Cheap DIY Midi Controller

[camn]

Hey does anyone want to DIY a cheap midi controller?

Here it is.

It is an array of footswitches (up to 11?) that can all send a PC or CC message. I have it set up so pins 2-9 send PC messages 2-9, and pins 10-12 send CC toggles on #16, 17, and 18.

I would set this up with 1-7 switches calling presets (or tuner or Bypass) using the PC pins, along with a CC button for the hotswitch or some other CC value you might like.

PARTS NEEDED:

(1) An enclosure.  $5-10

(some) footswitches, momentary, NO $3/each

(1)An Arduino NANO clone – $4.00

(1) a power jack. – $1

(1) midi connector (or you could scavenge a wire and direct-wire it) ($2.00)

(1) 220Ohm 1/4watt resistor – $0.25

(1) midi cable

TOOLS NEEDED:

A Soldering Iron

A drill

A few hours time.

I wont go through the construction too detailed.. I dint actually build one of these. I just breadboarded it.

But, you drill out the enclosure for your switches, your power jack and your MIDI jack.

Then wire it like so:

PC Firing Footswitches

Pins 2-9 on one side, Ground on the other

CC Firing Switches

Pins 10-12 on one side, ground on the other

Ardruino TO MIDI

TX to 220Ohm Resistor to MIDI pin 4

Ground to PIN 3

5V OUtput from Ardruino to Pin 5

Power Supply

Postive to VIN on Arduino

Ground to Ground

Here is the code:

//midi.controller for eventide H9

//by Cameron Newell @the.nw.enterprise, http://thenorthwestenterprise.com/

//Library Source https://github.com/tttapa/Control-Surface

//Built for Ardruino NANO

#include

// Instantiate a MIDI interface

//USBDebugMIDI_Interface usbmidi(115200); // for serial monitor in ide

HardwareSerialMIDI_Interface serialmidi = {Serial, MIDI_BAUD}; //for normal operation

/* Instantiate PCButtons that read the inputs from a push button and sends out

a MIDI Program Change message when they are pressed.

Ex: pcBtn = {**PHYSICALPIN**, {MIDI_PC::**NAMEHERE**, CHANNEL_#},};

Must use PC name, reference here https://tttapa.github.io/Control-Surface-doc/Doxygen/da/da6/namespaceMIDI__PC.html

My setup matches PC to PIN Number

*/

PCButton pcBtn2 = {2, {MIDI_PC::Electric_Grand_Piano, CHANNEL_1},};

PCButton pcBtn3 = {3, {MIDI_PC::HonkyTonk_Piano, CHANNEL_1},};

PCButton pcBtn4 = {4, {MIDI_PC::Electric_Piano_1, CHANNEL_1},};

PCButton pcBtn5 = {5, {MIDI_PC::Electric_Piano_2, CHANNEL_1},};

PCButton pcBtn6 = {6, {MIDI_PC::Harpsichord, CHANNEL_1},};

PCButton pcBtn7 = {7, {MIDI_PC::Clavi, CHANNEL_1},};

PCButton pcBtn8 = {8, {MIDI_PC::Celesta, CHANNEL_1},};

PCButton pcBtn9 = {9, {MIDI_PC::Glockenspiel, CHANNEL_1},};

/*Hotswitch or other cc function

Will fire 127 on press and 0 on release. Use a momentary switch, like the others.

Assicn CC number from here:

https://tttapa.github.io/Control-Surface-doc/Doxygen/d4/dbe/namespaceMIDI__CC.html

https://www.midi.org/specifications-old/item/table-3-control-change-messages-data-bytes-2

Default is cc#16, 17 and 18

*/

CCButton button10 = {10, {MIDI_CC::General_Purpose_Controller_1, CHANNEL_1},};

CCButton button11 = {11, {MIDI_CC::General_Purpose_Controller_2, CHANNEL_1},};

CCButton button12 = {12, {MIDI_CC::General_Purpose_Controller_3, CHANNEL_1},};

void setup() {

Control_Surface.begin(); // Initialize Control Surface

}

void loop() {

Control_Surface.loop(); // Update the Control Surface

}

[brock]

And that, my friends, is what you call a great tutorial.  Clear, concise, complete.

[camn]

I mean, I wish there were more pictures. But this is the only one I took:

 

[camn]

So, I got around to actually making one if these. It was EASY. Anyone can do it… So if you want to learn to solder and get a specific midi controller… This is your joint. When I am back at a computer I will get some pictures up.

[camn]

Hey people.

I just built a pretty clean MIDI controller cuz I was bored at home. Here is a detailed writeup with many images.

http://thenorthwestenterprise.com/2020/04/21/another-h9-controller/

YOU GUYS SHOULD BUILD YOUR OWN CONTROLLERS ITS AWESOME

[camn]

Wow that picture takes up everything

[camn]

Hey people I have made a bunch of these now, and polished up my process a little. Here is a more current How-To.

