Launching: Build an Arduino Musical instrument digital interface Controller

Hi everyone! In this instructable I will show you how to build your own Arduino powered MIDI controller. Musical instrument digital interface stands for Musical theater Instrument Digital Interface and it is a protocol that allows computers, musical instruments and other hardware to communicate. If you surveil each and all step of this tutorial you will be able to make medicine with an Arduino!

What you are going to learn from this Instructable:

  1. Chose the right components for this project.
  2. Cartoon an interface with the right dimensions and build it.
  3. Read the electric circuit schematics and connect/solder every component to the Arduino.
  4. Chose the right software package to tie the MIDI Accountant with the DAW you are using.
  5. Map the Midi Controller.

Make true you look out the video because it´s more illustrative. Sign in to my Youtube television channel so you get into´t overlook come out of the closet on radical project and to help me spring u!

Step 1: Forgather All the Material

Present is a list of the material and tools we pauperization to complete this design:

1 x Arduino Uno Crank Kit

12 x Arcade Push Buttons

4 x Pot Knob Potenciometer

2 x Sliding Potenciometer

Material to shape the case ( I distinct to build a wooden case )

I chose the Arduino Starter Kit because this kit provides much of useful material for this project so much American Samoa resistors and all the wiring and connectors. Also, if you are a begginer like me, other material with this kit can help you getting started with electronics

I bought the Colonnade Buttons from the link above but if I were to bargain again, I would buy THESE BUTTONS instead because I wanted to apply a shape to the interface and it was unworkable with single bicoloured buttons so I had to key them.

Tools you will need:

  • Falco subbuteo file
  • Sand paper
  • Screw driver
  • X-acto stab
  • Caliper
  • Ruler
  • Wood bits
  • Spade scra
  • Jump shot wires
  • Insulation tape
  • Seal
  • Rouge
  • Electrify stripper
  • Wire cutlery
  • Saw
  • King drill
  • Mini Ax Saw
  • Dremel
  • Ace mucilage
  • Soldering Iron
  • Solder
  • Bonding paste

You can check the pictures for much details.

Stride 2: Sketching and Building the Interface

I highly recommend sketching your interface thus you are predestined of the dimensions you need to build the case.

I sticking my interface on a A4 sheet, using a pencil a rule and a compass. You can see the termination in the picture below. Aside sketching the interface, you annoy know the dimensions you need to set up totally the components. My Agitate Buttons have a 29.7mm diam so I am going to drill a 30mm hole to set u IT. Every maw is single-spaced by 10mm. Basically each dress circle center is spaced by 40mm (diameter = 30 + space = 10).

Pot Knobs own a 10mm diameter. It is recommended to practice with increasing diameter bits to make predictable not to crevice the wood. I also left a 10mm space 'tween buttons and potentiometer pommel potentiometers.

And finally, the slippery potentiometers. From the data sheet I know their travelling distance is about 80mm. You should use a Dremel to open the slots to fit in the slippery potentiometers, a.k.a. FADERS. If you don´t suffer this particularized tool you can always do it as I show on the video. Imagine some a slot with 80mm length and 3mm wide.

This was my COVID-19 quarantines project. I was determined to find a rich direction to spend my time and the Arduino that was left in a drawer came to mind. I went to my local store to buy Wood to piss the envelopment and as I bought it I was told they weren´t unkind wood because of the lack of personnel and due to this whole self-isolating/lockdown. So, I decided to buy the wood and cut it at home with the material I had available.

After removing the splinters with sand paper and preparing the surface I applied varnish paint. Two coat were applied. After I chose a tinge to paint the enclosing. You canful check the pictures to control the effect!

Step 3: Electrical circuit Plot and Connections

I decided to Instance the racing circuit diagram instead of drawing the conventional circuit plot because IT can take same confusing. I used several colours to separate jumper wires so you can read where each wire belongs.

The chip used along the Arduino contains internal pull-up resistors, so thither´s no need to wire resistors for each of the arcade buttons. This greatly simplifies the controller wiring.

Altogether we need to do is choosing one stage of the Arcade Buttons to be the ground, the opposite will be power, which will be connected to one of the digital inputs on the Arduino circuit board.

Faders have three legs, the first single (counting from the bottom) is the ground (-), second is power (+) and the third one is the betoken.

For the Pot knob potentiometers its the following: unexpended wooden leg is soil (-), middle leg is the signal and right leg will Be power (+).

The Arduino is going to be the learning ability of the Midi Controller. It is going to send Midi operating instructions to the computer software, depending exactly pushing input.

The interior is going to pay off same messing because of all the wires, I would advise you to structure the soldering process. For example, I decided to solder all the ground wires first, the power and in the end I soldered the signal jumper wires.

After soldering and connecting totally the pins to the Arduino board, we tail close the envelopment. Have a look at the pictures to see the final outcome!

Step 4: Softwares and Computer programming

You will need three pieces of software in order to be able to make music with your Arduino.

Number one, you need to download the Arduino IDE software to start writing your ain code and upload sketches to the Arduino board.

Secondly, you need to download the LoopMidi software which is essentially a practical Midi cable.

Finally, to send your musical instrument digital interface serial data to the LoopMidi software you will need the Balding Midi to Music Bridge software. This package is corking to get you know if your wiring is correct because you can see the data meld exchanged between the MIDI Controller and the Hairless Musical instrument digital interface Asynchronous.

First step is scuttle the Arduino software and the encrypt I am attaching to this Instructable (called MIDI_Controller). Credits are given to the Source Michael Balzer. You should not penury to modify the code. Just verify the chalk out which is kind of look-alike a "debug" and when you have the message that the digest is complete you can send it to the Arduino board.

Then head to the LoopMidi and chose a new porthole discover. Once you chose one just press the plus push which will create the new larboard. Afterward this step open the Hairless Midi Serial Bridge and start away selecting the MIDI In port that you have just created. And then select the said MIDI Out left. Finally chose the sequential porthole of your computer (usually COM#). Congratulations, you have right enabled your Musical instrument digital interface Controller to commune with the electronic computer!

Step 5: Mapping the MIDI Controller

If you got this far Congratulations!!! You are impartial a couple of stairs from start making music with Arduino and playing with your MIDI Controller!

Immediately you lack to head over to your DAW (Digital Audio Workstation) and set the settings to recognize the external input which is your MIDI Controller. The lesson I am providing is with Ableton Live. You deman to attend

Options >> Preferences : The Stimulus Midi Port should be the same you defined originally and you require turn the track and remote on/off switch push button on.

Right away if you press whatsoever push on your MIDI interface you should see a light flashing at the top right corner of the DAW which means the computer software is receiving the midi signals you are sending! To map the Musical instrument digital interface Controller just clink on the "MIDI" button and the DAW color should turn purplish. Now click over any slot and then exhort any button, you testament see a greenbac/control associated to it which way the button is mapped!

And you are done! Congratulations! Not bad project and bang-up subcontract! Let me know if you made it!

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