MIDI Pedal for Starting/Pausing Logic

[tauzero]

On 28/09/2022 at 12:55, EBS_freak said:

Just check you buy a board that is compatible (e.g. of being a USB keyboard). I haven't checked that board above (it may not). That's literally just to show you the pin outs.

 

Off the top of my head, I think it's Leonardo arduinos (and knock offs) - a compatible board is probably named in that initial link

 

The Pro Micro can also be used - I've got one set up as a mouse jiggler. 

[EBS_freak]

3 minutes ago, tauzero said:

 

The Pro Micro can also be used - I've got one set up as a mouse jiggler. 

I like the low tech version of an analogue watch under the mouse.  

[tauzero]

If you should decide that Bluetooth would be a good idea after all because you don't need USB cables, I did do a Bluetooth page turner which would do page up/down, line up/down, and switch between windows.

 

 

[BigRedX]

Well, having priced-up the parts and accounted for the hassle of having the build something myself, I have bought on the recommendation of someone on the SOS forums an Elgato Stream Deck Pedal. This has three foot switches and connects via a supplied decent quality 2.5mm USB cable. Together with the Keyboard Maestro utility, this has allowed me to set up two different pedal configuration for the slightly different requirements of the two bands I will be using this with.

 

The first has Start/Pause (space bar) on the centre pedal and a trigger for a macro I have created which closes the currently open Logic project, selects the next song in the list and opens it on the right pedal.

 

The other has Start/Pause on the centre and then using markers in Logic for each song, the left and right pedals move backwards and forwards to the beginning of the next marker in the time line, allowing me to move to the start point of each song.

 

The pedals themselves are slightly different from the typical musical device footswitch in that they are hinged at the front (rather than the back) so you have to push down the whole pedal to get the action to register. This shows the pedal's intended design for working out of sight with streaming software as you can rest your feet on the front of the pedals without triggering anything. Other than that the unit appears to be sufficiently robust (USB connections not withstanding) for gig use.

 

I've tested it out on my desktop Mac and everything appears to be working fine, and all I have to watch is that I have the correct Finder Window selected before I start, otherwise my Macro will open something other than the next song. This won't be a problem on the Laptop I use for gigs as I only ever have one Finder Window open at any one time. The big test will come at the next band rehearsal in 2 weeks time.

 

 

[EBS_freak]

Bizarrely enough - my mate has one of those Elgato pedals and its use never crossed my mind!

 

Glad you got it sorted!

[BigRedX]

Reviving this topic with some observations after using this system for the last 6 months. 

 

Firstly while the reverse hinging of the pedals takes a bit of getting used to, it has now saved me on a couple of occasions when I have inadvertently hit the front of one of the pedals during a gig. Because you have to press down on the back of the pedal to trigger an action I got away without inadvertently turning off the backing or loading the next song while we were in the middle of playing the current one!

 

I was a bit worried about the durability/reliability of the extra-long USB lead I got to allow me to have the computer located away from the playing area. However so far it has stood up well to the rehearsing a gigging rigours and I make sure that I always carry a spare which I haven't yet needed.

 

And the thing which in part prompted this new post: For all the recommendations here and on SOS I downloaded the manuals whre possible, and when it wasn't sent tech support emails to the companies in question detailing my specific requirements. Elgato in particular were very good about replying promptly and giving me all the information that I needed. Today completely out of the blue I finally received a reply to my request for more information about the iRig pedal, that was basically non-committal about whether it would do what I wanted. I couldn't resist letting them know that they were 6 months too late to influence my purchase, and had gone with an alternative product whose technical support department answered my requests promptly and gave me all the information I need to make an informed decision. I don't suppose they care, but for me I've had two encounters with IK Multimedia technical support and both have left me underwhelm and reluctant to consider any of their products in the future.

[BigRedX]

Also, which I forgot to mention in my previous post, since I am now controlling most of my Helix patch, snapshot, synchronisation and parameter changes via MIDI from the backing it has the added advantage that the red flashing LED on the Helix tap tempo switch turns blue when MIDI clock is being received, which means that that it acts as an indicator that the backing is running.

