Touch-Friendly MIDI Controller

⚠️ WORK IN PROGRESS - This project is under active development and contains known issues

A touchscreen-optimized MIDI controller application built with Python and PySide6.

Current Features

• 8-button MIDI controller interface
• MIDI Learn functionality for easy mapping
• Support for Note, CC, and Program Change messages
• Configuration saving/loading
• Touch-optimized fullscreen interface

Known Issues

• Unstable MIDI device connections
• Configuration saving may fail unexpectedly
• UI elements sometimes become unresponsive
• MIDI Learn mode can get stuck
• Button mappings may not persist correctly

Requirements

• Python 3.8+
• PySide6
• python-rtmidi

Quick Start

1. Create a virtual environment:

   python -m venv .venv
   source .venv/bin/activate  # Linux/Mac
   # or
   .venv\Scripts\activate     # Windows

2. Install dependencies:

   pip install PySide6 python-rtmidi

3. Run the application:

   python ui.py

Usage

Basic Operation

1. Launch the application - it will open in fullscreen mode
2. Use the top menu to configure MIDI devices and mappings
3. Press buttons to send MIDI messages
4. Press ESC to exit

MIDI Configuration

1. Click "MIDI" > "Select Devices" to choose your MIDI input/output devices
2. Use the refresh buttons (⟳) to update device lists if needed
3. Click OK to connect to selected devices

Button Mapping

There are two ways to map MIDI messages to buttons:

1. MIDI Learn Mode:

   • Click the "MIDI Learn Mode" button at the top
   • Select a button to configure
   • Send a MIDI message from your controller
   • Click OK to confirm or Cancel to abort

2. Manual Configuration:

   • Click "MIDI" > "View Note Mappings"
   • Edit button names, input/output types, and MIDI numbers
   • Supported message types: Note, CC, Program Change

Configuration Management

• Configurations are automatically saved to configs/temp_config.json
• Use "Config" menu to:
  • Save current configuration
  • Save as new configuration
  • Load existing configuration
• Default configuration is loaded on first run

Development

Project Structure

• ui.py - Main application code
• configs/ - Configuration file storage
  • default_config.json - Default configuration
  • temp_config.json - Temporary working configuration

Contributing

1. Fork the repository
2. Create a feature branch
3. Make your changes
4. Submit a pull request

Future Work

• Raspberry Pi Integration: Plan to embed the application on a Raspberry Pi with a touchscreen for a portable and standalone MIDI controller setup.
• Foot Controller Support: Integrate a foot controller to allow hands-free operation, enhancing usability for musicians during live performances.
• Improved Stability: Address known issues with MIDI device connections and configuration management to ensure reliable performance.
• Enhanced UI Responsiveness: Optimize the user interface for better responsiveness, especially on lower-powered devices like the Raspberry Pi.

License

This project is licensed under the MIT License - see the LICENSE file for details.

Acknowledgments

• Built with PySide6
• MIDI functionality provided by python-rtmidi