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System functions

A System Function is an output like any other, so it binds to a controller button, a keyboard key, a MIDI pad, or a knob. Instead of a keystroke it runs the Mac directly: change the volume, skip a track, dim the display, open Mission Control, lock the screen, run a Siri Shortcut, or open an app or a link.

The list

Sound: Volume Up, Volume Down, Mute / Unmute, in the same steps as the keyboard keys.
Media: Play / Pause, Next Track, Previous Track, sent as real media keys so they work in Music, Spotify, a browser, or anything listening.
Display: Brightness Up and Down, and keyboard backlight up and down.
Accessibility: Start Dictation, Speak Selection, Zoom On / Off, Zoom In, Zoom Out. See that page for the macOS settings each one needs.
Mac: Mission Control, Launchpad, Spotlight, Lock Screen, and the screenshot toolbar.
Automation: Run Siri Shortcut, Open App, Open URL.

There is also a separate System Volume output, which is not a press at all: the Mac's volume follows the position of a knob, a trigger, or a wheel, like a fader.

Knobs that run the Mac

System Functions fire once per press, which pairs naturally with Turn-mode MIDI knobs: every few steps of rotation fires one nudge.

Hardware volume knob: bind a CC in Turn mode, plus direction, to Volume Up, and a second Turn row in the minus direction to Volume Down.
Brightness dial: the same recipe with Brightness Up and Brightness Down.
Prefer one-to-one volume? Use the System Volume output instead and the level tracks the knob's position.

The built-in MIDI: Media Deck preset wires all of this up, ready to remap.

Siri Shortcuts

Run Siri Shortcut fires any shortcut from the Shortcuts app by name. Pick one from the list on the row, which is read from your installed shortcuts, or type the exact name. The shortcut runs in the background without taking focus, so a pad can toggle Do Not Disturb, start a timer, run a smart-home scene, or kick off a whole automation while you keep working.

Open App and Open URL

Open App takes an app name such as Safari, a bundle identifier, or a full path, and brings the app to the front, launching it if needed. Open URL opens anything the Mac has a handler for: https links, mailto, facetime, and app schemes such as spotify or obsidian. One button can open the day's spreadsheet, another can start a FaceTime call to a saved contact.

Questions

Do media keys work in Spotify and browsers?

Yes. They are sent as the same events the keyboard's media keys produce, so whatever normally responds to those keys responds to the binding.

Can a System Function be part of a macro?

Yes. Macro steps accept any output, so a macro can mute, open an app, wait, and type.

Why does a Siri Shortcut ask for permission the first time?

macOS asks once per shortcut when another app runs it. Allow it and the row fires silently after that.