[BigRedX]

An update to this for anyone considering a similar set up.

 

Unfortunately I have discovered an incompatibility between the Elgato StreamDeck hardware and the Focusrite interface, which manifests as occasional audio drop outs. Because the problem is very intermittent it has proved impossible to troubleshoot. I've been given some very generic things to try from both Elgato and Focusrite, which involve re-initialising various settings, but none have made any difference. The only thing I have been able to do with the help of a few other users on the SOS forums is to narrow down the problem to a USB conflict between the StreamDeck hardware (not just the pedal) and Focusrite USB interfaces.

 

As a result I am now trialling an alternative device in the shape of an AirTurn BT500S-2. TBH I'm not keen on using Bluetooth on stage, and the interface is not a reassuring as the Elgato one. Although it offers 7 different footswitch settings, switching between them is less than intuitive, so I have ended up putting the same combination on all off the five options that allow it. So far (at three rehearsals) in has proved to be reliable and most importantly we have not noticed any audio drop outs from the backing. We have a gig coming up on 5th November which will be the first time it is used "in anger", but I am also taking the Elgato switch as a back up.

[dave_bass5]

I use the Boss FS-1 WL for patch change and sustain/Leslie speed. It’s Bluetooth and works perfectly at home and rehearsals, but at the first few gigs i had a nightmare getting it to work when i was setting up. I put it down to user error becausei was setting the switch to the wrong position and it using a different mode, so i pretty much know what was going on now, but it almost went in the bin after the second gig.

Very versatile pedal though. I went for this over the cheaper generic ones on Amazon as i like the larger foot switches. 3 is all i need, so although it wasnt cheap (£89) it has been the perfect solution for me. 

I love how it works with YT etc on my Mac as well. Great for starting and stopping tutorials videos.

Edited November 24 by dave_bass5

[BigRedX]

Well after the initial faff of setting up the AirTurn pedal, it has proved completely reliable over the last month of gigs and rehearsals. Of course having said that it will fail miserably at the next important gig!

[moley6knipe]

Massively late to this thread but surprised no one suggested the M-Vave Chocolate? My lad uses one with eg MainStage, Gargaeband on a Mac for this sort of thing. Cheap as chips too!

[EBS_freak]

I feel like reading this, I should make something to do this. I can't believe you haven't got a decent solution after all this time.

[BigRedX]

12 hours ago, moley6knipe said:

Massively late to this thread but surprised no one suggested the M-Vave Chocolate? My lad uses one with eg MainStage, Gargaeband on a Mac for this sort of thing. Cheap as chips too!

 

Does it simulate key presses as well as MIDI commands? Can you provide a link to the manual?

 

The descriptions on the various sites selling them are annoyingly vague and there appears to be even less information on the "manufacture's" web site.

 

TBH I'm not keen on Bluetooth for use at gigs and would far prefer a hard-wired solution, but so far the AirTurn has been surprisingly reliable and it's small footprint means that it fits in more places on cramped stages than the Elgato pedal.

[Woodinblack]

3 hours ago, BigRedX said:

Does it simulate key presses as well as MIDI commands?

 

yes - I have one of these.

It is not just bluetooth, it does have a hardware midi connection and the use of its button is controllable by software (which is called cube suite).

 

I couldn't find a manual but there is a page on the mod dwarf site which is basically how to connect it to a mod dwarf (obviously) but does cover its operation quite well which might be useful

https://forum.mod.audio/t/midi-chocolate-controller-with-the-mod-dwarf-an-introduction/7003

 

[BigRedX]

Thanks.

 

It doesn't look as thought it would be suitable for my need because AFAICS in keyboard mode it only supports single key presses, and I need to be able to use keys with modifiers (Control + keystroke etc.) to trigger macros without conflicting with the single keystroke commands in Logic. Also I'm not sure how my macro commands would work over MIDI since they act at OS level rather than within the DAW. Pity because otherwise it appears to be rather good VfM.