Game Controller MIDI

June 20th, 2018
music
Expression controllers can make synthesized instruments sound much better, but they're generally pretty expensive. For example, the breath controller I've been playing with cost me EUR 132. There's nothing fundamentally expensive about it, just a low volume product. Which got me thinking: is there some commonly mass produced device that gives a smooth range of outputs? What about a game controller?

I've never been into console gaming so I don't know much about controllers, but after looking at some pictures it looked like the PS4 one is well laid out for joystick use, so I ordered one ($26, shipped):

It connects via USB, and pygame can read from it out of the box:

>>> import pygame
>>> pygame.init()
(6, 0)
>>> j = pygame.joystick.Joystick(0)
>>> j.init()
>>> while True:
...   for event in pygame.event.get():
...      print(event)
...
<Event(7-JoyAxisMotion {
  'joy': 0,
  'value': 0.003906369212927641,
  'axis': 0})>
<Event(7-JoyAxisMotion {
  'joy': 0,
  'value': -1.000030518509476,
  'axis': 4})>
...

Since music is so latency sensitive (though maybe not for expression controllers?) I didn't want to have to go via python, so I decided to write something small against the OSX native API. The docs for the native API are pretty annoying, so the SDL source was a helpful guide.

It's ready and working, and you can try it out:

  • Build it from source (github):

    $ git clone https://github.com/jeffkaufman/gcmidi.git
    $ cd gcmidi
    $ make run
    
  • Download a binary:

    $ wget https://www.jefftk.com/gcmidi
    $ chmod ugo+x gcmidi
    $ ./gcmidi
    
It presents as a virtual MIDI controller named "game controller" with ten continuous controller outputs on CC-20 through CC-29.

Comment via: google plus, facebook, r/WeAreTheMusicMakers, substack

Recent posts on blogs I like:

On Apologizing To Kids

Everyone is so weird about apologizing to children.

via Thing of Things August 25, 2025

Against the Teapot Hold in Contra Dancing

The teapot hold is the most dangerous common contra dancing figure, so I’ve been avoiding it. The teapot hold, sometimes called a "courtesy turn hold,” requires one dancer to connect with their hand behind their back. When I realized I could avoid put…

via Emma Azelborn August 25, 2025

Little Puppy

She's very little and she likes to do stuff with me. She also likes to bark around and run around and jump around. She also likes to go to places with me and that's all I have.

via Nora Wise's Blog Posts August 23, 2025

more     (via openring)