Custom Controllers
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  1. #1
    DJTT Super Moderator midifidler's Avatar
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    Default Custom Controllers

    *UPDATE* 1/10/10

    The midifighter is now a commercially available controller. For more info please visit http://www.midifighter.com/


    Is anybody else working on any custom controllers?
    This is a controller I have been working on for the last few months called the "Midifighter". Obviously inspired by Eans arcade button mod each arcade button sends a midi note, and has an LED which can controlled using the midi out put on your software. The group of four buttons on the top right of the box are bank select buttons, each button maps the arcade buttons to a new range of notes. This effectively gives you quick access to 64 notes. The joysticks are raxed from a ps2 controller and send a different CC value on each axis. Eventually I want to tweak this so that it can be configured to send a different pair of CC values in each quadrant turning them into "super-sticks".
    Last edited by EanGolden; 01-11-2010 at 03:51 PM.

  2. #2
    Tech Guru Fatlimey's Avatar
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    In my copious spare time (ha!) I am working on a custom controller kit. More of a tutorial on how to make your own custom controller using an Arduino, based on a flexible description of how to create the four subsystems - keys, knobs, output lights and rotary controllers. You start with your design for the controller (a very teenagery thing to do, but actually the right thing in this case), spec out the component counts and build subsystem modules that you hook into the Arduino. The software after that is a fairly simple matter of polling components and sending MIDI. The only details are how to latch and shift-in your keys, shift-out your lights, how to multiplex your analog readings and how to buffer your rotary controllers with incr/decr counters so you don't miss a fast movement. There are standard parts that do all these things - connect together, write some code to interpret movements into MIDI for your superknobs and you're done.

    I recently asked for help with the electrical engineering in the DJTT comments (I'm a software guy, no idea about decoupling capacitors or the analog limitations of digital circuits) and someone offered help, but I never got back to them and I regret that now. Please call in, I'd like to take you up on your offer!

  3. #3
    Tech Mentor
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    Sweet!! Good job in using an existing idea and making it into a totally different idea.
    Thank Ya!!!

  4. #4
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    Sweeet. I totally want one!

    Would work sweet with a VCI + traktor to trigger cues or to tigger ableton samples perhaps OR! that and a nocturne would be a totally sic ultra portable setup for running ableton. Arcade buttons for tiggering samples, joy sticks for effects and nocturne for eq's and anything else (automap ftw!).

    So how much for you to build me one ? ;D

  5. #5
    Tech Wizard rBobz28's Avatar
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    I'd love to see it in action. Let us know if you put a video on Youtube.

  6. #6
    DJTT Super Moderator midifidler's Avatar
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    @Fatlimey
    That was me so if you ever want any advice hit me up. I would be interested in seeing what you have got so far..
    @midian
    I'm pretty much finished redesigning the PCBs to have them made professionally so that I can get rid of the shit-storm of wires inside the case. I have to order several lots of the circuit boards so will have no issue putting together extra units for any one interested. I just need coin for the parts cost which will probably be between 250-300 NZD, if I was making more than 5 it would probably be more like 200.
    The next version will be about the same height as a vci rather than the 45mm in its current state. I'm going to finish my one with a wood veneer on the top as I reckon it will look sweet with the yellow buttons and brushed aluminum but I can have the top laser cut from aluminum and powder coated or anodized for a more modern look.
    @rBobz28
    I will post a video once i get some skills on it So far I have had a lot of fun using it to control tracks which have been sliced to midi in Ableton.

  7. #7
    Tech Mentor ToS's Avatar
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    I'm finishing (finishing since the beginning of the year) a traktor midiBox controller.
    You can see some of the buildlog HERE.
    If you are building something more than a button matrix or just a few pots I'm recmmending midiBox platform.

  8. #8
    Tech Wizard The Duelist's Avatar
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    Default Ableton Drum Rack Controller

    Hi MIDIFidler

    Just Wondering If You Are Using Are You Using Ableton7?
    If You Are, Have You Tried Using Your Controller With A Drum Rack?

    The Duelist
    17" MacBook Pro 2.5 GHz C2D | MacOS 10.6.2 (Snow Leopard)
    Traktor 1.2.4 | VCI-100SE v3.4
    Korg Zero8 | NI Audio8 DJ | Akai APC40 | KRK V8 Mk2 | Sony MDR-7506
    Novation Remote SL25MkII | Kore2 | Komplete6 | Virus TI
    Ableton Live8 (Suite) | Logic9 | Reason4 | Audio Hijack Pro

  9. #9
    DJTT Super Moderator midifidler's Avatar
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    Hey Duelist,
    Yeah I have used it with the drum rack in 7, if you want a really natural sound its not quite ideal as the buttons are obviously not velocity sensitive, but you can trigger ridiculously fast with them probably up to 8+ times a second, and you can have a huge array of drum sounds in easy access.
    Assigning the joysticks to loop length and compress results in some pretty cool effects.

    @Tos
    Your controller looks sic, loving the uv reactive marking. Does midi box use a USB interface?

  10. #10
    Tech Wizard The Duelist's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by midifidler View Post
    Hey Duelist,
    Yeah I have used it with the drum rack in 7, if you want a really natural sound its not quite ideal as the buttons are obviously not velocity sensitive, but you can trigger ridiculously fast with them probably up to 8+ times a second, and you can have a huge array of drum sounds in easy access.
    Assigning the joysticks to loop length and compress results in some pretty cool effects.
    Cool.
    What I Was Thinking You Could Try Is:
    'Slicing' Up A Track;
    Then Map The Slices/Cuepoints To Drum Rack Pads.
    You Could Then Use You Controller To Juggle.
    17" MacBook Pro 2.5 GHz C2D | MacOS 10.6.2 (Snow Leopard)
    Traktor 1.2.4 | VCI-100SE v3.4
    Korg Zero8 | NI Audio8 DJ | Akai APC40 | KRK V8 Mk2 | Sony MDR-7506
    Novation Remote SL25MkII | Kore2 | Komplete6 | Virus TI
    Ableton Live8 (Suite) | Logic9 | Reason4 | Audio Hijack Pro

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