Razer Kishi V2 — Android Gamepad MIDI Setup

The Razer Kishi MIDI setup is the Android equivalent of the Backbone One — a wired gamepad that clips around the phone and presents as a standard USB HID controller. The difference is everything below it: Android USB MIDI works fine over OTG, but Bluetooth MIDI on stock Android still does not have a system-level service the way iOS does. That is why the Kishi's wired USB-C connection matters. Universal Controller MIDI on Android reads the Kishi as a USB gamepad and exposes a virtual MIDI port to apps like FL Studio Mobile, Caustic, and n-Track.

The Android MIDI landscape

iOS has CoreMIDI baked in since iOS 4. Android did not get USB MIDI until 6.0 (2015) and still has no system-wide Bluetooth MIDI service. That changes how you build a controller rig:

• Wired USB MIDI: works on Android 6+. The bridge uses the Android USB Host API. Latency is low, ~3–4 ms.
• Bluetooth MIDI: per-app implementations only. Some DAWs (FL Studio Mobile, n-Track) ship their own BLE MIDI driver. The bridge does not try to be one.
• Network MIDI: works over Wi-Fi with an app like MIDI Connector, but jitter is noticeable.

Translation: plug the Kishi in over USB and stop thinking about wireless on Android.

Which Kishi to buy

• Razer Kishi V2 (Android) — the standard. USB-C, microswitch buttons, telescoping bridge. The one this guide is written against.
• Razer Kishi V2 Pro — same surface plus dual haptic motors and a 3.5 mm jack. The haptics can be driven by MIDI feedback from your DAW.
• Razer Kishi Ultra — full-size tablet controller. Same protocol, bigger form factor.

Razer's Kishi V2 product page lists exact phone compatibility — the telescoping bridge handles most modern Android phones but not foldables.

What you'll need

• A Razer Kishi V2 (Android version — the iOS variant uses Lightning and is covered in the Backbone post)
• An Android phone running Android 10+
• Universal Controller MIDI Android APK
• An Android DAW — FL Studio Mobile, Caustic 3, G-Stomper Studio, n-Track Studio

Step-by-step setup

1. Sideload the APK

The bridge is not on Play Store yet (USB Host permission policies are still being worked out). Sideload the signed APK from your account dashboard. Settings → Apps → Special access → Install unknown apps → grant to your file manager, then install.

2. Slot the phone into the Kishi V2

Pull the bridge apart, plug the USB-C end into the phone, snap the right grip closed. Android pops a "USB device attached" notification. Open the bridge — it should already see the Kishi.

3. Grant USB OTG permission

The first time you launch the bridge with the Kishi connected, Android shows a permission dialog: "Use Razer Kishi V2 with UCMIDI?". Tick "Always" and accept. The Kishi is now bound to the bridge.

# Bridge inspector — Android USB HID
[gamepad] Razer Kishi V2 (USB HID)
[input]   stick.left  -> CC 12 / 13
[input]   stick.right -> CC 14 / 15
[input]   trigger.L2  -> CC 7  (analogue)
[input]   trigger.R2  -> CC 1  (analogue)
[input]   button.A    -> Note 60 ch 1

4. Route MIDI to your DAW

The bridge registers as a virtual MIDI source called UCMIDI Out 1. In FL Studio Mobile: tap the menu, MIDI Settings, enable the bridge as an input. In Caustic 3: Preferences → MIDI → input device. n-Track picks it up automatically.

5. Bind your template

FL Studio Mobile's MIDI Learn is long-press → "Link to controller", then wiggle. Same flow as desktop FL Studio. Save the project as a template so the mapping persists.

Default Kishi V2 mapping

Input	Type	MIDI	Default use
Left stick X / Y	CC	CC 12 / 13 ch 1	Filter cutoff / resonance
Right stick X / Y	CC	CC 14 / 15 ch 1	Reverb send / delay send
L2 (analogue)	CC	CC 7 ch 1	Master volume
R2 (analogue)	CC	CC 1 ch 1	Mod wheel
L1 / R1	Note	Notes 70 / 71 ch 1	Octave shift
A / B / X / Y	Note	Notes 60–63 ch 1	Drum pads 1–4
D-pad	Note	Notes 64–67 ch 1	Drum pads 5–8
Menu / View	Note	Notes 90 / 91 ch 1	Play / Record

Haptic MIDI feedback on the Kishi V2 Pro

The Pro variant adds two haptic motors. The bridge can subscribe to a MIDI CC from your DAW and convert it to rumble strength. Common pattern:

# Bridge config — Kishi V2 Pro haptic feedback
haptic.input.cc = 11
haptic.input.channel = 1
haptic.curve = exponential   # gentle low, hard high
haptic.motor = both          # or left / right

Bind a kick drum's velocity to CC 11 and you feel every kick in your hands. See the haptic feedback deep dive for the bidirectional MIDI pattern.

Workflow patterns

• FL Studio Mobile beat sketching: face buttons trigger drum pads on the current step sequencer, sticks ride filter on the synth track. Triggers send aftertouch-style velocity.
• Caustic SubSynth modulation: two sticks cover four modulation destinations. Sub-bass wobble in your thumb.
• n-Track mixing: bind the d-pad to track select, left stick to fader+pan, right stick to channel sends. A four-track mixer in your hands.
• Samsung DeX mode: plug into a DeX dock with a USB audio interface, and Android-as-a-desktop-DAW becomes plausible. The Kishi keeps streaming MIDI while DeX runs the DAW windowed.

Gotchas worth knowing

• Some Samsung phones intercept the gamepad for Game Mode. Disable Game Launcher's auto-detect or whitelist the bridge.
• USB-C ports vary by phone. A USB 2.0-only phone (still common on budget Android) is fine for MIDI — the bridge only needs a few KB/s.
• Charging while playing: the Kishi V2 has a pass-through USB-C port. Plug the charger into the Kishi, not the phone.
• Background MIDI: Android can kill backgrounded apps. Lock the bridge in your Recents (long-press → Lock) so the OS does not GC it mid-set.

The pitch

Android MIDI is rougher than iOS but the gap has closed. With a wired Kishi V2 and Universal Controller MIDI you get a portable production rig that is no slower than an iPhone Backbone setup. The Kishi V2 Pro's haptic feedback is the unique angle — no other phone gamepad currently does bidirectional MIDI haptics. Check the Backbone One guide if you are on iOS, and the GuliKit hall-effect piece if you want zero stick drift.