USB game controller + Ableton Live
The best way to control music softwares (Ableton Live for instance) is definitely midi controllers. But they are often poorly designed compare to Playstation-like game controllers. So I wanted to try using a game controller for controlling Ableton Live. I bought one and started looking for an interface that would get data from the USB port, map data to midi and then send it to Live (or any midi-enabled software). The first product I found was junXion by Steim. It covers all my needs but costs 75 Euros (old version for 25 Euros). I kept searching and eventually found a max/msp patch that basically does the same as the first version of junXion: MultiControl. The Max/MSP runtime (it’s free) needs to be installed for running the patch.
- Plug the USB controller.
- Launch the MultiControl patch.
- Press/move the controller’s buttons, the patch detects the action and assign the control to a midi channel. Press all the buttons! There are only 16 midi channels that can be assigned… x/y controls take 2 channels. Be careful, if you first press the button #2, it will be assigned to the first line, then if you press the button #1 it will be assigned to the first line as well. Do it in the right order.
- For each control assign a unique midi channel (by default they are all assigned to midi channel 1/1). In the screenshot I’ve chosen 5/1, 5/2, 5/3, etc.
- Launch your DAW (Digital Audio Worstation), in your midi settings check that MidiControl is detected.
- Select the “Midi learn” mode in the DAW, select a component to control via midi, press a controller’s button… you’re done!
Fezz said,
March 27, 2008 @ 6:44 pm
HEy dude, just wondering is there a program like Multiconrotle for Windows? im in need of one.
wb if there is please! thanks, Fezz
maquis said,
April 14, 2008 @ 10:59 pm
Dear sirs,
It has been amazing to find this Max patch to substitute Stein’s JunXion, as I do not have the money to purchase it.
But I have tried to enter Multicontrol’s download page, and I could not.
Could you please guide me?
Thanks a lot,
Maria Cristina
beatskk said,
June 5, 2008 @ 7:38 am
like maria said, the link is dead :-(
tokoloten said,
June 5, 2008 @ 8:42 am
I’m sorry for that and unfortunately I don’t have a local copy anymore.
Try to contact the creator of MultiControl: http://www.arj.no/max/
Since I wrote this post last year I’ve purchased junXion because I needed some more advanced features.
tokoloten said,
June 5, 2008 @ 8:50 am
This topic on CreateDigitalMusic might help finding some other tools doing this stuff:
http://createdigitalnoise.com/viewtopic.php?t=147
maquis said,
June 5, 2008 @ 7:05 pm
Thanks a lot for your response, Tokoloten. I will try contacting the creator, as you recommended.
Bye bye