Gesture Pad

The Gesture Pad recognizes up to 60 different touch gestures and maps each to a custom macro. It supports multi-finger taps, double taps, pans, and swipes with up to 6 finger combinations.

Add the Gesture Pad to Your Grid

Step 1: Enter Edit Mode

Tap Edit in the toolbar.

Step 2: Open Layout

Tap Layout and clear or merge slots to create space.

Step 3: Insert the Gesture Pad

Tap the empty slot, select Add, then pick Gesture Pad.

Supported Gestures

Try these gestures after adding the Gesture Pad:

• Single-finger tap — Touch the pad with 1 finger.
• Double-tap — Double-tap with 1 finger.
• Pan — Place a finger on the pad and drag in any direction.
• Swipe — Quickly swipe in any direction.

The top-left corner displays gesture indicators: a large circle for the gesture type (tap, double tap, swipe, pan) and smaller circles for the number of fingers used.

Configure a Gesture Command

Step 1: Enter Edit Mode

Tap Edit, then select the Gesture Pad to open the Inspector.

Step 2: Open the Gestures Tab

Tap the Gestures tab and expand the Gesture Selector section. It contains 2 subsections: Finger Layout and Gesture Type.

Step 3: Choose a Finger Layout

The Gesture Pad recognizes 6 finger combinations: 1 finger, 2 fingers, 2 fingers spread, 3 fingers, 3 fingers spread, and 4 fingers.

Step 4: Choose a Gesture Type

For each finger layout, select a gesture type: Tap, Double Tap, Pan (left, right, up, down), or Swipe (left, right, up, down).

Step 5: Assign a Macro

After selecting a gesture, go to the Macro section. It will show a macro area labeled with the selected gesture (e.g., "One Finger Tap"). Tap the macro area for Mac or Windows and create a macro the same way you would for buttons or other objects.

A red dot appears next to the gesture type in the Gesture Selector to confirm that a macro has been assigned.

Step 6: Set a Target Application (Optional)

In the Target Application section within Macro settings, select the app the macro should target. If left on the default Desktop option, the macro runs in whichever app is currently in focus.

Pro Tip: Enable Enable Sounds in the Sounds section of the Settings tab to get audible feedback for each gesture.

Trigger Additional Actions

The Gesture Pad can do more than run macros. Each gesture also supports secondary actions and macro menus.

Display a Macro Menu

1. In the Macro section, enable Display Macro Menu.
2. 2 additional tabs appear: Main Macro and Menu Macros.
3. Main Macro holds the macro triggered by the gesture itself.
4. Menu Macros lets you configure menu items. Set a name for the menu, then use the Menu Item selector to define each item's macro. The macro title becomes the menu item label (defaults to "Untitled macro" if left blank).
5. When triggered, the gesture runs the main macro and displays the menu. To show only the menu, leave the Main Macro tab empty.

Use Secondary Actions

In the Secondary Action section, assign an additional action to any gesture. Available actions include:

• Go to Previous Grid
• Display Grid
• Show/Hide OmniSpace
• Lock Profile
• Unlock Profile
• Display Workspace

Gesture Layers

Gesture layers let you assign different macros to the same gesture depending on the selected snapshot.

Step 1: Enable Gesture Layers

In the Settings tab, turn on Enable Gesture Layers.

Step 2: Set the Snapshot ID

Enter the Snapshot ID that corresponds to your Snapshots object.

Step 3: Configure Layers

The Gesture Selector now includes a Gesture Layer Selector. Configure different macros for each layer.

Example: DAW Transport Control

Use gesture layers to switch pan-gesture behavior based on a time increment:

1. Add a Snapshots object with buttons labeled Frame, Bar, 5s, 10s, 20s. Set its Snapshot ID to 1 and enable Highlight Selection.
2. In the Gesture Pad, set the Gesture Layers Snapshot ID to 1.
3. In Layer 1, assign "Nudge by -1 Frame" to Pan Left and "Nudge by +1 Frame" to Pan Right.
4. In Layer 2, assign "Nudge by -1 Beat" and "+1 Beat". Continue for Layers 3-5 with 5s, 10s, and 20s increments.
5. Exit Edit Mode. Selecting a snapshot (e.g., "Beat") changes the pan gesture to nudge by 1 beat. Selecting "5s" nudges by 5 seconds.

Display Timecode and MIDI Values

Timecode from Your DAW

1. Set up a Mackie Control surface in your DAW with the MetaSystem MCU MIDI port as both input and output.
2. In the Gesture Pad Inspector, expand the Counter section.
3. Change the counter type from None to Timecode.
4. Configure the text size, color, and transparency. Optionally enable Timecode Should Show Bars and Beats Only.
5. Start playback in your DAW. The Gesture Pad displays the timecode.

MIDI Values for MIDI Steps Action

1. Select a gesture (e.g., 1-finger pan up/down) and add a MIDI Steps Action.
2. Set the CC value, channel, and step increment. For the pan-down direction, set the arrow to point downward (decrement).
3. Add the Metasystem3.xml Generic Remote device in your DAW as described in the MIDI & DAW Setup Guide.
4. Exit Edit Mode and perform the gesture. The current MIDI value displays on the Gesture Pad.

When you change tracks in your DAW, MetaGrid Pro updates the displayed value so the MIDI Steps action starts from the current value.

Pro Tip: You can adjust the step value or create value stops by selecting more than 1 value in the MIDI Steps selector. This works for any MIDI CC parameter, though bi-directional value updates depend on DAW support for the specific CC parameter.

Adjust Pan Gesture Sensitivity

Step 1: Select a Pan Gesture

In the Gesture Selector, choose a pan gesture (left, right, up, or down). Sensitivity settings apply per direction.

Step 2: Open Sensitivity Settings

The Pan Gesture Sensitivity section appears in the editor.

Step 3: Adjust the Slider

Move the sensitivity slider to control how much finger movement is required to trigger the gesture. Higher sensitivity requires less movement.

Pro Tip: Use lower sensitivity for precise adjustments and higher sensitivity for quick, broad controls.

Name Your Gesture Pad

In the Title section of the Gesture Pad editor, enter a descriptive name. This name does not appear on the pad itself but is visible in the editor and is used when exporting configurations.

Gesture Overview

The Gesture Overview displays all macros assigned to a Gesture Pad in a single view. Open it using either method:

• Long-press with 2 fingers directly on the Gesture Pad.
• Tap Show Overview in the Inspector while in Edit Mode.

From the Gesture Overview you can:

• View every gesture that has a macro assigned.
• Filter by platform, layer, gesture type, or finger layout.
• Edit a macro by swiping right on its finger layout icon and selecting Edit.

Use Multiple Gesture Pads

You can place several Gesture Pads on a single grid. Each pad has its own gesture configuration and can be linked to a different Snapshots object.

This lets you create dedicated control areas for different tasks (e.g., audio editing, transport, mixing) while keeping everything on 1 grid. Switching snapshots changes each pad's behavior independently.