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DJ Tech Reviews

DJ TechTools MIDI Fighter 64

An 8 x 8 grid of arcade buttons for finger drumming and mashups; no velocity, and it needs setting up.

DJ TechTools Midi Fighter 64 in white from above, with some LED rings lit

Photos: DJ TechTools

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Only 2 professional reviews so far, 2 recommending it5.0/5 from 2 Thomann owners

See reviews

An early read

This page rests on 2 professional reviews and 1 owner review, too few to be sure. It is recompiled as more reviews appear.

Best for
Finger drummers and mashup performers who trigger samples in Ableton Live.
Skip it if
You want velocity-sensitive pads or ready-made clip launch and scale modes.

The Internet’s Opinion

From 2 professional reviews and 1 owner review: not much evidence yet.

Both reviews recommend it for finger drumming and mashups, for its fast, durable Sanwa arcade buttons and configurable lighting. They note it has no ready-made modes like a Launchpad or Push, so it takes setting up, and that the buttons are clicky.

2 recommend0 mixed0 avoid

What people praise

  • Arcade buttons feel solid and respond fast
  • Configurable LED rings make a show of a routine
  • Durable build for touring and stage use
Show 1 more
  • Quick to set up with the Midi Fighter Utility and an Ableton Drum Rack

What to know first

  • The buttons are loud and clicky
  • A blank canvas with no ready-made modes; it takes setting up

Owner ratings, as the retailers publish them

  • Thomann5.0/5from 2 ratings · read Oct 15, 2026
See the 2 reviews behind this

2 professional reviews (2 recommend, 0 mixed, 0 avoid); 1 owner review read at Thomann, the only one there (Guitar Center could not be checked)Compiled 2026-11-04How this is compiled

Video reviews

  • Full Stack CreativeSep 2020

    MIDIFIGHTER 64 | Its like arcade games for producers...

    MIDIFIGHTER 64 | Its like arcade games for producers...

    Full Stack CreativeSep 2020

Plays from YouTube when you press play. Picked from the reviews counted above, including one that disagrees where there is one.

Prices

Before you buy

Released
June 2017
Status
Current

Works with

  • Ableton LiveNot included

    The five included sound packs are Ableton Live sets; turn on Remote, and Track for finger drumming, for the Midi Fighter's ports in Live's MIDI preferences DJ TechTools, checked 2026-10-12

  • TraktorOfficial mapping

    DJ TechTools publishes Midi Fighter 64 mappings to import in Traktor's Controller Manager, with the unit set to Notes in the Utility DJ TechTools, checked 2026-10-12

  • Any MIDI softwareClass compliant

    A plug-and-play class-compliant controller for any computer with a USB port that supports MIDI; buttons send notes, CCs or both DJ TechTools, checked 2026-10-12

  • Midi Fighter UtilityFree download

    Sets button colours, animations and MIDI type and updates the firmware; macOS 10.7 or newer, Windows Vista or newer DJ TechTools, checked 2026-10-12

  • Launchpad and Push mashup setsLaunchpad easier

    Sets built in a Launchpad's User mode carry over, with LED feedback sent on MIDI channel 3; Push sets use a different note layout and need remapping Ask.Audio (review, via the Internet Archive), checked 2026-10-12

You’ll also need

  • A computerNot standalone

    Powered and played over one USB cable from a computer; DJ TechTools says to connect it directly, not through a USB hub DJ TechTools, checked 2026-10-12

  • Ableton Live for the sound packsSold separately

    Only the Midi Fighter Utility comes with it; the sound packs need Ableton Live installed Ask.Audio (review, via the Internet Archive), checked 2026-10-12

Key specs

Software
Midi Fighter Utility (macOS 10.7 or newer, Windows Vista or newer); class-compliant MIDI
Standalone
No: needs a computer or other USB MIDI host
Buttons
64 Sanwa arcade buttons in an 8 x 8 grid, rated for 5 million presses
Weight
1,487 g
Power
USB bus powered
Button type
Sanwa OBSF-24
All 14 specifications
Velocity
None: the buttons are on/off switches
Lighting
LED ring round each button in 19 colours, with built-in animations
MIDI modes
Notes, CCs, or Notes plus CCs (CC values fixed on and off)
Banks
Two, switched by holding a top corner button for two seconds
Connection
USB 2.0 Type B, cable included
Dimensions
254 x 254 x 44 mm
Sound packs
Five Ableton Live packs: Shawn Wasabi, Apoth, Mad Zach, Choke, Ill Gates
Made in
Hand-built in San Francisco

14 of 14 figures sourced; hover one for its source

Our take

Dex JonesWritten from the sources on this page, not from a loan unit.

The evidence is thin: two professional reviews and one owner. Ask.Audio and Juno Daily both recommend it for its fast, durable Sanwa arcade buttons and the LED rings that make a show of a routine, and the one Thomann owner agrees. It is a blank canvas with no ready-made modes, so it takes setting up, and its on/off buttons are clicky and not velocity sensitive. Buy it for finger drumming and mashups, not as a general clip launcher.

What it is

Status, October 2026: current. DJ TechTools lists it as in stock, and Thomann sells it too.

What it is

The Midi Fighter 64 is a USB MIDI controller from DJ TechTools: an 8 x 8 grid of 64 Sanwa arcade buttons, each inside an LED ring (DJ TechTools product page). It grew out of a custom 64-button prototype that DJ TechTools engineer Michael Mitchell built for the mashup artist Shawn Wasabi, who had been performing on the 16-button Midi Fighter Spectra and 3D. DJ TechTools announced a production run in June 2017, and the units are hand-built in San Francisco.

The buttons are Sanwa OBSF-24 switches, rated for five million presses. They are on/off switches, so there is no velocity, and they send MIDI notes, CC messages or both. Each LED ring shows one of 19 colours and can run built-in animations, set in the free Midi Fighter Utility for Mac and Windows, which also updates the firmware. There are no side buttons; holding a top corner button for two seconds switches between two banks.

It has no screen, knobs or faders and makes no sound. A single USB 2.0 Type B cable, included, powers it and connects it to a computer, where it works as a class-compliant controller with any MIDI software. DJ TechTools publishes mappings for Ableton Live and Traktor, and every unit comes with five Ableton Live sound packs from Shawn Wasabi, Apoth, Mad Zach, Choke and Ill Gates. It measures 254 x 254 x 44 mm and weighs 1,487 g.

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