LIDSYNTH SUPPORT

A little help.
Then back to playing.

Need a hand? Email play@panlab.hk. English and 繁體中文 are both welcome. For a technical issue, include your Mac model, macOS version and what happened.

Start with a chord

Choose Warm Pad, then hold Z, C and B on a U.S. keyboard for a C major chord. Lower the screen to fade the sound and open it to swell. The piano shows your current keyboard layout’s letters. You can also click the on-screen keys.

Useful keys

• Space: sustain for pads and choirs.
• ↑ / ↓: shift octaves.
• ← / →: select the previous or next sound.
• Esc: silence the instrument.
• ⌘E: open the Sound Editor.
• ⇧⌘S: save a new version of your sound.
• ⌘Z: undo an edit or library action.

No sound?

Check your Mac’s output volume and audio device. In LidSynth, choose Manual volume and raise the on-screen control. The lid may be below your calibrated silent point. Try Warm Pad and hold a key for a moment; pads have a gentle attack. Esc clears held notes if needed.

Calibrate the lid

The first-launch guide sets comfortable full and silent angles. You can revisit calibration in Settings. The guide waits for the screen to move between steps. On Macs without a compatible lid-angle sensor, or when the laptop is closed in clamshell mode, use Manual volume.

Make your own sounds

Open Edit Sound and adjust Envelope, Tone, Texture, Motion or Space & Level. Changes are saved automatically. Double-click a knob to return it to its factory value. Choose Save as New Sound to keep multiple independent versions, then find them under My in each sound category or Sound ▸ My Sounds. Rename, Duplicate and Delete are in the Sound menu; Undo can restore an accidental deletion during the session.

Compatibility

macOS 14 or later, Apple silicon or Intel. Screen-controlled volume requires a compatible MacBook lid-angle sensor; manual volume works on other Macs. Keyboard notes are handled by physical keys, so you can play with a Chinese input method selected.