Morningstar MC3

The Morningstar MC3 is a fully programmable MIDI foot controller with three soft touch switches, built for players who want MIDI control on the smallest of pedalboards. Morningstar announced it on 2 October 2020 as its most compact controller, completing the MC series alongside the MC6 and MC8¹. Each switch can send up to 16 different MIDI messages across 16 MIDI channels with a single press, and the controller works with any device that accepts MIDI, regardless of brand or model².

The MC3 sends MIDI through a 5-pin DIN output and four 3.5mm TRS outputs, the first TRS MIDI outputs on a dedicated Morningstar controller, so you can wire several MIDI pedals without a MIDI box or splitter²¹. It holds 30 banks of 6 presets, 180 programmable slots in all, with two pages per bank²³.

Switches, banks and actions

The MC3's three soft touch switches sit in 30 dual-page banks, so each bank gives you two pages of three switches²³. Control is action-based: assignable actions include Press, Release, Double Tap, Long Press and more, so a single switch can behave differently depending on how you use it².

Each switch press can send up to 16 different MIDI messages across 16 MIDI channels, which Morningstar says lets you control up to 16 different MIDI devices via 16 unique selectable channels²³. Message types include PC, CC, Note, SysEx, MIDI Clock and MMC, among more than 20 types and functions²³.

If three switches are not enough, the MC3 expands with external aux switches. American Loopers makes a three-button aux switch for the MC3, MC6, MC6 PRO and MC8, and a two-button mini aux switch for the MC3, MC4 PRO, MC6, MC6 PRO, MC8 and MC8 PRO; both connect via the controller's jack and add programmable switches that can do anything the built-in switches do, such as Bank Up, Bank Down, preset recall, MIDI Clock tap tempo or expression⁴⁵.

MIDI outputs, Omniport and USB

The MC3's MIDI connectivity is unusual for its size. Alongside the 5-pin MIDI Out/Thru, it has four 3.5mm TRS MIDI outputs, which Morningstar described as the first ever on a dedicated MIDI controller when it launched the product²¹. All Morningstar controllers can send MIDI through their 5-pin, TRS and USB ports without a MIDI box or splitter².

The TRS outputs comply with the TRS MIDI standard and send via the tip by default. Ports 1 and 2 always send via tip, while ports 3 and 4 can be set to send via tip or ring using the internal dip switches, so you can match pedals that use either wiring convention²¹.

The 1/4 inch Omniport is a configurable jack: you can set it as an expression pedal input, an aux switch input or a MIDI output². The MC8 already had Omniports of its own, and the MC3's expression jacks now match them via TRS MIDI Out⁶. Connect an expression pedal there for continuous control over effect parameters, or use it to add external aux switches².

The USB Type B port is Class Compliant: it receives bus power and sends and receives MIDI. It can receive PC, CC, Note and MIDI Clock messages and relay them through the 5-pin and 1/4 inch MIDI outputs, and the MC3 can also serve as a MIDI interface for web-based MIDI applications². If you route messages through the controller this way, MIDI Thru must be enabled in its settings⁷.

Power: 9-12V DC or USB

The MC3 runs from a 9-12V DC center negative power supply rated for at least 80mA, or entirely from USB power, so you can skip a separate power supply when it is connected to a computer or powered USB hub²³.

Firmware, editor and the MC series

The MC3 carries a 20 x 2 character LCD screen², and its 30 dual-page banks of 3 switches are laid out across that display as you scroll through them². The whole unit sits in an anodized aluminum enclosure measuring 122 x 72 x 48 mm², small enough to fit on any pedalboard²³.

Within the MC series, the MC3 is the compact option. The MC6 offers six switches, and the MC8 PRO is the flagship, with four assignable Omniports configurable as MIDI outputs, aux switch inputs or expression pedal inputs, plus DIN5, TRS (type A and B switchable) and USB device and host MIDI ports⁸. The MC6 PRO and MC4 PRO sit between them in the range. All Morningstar controllers are compatible with any device that accepts MIDI, and the MC6 MKII is likewise expandable with aux switches²⁹.

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