making a midi controller.....

[xsmooth69x]

so i dont quite understand this, i have been reading for about a solid week and cant grasp this concept.

you can use a usb game controller as a cheap midi controller. its a HID unit then you run it through a program that converts HID to MIDI and map all the buttons.

now a usb game controller only has 14 buttons.

so why are the usb game controllers so popular or easy to use? why wouldnt someone use a usb computer keyboard and just solder a crap load of arcade buttons and map it with the HID to MIDI software (obviously only buttons no faders or knobs)? a usb keyboard is a HID right?

or will this cause a problem like if i have a laptop and i plug in a usb keyboard will it conflict with my laptop keyboard?

if there is any good literature online thats a good read post it.

[oskars]

A USB game controller often has these buttons:
1. UP
2. RIGHT
3. DOWN
4. LEFT
5. LEFT-UP
6. RIGHT-UP
7. RIGHT-DOWN
8. LEFT-DOWN
9. L1
10. L2
11. R1
12. R2
13. X
14. O
15. Square
16. Triangle
17. Start
18. Select
19. Left joystick button
20. Right joystick button

+ 4 Analog outputs = 4 faders, or 4 knobs

It is very cheap to use a gamepad for a midi controller. It gives you both digital (buttons) and analog (faders) outputs. A keyboard only has digital outputs, which is good if you only want buttons.

If you use a keyboard you will have conflicts with your "regular" keyboard, yes

[xsmooth69x]

so wait i can essentially wire 20 buttons and 4 analogs?

[xsmooth69x]

oskars +1 to you man your diy dj controller

although you said in your write up theres maybe 12-14 digital inputs?

after your write up did you figure out there was 20?

[oskars]

THANKS!

Yes! I first thought it only had 12-14 digital... But after that I found out that it had more

[xsmooth69x]

ur the man when get the money for 16 sanwa buttons (mostly just the buttons are the $$$$) and 2 fader and a knob im making a tutorial too

[Carter]

Actually, I believe that there are 20! buttons + 80 analog inputs if you were to correctly map it.

[xsmooth69x]

how do u go about correctly mapping this?

[xsmooth69x]

bumppppppppppp

[xsmooth69x]

theres 16 buttons and 8 anaolog not 80 right.....

D-pad
1 UP
2 RIGHT
3 DOWN
4 LEFT

Triggers
5 L1
6 L2
7 R1
8 R2

right buttons
9 X
10 O
11 Square
12 Triangle

middle
13 Start
14 Select
15 Left joystick button
16 Right joystick button

then when you press the analog button in the middle it activates the 2 joy sticks

right joystick
1 up
2 down
3 left
4 right

left joystick
1 up
2 down
3 left
4 right

which are 2 faders/knobs on one joystick and 2 faders/knobs on the other total of 4 knobs/faders

how do u map

LEFT-UP
RIGHT-UP
RIGHT-DOWN
LEFT-DOWN

can even put physical buttons on those? it just looks like a combination of the 2 buttons Up-and-Right or Up-and-Left etc