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Build your own MIDI-controller

During their concept research phase, Platform Project 2 took a deep dive into exploring sound. It started off with experimenting through circuit bending old children’s toys. From there, the team tinkered further on and ended up building a MIDI-controller, using Arduino and Ableton. On this page, we will elaborate on the different steps on how to build your own MIDI-controller. 

Start building!

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  • Arduino uno board

  • 4 potentiometers

  • Arduino joystick

  • Laptop

  • Cable from Arduino to laptop

  • Soldering kit

  • Cables

Materials

01

Gather materials

Before you start, make sure to obtain everything from the materials list. Also, download the latest versions of Arduino and Ableton.

02

Potentiometer & soldering

  1. Connect three wires to the potentiometer by soldering it

  2. Make sure the + and – is routed correctly so the voltage changes in the right direction

  3. Middle wire goes to analogue inputs

  4. Outer wires are for power

  5. Parallel connected

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03

Joystick

  1. Connect power to the joystick: 5V to 5V GND to GND

  2. Connect X and Y axis to their own separate analogue inputs

  3. Connect parallel

  4. By changing the voltage, you change the analogue signal that is received

04

Downloading libraries

For the MIDI script to work the following library is needed:
https://www.arduino.cc/reference/en/libraries/midi-library/
 

With the following tutorial:

https://www.instructables.com/Arduino-MIDI-Controller/

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05

Installing software

An Arduino can receive and give out a signal that is 0-1023 bits, whereas a MIDI controller can only do 0-127 (8 times less). To translate the Arduino signal into the right MIDI signal, two programs need to be installed:​
 

  1. Hair Less MIDI Bridge: This is needed to make the translation from an Arduino signal to a MIDI signal.
    https://projectgus.github.io/hairless-midiserial/ 

  2. LoopMIDI: This is needed for the Arduino to be recognized by Ableton as a MIDI controller. https://www.tobias-erichsen.de/software/loopmidi.html

06

Coding

This code was inspired by a code online that was meant for a specific MIDI controller with four potentiometers, 2 slider resistors and 12 buttons. Instead of sliding resistors, I connected the joysticks’ x and y axis to be read as the sliders.​

​

That code can be found here:

https://www.instructables.com/Arduino-MIDI-Controller/

​

The final code can be retrieved here:

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1SiM5XGd9T_CGDbEnKMHP_UCT9GINu-St/view?usp=sharing

​

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Final result

The final result should look like the image on the left. Two take-aways were:

  1. Analogue inputs are read by an Arduino as the difference of voltage levels within 0-5V. This variation can be caused by anything that emits an electric current.

  2. Be careful with wiring, for you might fry your Arduino and/or other electronics.

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