What if you could get per-note pitch bend, vibrato and timbre control from the MIDI keyboard you already own? That is the idea behind Sleight, a free research prototype by Dean Coyle, featured by the MIDI Association in its coverage of MIDI 2.0 innovative products at Music China 2026. The show took place in Shanghai from 28 to 31 October 2026.
Sleight does not replace an MPE controller. But it points to a different path into expressive playing, one that uses a camera instead of new sensors.
How Sleight works
Sleight uses a webcam to track each finger on an ordinary MIDI 1.0 keyboard. The keyboard still sends standard note-on and note-off messages. The camera adds the gestures a normal keybed cannot sense:
- Sliding a finger sideways bends that note's pitch.
- Shaking a finger adds vibrato to that note.
- Moving a finger forward or back on the key changes timbre.
The key point is that each note in a chord is controlled independently. Bend one note of a triad while the others hold steady, or add vibrato to the top voice only. That is exactly what MPE was designed to carry.
MIDI 2.0 and MPE at the same time
According to the MIDI Association, Sleight sends per-note MIDI 2.0 UMP messages and also outputs MPE at the same time. This dual output matters. MIDI 2.0 per-note controllers are the long-term direction, but most synths and DAWs today understand MPE. By sending both, Sleight works with existing MPE instruments now and is ready for MIDI 2.0 instruments as they appear.
If you want the background, our explainer on MPE versus MIDI 2.0 per-note controllers covers the differences.
Where Sleight fits among expressive controllers
Camera-based control is not new. Projects like Astra Tesseracto and the Glinster instrument for Vision Pro already use hand tracking. What makes Sleight different is that it augments a real keyboard instead of replacing it. You keep the tactile keys you know and add expression on top.
There are trade-offs compared with dedicated MPE hardware such as the Expressive E Osmose, LinnStrument or Haken Continuum:
- No pressure sensing. A webcam sees position and movement, not force. Per-note pressure, one of the most used MPE dimensions, is not part of the described gesture set.
- Camera setup. Lighting, camera angle and hand position all affect tracking. Expect some setup work.
- Latency. Camera pipelines add delay. For slow gestures like vibrato and glides this may matter less than for fast attacks, but it is worth testing.
- Prototype status. Sleight is listed as a non-commercial research prototype. No price, release date or download link is given in the MIDI Association's coverage.
Also shown: MIDISketch
The same MIDI Association article features MIDISketch by ELIOTONIC, a piano-roll sequencer where pitch bend, pressure, slide and vibrato are drawn as curves on each note. It accepts input from MPE controllers and hosts its synth internally, so even a DAW without MPE support can produce per-note expression. It runs as VST3, AU, CLAP and standalone. We looked at it earlier in our MIDISketch coverage.
Why it matters
Sleight shows that per-note expression does not have to start with a new controller. For keyboard players curious about MPE but not ready to buy dedicated hardware, camera-based tools could become an entry point. For developers, it is a clear example of dual MIDI 2.0 and MPE output, a sensible pattern while the ecosystem transitions.
If Sleight sparks your interest, you can try the gestures today with any MPE-capable synth and a controller that supports them. Our MPE setup guide and practice routines are good places to start. Follow the MIDI Association for updates on Sleight and other MIDI 2.0 projects.