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Code v0.1 Done!

A project log for OpenTransport

Arduino-Based Open-Source Transport Controller for DAWs and DVWs

victor-frostVictor Frost 09/28/2014 at 07:140 Comments

So the first real version of the code is done! Check the link in the project links area for the main Git resource where you can download the code. 

So, instead to starting with keyboard shortcuts, I decided to skip right to doing it properly with Midi. The available controls are: play, stop, fast forward, rewind, record, loop, and mackie keys Function 1 and Function 2. Most DAW and DVW software allow you to map function keys to whatever you want, so I mapped mine to adding a cue marker and the split clip command (the two I use the most). 

It's taking a lot to resist feature creep. I'm really tempted to move things around and add a joystick(with select) to allow the ability to move the cursor around in the DAW. That sort of thing is useful for moving from one track to another, at which point you can arm tracks separately (ANOTHER BUTTON), adjust track volumes (a pot)... Feature creep is a dangerous thing.

A couple of things I do want to add, however, is a nice menu system on the LCD. Maybe to change display options. Something like displaying the current timecode or using the LCD as a VU meter for the master channel.

Going back to the subject of feature expansion, for a moment: I'm thinking that maybe the best way to do that is modularization. Have the transport controls be one device and then maybe make it so you can connect another module (say, a single track fader with mute, solo, and record arm buttons) via a port on the side. Maybe serial to serial connections, with the master device (the one connected to the computer via usb) passing the midi commands right through. Strictly speaking, this should already be possible. Maybe I'll test it out once the menu and lcd stuff gets done.

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