴, while the Plus versions, including the 14F2D Plus and 14F2D-1P Plus, carry MIDI In and MIDI Out plus power over the Eth connector⁵⁶.

Where it sits in the MIDI Forte range

Microdesignum offers three basic MIDI Forte models, the 10F2D, 14F2D and 16F2D, each purchasable as the controller alone or as a set with one or two expression pedals². The 14F2D-2P Plus is the 14-button model as a set with two expression pedals on the board¹⁴.

The 16F2D-2P Plus is the step-up option in the MIDI Forte range, built around the same per-layer command structure, with each register offering two layers, red and green⁷. Microdesignum also notes that a MIDI Forte 16F2D served as the MIDI pedalboard in a 2019 custom pedalboard and rack build⁸.

Availability and pricing

As of October 2026, Microdesignum lists the 14F2D-2P Plus as temporarily unavailable¹. The same status applies across the series pages for the 14F2D, 14F2D Plus, 14F2D-1P Plus and 16F2D-2P Plus⁵⁴⁶⁷.

The listed price is 15 000,00 Kč for one unit, with quantity pricing on the maker's page: 14 700,00 Kč at a quantity of 2, 14 550,00 Kč at 3, 14 400,00 Kč at 4, 14 250,00 Kč at 5, and 13 500,00 Kč at 10¹.

Questions