 

http://thenorthwestenterprise.com/2020/06/12/a-midi-controller-for-the-eventide-h9-smoothest-yet/

[alamondm]

I’m wanting to give this a shot in building. I have a arduino pro mini. Do I need to change anything in the code. I’m pretty new to the arduino. I have managed to build a switch for my hx stomp using one. It was trial and error but at the end of the day I got it working. Thanks for sharing with everyone.

[camn]

It should work without much change in a pro mini!

There is one problem with this code…
The #include line stripped out the library. You need to #include the control surface library, and that line should look like this

#include Control_Surface.h

Only with a less than/greater than around the library. These forums strip it out 🙁

On my blog I have cleaner code examples
http://thenorthwestenterprise.com/category/guitars/

[camn]

ok people. cleanest codeset yet. 

Incluses a spot for an expression pedal (or multiples) as well as a VOLUME BOOST with an LED toggling it’s state. This might break with a Preset switch, but will reset if you hit it a couple times.

Lets see if I can get it to paste correctly. If not, download here:

http://thenorthwestenterprise.com/files/Expanded_Published.ino

 

//midi.controller for eventide H9

//by Cameron Newell @the.nw.enterprise, http://thenorthwestenterprise.com/

//Library Source https://github.com/tttapa/Control-Surface

//Built for Ardruino NANO EVERY

 

#include <Control_Surface.h> // Include the library 

 

// Instantiate a MIDI interface

USBDebugMIDI_Interface usbmidi(115200); // uncomment this for serial monitor in ide

//HardwareSerialMIDI_Interface serialmidi = {Serial1, MIDI_BAUD}; //uncomment this for 5-pin operation- this sends on TX **may need to rename Serial1 vs Serial

//USBMIDI_Interface midi; // uncomment for native MIDI over USB

//HairlessMIDI_Interface hair (); // uncomment this for Hairless

 

/* Instantiate PCButtons that read the inputs from a push button and sends out a MIDI Program Change message when they are pressed.

Ex: =   {**PHYSICALPIN**, {**PCHEXVALUE**, CHANNEL_#},}; 

HEX is fine http://www.midisolutions.com/MIDI%20Solutions%20MIDI%20Delay.pdf

This setup matches PC to PIN Number

*/

PCButton pcBtn2 = {2, {0x02, CHANNEL_1},};  //PC#2

PCButton pcBtn3 = {3, {0x03, CHANNEL_1},};  //PC#3

PCButton pcBtn4 = {4, {0x04, CHANNEL_1},};  //PC#4

PCButton pcBtn5 = {5, {0x05, CHANNEL_1},};  //PC#5

PCButton pcBtn6 = {6, {0x06, CHANNEL_1},};  //PC#6

PCButton pcBtn7 = {7, {0x07, CHANNEL_1},};  //PC#7

 

/*Hotswitch or other cc function will fire 127 on press and 0 on release by default. This is overridable. Use a momentary switch, like the others.

Assicn CC number from here, precede HEX with 0x

https://www.midi.org/specifications-old/item/table-3-control-change-messages-data-bytes-2

Ex: = {PHYSICALPIN, {**CCHEXVAL**, CHANNEL_#},{ VALUEWHNPUSHED, VALUEWHENRELEASED }};

*/

CCButton button08 = {8,  {0x10, CHANNEL_1},};  // CC#16

CCButton button09 = {9,  {0x11, CHANNEL_1},};  // CC#17

CCButton button10 = {10, {0x12, CHANNEL_1},};  // CC#18

CCButton button11 = {11, {0x13, CHANNEL_1},};  // CC#19

 

/* Instantiate a latched push button that sends MIDI CC messages for a BOOST function

This still uses a momentary physical switch. Assign to Volume in H9 control

Default values overriden. Adjust to boost strength preference

 */

CCButtonLatched boost = {12, {0x07, CHANNEL_1},{ 127, 80 }};  // CC#7 – VOLUME BOOST

const pin_t BoostLed= {13};  // The LED to display the state of the boost button.

 

/* Instantiate an analog input for an Expression pedal

This ia an analog POT with 5v, Ground and Signal. **may jitter**

 */

CCPotentiometer potentiometer = {A0, {0x0B, CHANNEL_1},}; // CC#11, pot wired to pin A0

 

void setup() {

Control_Surface.begin(); // Initialize main Control Surface code

pinMode(13, OUTPUT);  // assign Led pin as output pin

}

 

void loop() {

Control_Surface.loop(); // Update the main Control Surface

digitalWrite(BoostLed, boost.getState() ? HIGH : LOW); // Update the LED state to reflect the toggled switch state. Match name of led to name of button

}

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