My new MIDI controller is in 3d!

stew · Post by **stew** » Fri Dec 15, 2006 12:55 pm

A friendly UPS man delivered my new Space Navigator this morning:

Note how the product page doesn't list either OS X nor Live as supported software. But I never let that stop me!

A few minutes spent quickly hacking together a quick HID->MIDI translator, and now it's happily talking to pd and Live. A heavy duty (half a kilo!) controller that lets you change six parameters simultaneously with just two fingers for $59 - heck yes!

zenke · Post by **zenke** » Fri Dec 15, 2006 1:10 pm

That looks very interesting. I would be keen to hear how you use it and how you get on with it. Did you hack together the interface within Max/msp or some other way?
z

Shoma · Post by **Shoma** » Fri Dec 15, 2006 1:11 pm

6? I see only 2

stew · Post by **stew** » Fri Dec 15, 2006 1:21 pm

zenke wrote:That looks very interesting. I would be keen to hear how you use it and how you get on with it.

Basically, that thing gives you six degrees of freedom:
you can push it up/down, left/right and front/back
and you can tilt it left/right, front/back and twist it left/right.
And you can do all of them at the same time, if you wish.

My current setup is sending any action as relative CCs, but I might also and an absolute mode to my program.

There are also two buttons on it that I haven't programmed yet. Would make good bank switching, I guess

I'll try to make a video of how it works and up it on YouTube.

Did you hack together the interface within Max/msp or some other way?

Xcode - it's Objective-C, Cocoa and CoreMIDI magic. I don't have Max/MSP and couldn't get the HID object in pd to work.

mbenigni · Post by **mbenigni** » Fri Dec 15, 2006 2:31 pm

Now that is very cool. I was looking for something just like that a couple of months ago, after Griffin released their little shuttle controller in a similar form factor.

Alas, I just got started with an Evolution X-Session and should probably try to do a little actual musicking before I start fiddling again.

robin · Post by **robin** » Fri Dec 15, 2006 2:48 pm

Funnily enough just ordered a Griffin device that's similar to that. A bit smaller perhaps.

mbenigni · Post by **mbenigni** » Fri Dec 15, 2006 3:34 pm

This thing looks much more happening than the Griffin, though. Probably not quite as easy to integrate, but it looks like more degrees of freedom (axes), real continous output values, etc.

On the other hand, small is good.

robin · Post by **robin** » Fri Dec 15, 2006 3:35 pm

mbenigni wrote:This thing looks much more happening than the Griffin, though. Probably not quite as easy to integrate, but it looks like more degrees of freedom (axes), real continous output values, etc.

On the other hand, small is good.

Yeah well I love compact stuff so Griffin it is

.

I'll feed back to the forum when I get the device.

stew · Post by **stew** » Fri Dec 15, 2006 3:41 pm

Definitely more flexible than the PowerMate, yes. 3dconnexion is coming from the high-end 3d/CAD market, so this thing is built with Maya or AutoCAD in mind rather than iTunes - it's defnitely not a toy, and controllers like the Space Mouse used to cost ten times as much just a few years ago.

One key difference between this and the PowerMate is that the PowerMate is a dial that you can spin 360 degrees. This one is more a thing that you "nudge' in the direction you want, in a way like the mouse nipples on IBM laptops.

Damn iSight - I tried to make a video, but the iSight just doesn't cut it in artifical light conditions.

mbenigni · Post by **mbenigni** » Fri Dec 15, 2006 3:46 pm

One key difference between this and the PowerMate is that the PowerMate is a dial that you can spin 360 degrees. This one is more a thing that you "nudge' in the direction you want, in a way like the mouse nipples on IBM laptops.

Ah, I was thinking the 3Dx would do both. In that case I might actually prefer a PowerMate after all. I thought the PowerMate was basically like a jog wheel.

Shoma · Post by **Shoma** » Fri Dec 15, 2006 3:47 pm

id love to use this for my effects combos

robin · Post by **robin** » Fri Dec 15, 2006 3:48 pm

I'm thinking Powermate + midistroke (Bomes on pc) will be great for navigation through the browser in Live.

Machinate · Post by **Machinate** » Fri Dec 15, 2006 5:01 pm

stew wrote:A friendly UPS man delivered my new Space Navigator this morning:

A few minutes spent quickly hacking together a quick HID->MIDI translator, and now it's happily talking to pd and Live.

Hi Stew!
Do you get nice friendly HID floats, like from a game controller? What's the resolution like?

I have totally been eyeing these, and I would love to use it with max, if it was hackable.

stew · Post by **stew** » Fri Dec 15, 2006 5:34 pm

I didn't investigate all the way, but it seems to give roughly 10bit resolution - not sure how much of that is just noise. Maybe the more expensive versions have a higher resolution? It's an ordinary HID device, so if you have Max you don't even have to worry about installing drivers.

mikemc · Post by **mikemc** » Fri Dec 15, 2006 5:41 pm

seems like it would work under windows with Rejoice.

My new MIDI controller is in 3d!

My new MIDI controller is in 3d!

Re: My new MIDI controller is in 3d!