Guide: How to Use a Gamepad/Joystick as a Foot Pedal.
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Guide: How to Use a Gamepad/Joystick as a Foot Pedal.
Here's a simple guide from a very poor college student who currently cannot afford a fancy MIDI foot pedal controller. If you guys want screenshots I can certainly update this. Feedback is welcome.
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Okay, after jumping through several hoops and endless searching on various forums, I got it to work.
I am using a simple 8-button gamepad that uses one of the communication ports in my computer (not USB) and it shows up in my device manager as a Genius G08 Device. It's just a gamepad that looks like a PS2 controller.
Here's what I had to do:
1. Download a program called Rejoice which can translate joystick/gamepad buttons into MIDI commands.
http://www.fireballtrailers.com/rejoice/
Help documentation/setup for Rejoice: http://www.fireballtrailers.com/rejoice/help.html
2. Download a program called Midi Yoke which emulates MIDI ports on your computer so that the data from Rejoice has somewhere to go through.
http://www.midiox.com/
- Go to midiox.com
- from the menu on the left click Midi Yoke
- click download
- select appropriate OS
- install (requires restart)
3. Download a program called Bome's MIDI Translator which receives the MIDI commands and translates them into keystrokes on your keyboard.
http://www.bome.com/midi/translator/[/b]
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Okay, once you have those programs installed, here is the setup.
1. Run Rejoice. Your joystick should use the Microsoft PC-joystick driver. If not, select appropriate driver. Now we have to chose a MIDI out, so we need to route the inputs from the gamepad into a virtual MIDI port that we created with Midi Yoke. So at the bottom of Rejoice click "Route MIDI" and select one of the Midi Yoke ports. (I chose MIDI Yoke NT: 1)
2. Run Bome's Midi Translator. In the top menu click on Midi In and select the MIDI Yoke port you chose for Rejoice's output. You don't need a MIDI out (the "out" will be virtual keystrokes).
Bome uses "translators" which are behaviors you want Bome to perform after hitting a button the gamepad. You're gonna want to map one translator per button, max. So click add translator, name it, press enter.
Double-click the new translator and set up Incoming. The incoming signal will be the button press, but thanks to Rejoice it will get to Bome's as a MIDI signal. Click Capture MIDI and hold one of the buttons down on the gamepad. A value should appear in the field. Without letting go of the button, uncheck Capture MIDI.
Now to set up the Outgoing. Click the outgoing tab and then the Key Stroke tab. In this field you can tell Bome what keyboard presses you want to happen when the appropriate gamepad button is pressed. When you're done click Apply and Close.
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Phew. Now you have a
Gamepad --> into MIDI signal --> into MIDI translator--> into keystrokes
You can map pretty much any function in Live using the Key Mapper.
With this setup I was able to finally have a "Kid Beyond" setup. I simply arm all my tracks for record, and designate the gamepad's buttons as:
Button 1: Launch track 1
Button 2: Launch track 2
...etc...
I play guitar, and therefore have my hands full. This allows me to hit Button 1 with my toe to start recording AND stop recording when I'm done, leaving the clip looping. When I'm ready to add another loop on top of that I hit button 2.
I hope this will help at least one other person get a live looping setup for very very cheap.
Thanks for reading!
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Okay, after jumping through several hoops and endless searching on various forums, I got it to work.
I am using a simple 8-button gamepad that uses one of the communication ports in my computer (not USB) and it shows up in my device manager as a Genius G08 Device. It's just a gamepad that looks like a PS2 controller.
Here's what I had to do:
1. Download a program called Rejoice which can translate joystick/gamepad buttons into MIDI commands.
http://www.fireballtrailers.com/rejoice/
Help documentation/setup for Rejoice: http://www.fireballtrailers.com/rejoice/help.html
2. Download a program called Midi Yoke which emulates MIDI ports on your computer so that the data from Rejoice has somewhere to go through.
http://www.midiox.com/
- Go to midiox.com
- from the menu on the left click Midi Yoke
- click download
- select appropriate OS
- install (requires restart)
3. Download a program called Bome's MIDI Translator which receives the MIDI commands and translates them into keystrokes on your keyboard.
http://www.bome.com/midi/translator/[/b]
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
Okay, once you have those programs installed, here is the setup.
1. Run Rejoice. Your joystick should use the Microsoft PC-joystick driver. If not, select appropriate driver. Now we have to chose a MIDI out, so we need to route the inputs from the gamepad into a virtual MIDI port that we created with Midi Yoke. So at the bottom of Rejoice click "Route MIDI" and select one of the Midi Yoke ports. (I chose MIDI Yoke NT: 1)
2. Run Bome's Midi Translator. In the top menu click on Midi In and select the MIDI Yoke port you chose for Rejoice's output. You don't need a MIDI out (the "out" will be virtual keystrokes).
Bome uses "translators" which are behaviors you want Bome to perform after hitting a button the gamepad. You're gonna want to map one translator per button, max. So click add translator, name it, press enter.
Double-click the new translator and set up Incoming. The incoming signal will be the button press, but thanks to Rejoice it will get to Bome's as a MIDI signal. Click Capture MIDI and hold one of the buttons down on the gamepad. A value should appear in the field. Without letting go of the button, uncheck Capture MIDI.
Now to set up the Outgoing. Click the outgoing tab and then the Key Stroke tab. In this field you can tell Bome what keyboard presses you want to happen when the appropriate gamepad button is pressed. When you're done click Apply and Close.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
Phew. Now you have a
Gamepad --> into MIDI signal --> into MIDI translator--> into keystrokes
You can map pretty much any function in Live using the Key Mapper.
With this setup I was able to finally have a "Kid Beyond" setup. I simply arm all my tracks for record, and designate the gamepad's buttons as:
Button 1: Launch track 1
Button 2: Launch track 2
...etc...
I play guitar, and therefore have my hands full. This allows me to hit Button 1 with my toe to start recording AND stop recording when I'm done, leaving the clip looping. When I'm ready to add another loop on top of that I hit button 2.
I hope this will help at least one other person get a live looping setup for very very cheap.
Thanks for reading!
Funny...
Funny finding this thread, I just put an ad on craigslist looking for someone to donate to me a free gamepad.
My plan is took take the guts of device and stick it in a hammond project box then rewrite the buttons to momentary SPTD switches so it works like a real foot controller.
It does suck that I can't download rejoice though...
My plan is took take the guts of device and stick it in a hammond project box then rewrite the buttons to momentary SPTD switches so it works like a real foot controller.
It does suck that I can't download rejoice though...
course! But the tutorial helped me
Is anyone using LiveSticks from:
http://trip.m78.com/livesticks-e.html
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*edit*[i cant open rejoice, im getting a "runtime error "6" : overflow" message, has anyone got the same problems?!] solved this problem
got the next one
everythins runnin now, rejoice exactly displays the buttons i push (im using a xbox 360 controller) every single button tap is shown correctly.
but in "bome" trying when i mark the "capture midi" button and push a button on the xbox controller nothing happens!
please someone help!
got the next one
everythins runnin now, rejoice exactly displays the buttons i push (im using a xbox 360 controller) every single button tap is shown correctly.
but in "bome" trying when i mark the "capture midi" button and push a button on the xbox controller nothing happens!
please someone help!
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i had the same problem and after some googling i found what i thought was a solution but didnt work.
however i managed to make it work anyways using the same solution, but the ddl from another program, in this case glovepie.
what you do is that you download and isntall glovepie, then you have a dll file called p5.dll (or something similar to that), copy the one from glovepie, and paste it in the rejoice folder, overwriting the one that shipped with rejoice. worked for me anyways
however i managed to make it work anyways using the same solution, but the ddl from another program, in this case glovepie.
what you do is that you download and isntall glovepie, then you have a dll file called p5.dll (or something similar to that), copy the one from glovepie, and paste it in the rejoice folder, overwriting the one that shipped with rejoice. worked for me anyways
VampireTNA wrote:I dug up this thread as i am encountering the same problem. Does any one know the way to solve it???lauschepper wrote:*edit*[i cant open rejoice, im getting a "runtime error "6" : overflow" message, has anyone got the same problems?!] solved this problem
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hey logic_user99 and other mac users:
DOwnload USB Overdrive X. It converts any gamepad input to keyboard buttons. the free trial version works 100% you just need to wait 10 seconds to begin using it. Very reliable program and works with individual programs.
DOwnload USB Overdrive X. It converts any gamepad input to keyboard buttons. the free trial version works 100% you just need to wait 10 seconds to begin using it. Very reliable program and works with individual programs.
iBook G4 1.5GB RAM, Live 8 APC Edition, Reason 4.0, APC-40, UC-33, Trigger Finger
www.e1beats.com
www.e1beats.com
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Unfortunatelly it does not work for me... After an hour or so the "overflow" message apears and rejoice crashes.friend_kami wrote:copy the one from glovepie, and paste it in the rejoice folder, overwriting the one that shipped with rejoice. worked for me anyways
I also tried to delete or rename it (i always rebboted) but still the same (also the dll from glovepie causes rejoice to exit! without a warning when the export or import buttons are pressed). I run rejoice exe in win98 mode but still it crashes.
I guess that i will write my own code in glovepie after all. I already uploaded a simple file in the !yahoo group: http://f1.grp.yahoofs.com/v1/wIsuSYUesT ... Simple.PIE