Help: multiple PC keyboards to MIDI
hello!
I'm new to max7 and I'm trying to make about 10 pc keyboards to generate musical sounds for my installation project. I managed to get one keyboard using keyup and kslider. And now, I need to figure out how I could map multiple keyboards to generate sound in max ?
Can anyone help me please??
Thanks,
I played around with using a couple of PC keyboards a while back and decided that the [hi] object was the best thing to use. IIRC you just plug 'em all in, send {hi} a "menu" (?) message and it tells you what's plugged in, enabling you make a [hi] object for each keyboard, each with the correct argument.
Windows OS does not allow keyboard or mouse to be used as HID,
so hi object won't see them.
On osx no problem.
@source audio: Wow, that's a real pity! And another thing that binds me to OSX.
[hi] is great cos it not only allows more than one keyboard, but also sends a different number (all of them < 128) for each key, including duplicated ones like modifier keys. Even the caps lock key sends messages like a normal momentary switch.
Yes, all this limitations...
But it is windows problem, cycling can't do anything about it.
Back to initial request - should all this keyboards
trigger different things, or are just copies so that one can
use them on several places ?
Thanks, I will definitely try working with hi object. And i am using a mac, so it wouldn't be a problem at all !
I had the same problem as the OP so I wrote an app for it. It's free but you do have to register.
i doubt his QWERTY keyboards have MIDI. ;)
oh you mean QWERTY! lol. Easiest way is to use separate machines with rtp
...or what about manipulating the keyboards in a certain way ..... activate different combinations of pressed modifier keys on each of them ..... but remove (or cover?) the physical modifier keys for the crowd.
the OS will still see the ten keyboards as only one USB client - but it doesnt matter anymore.
because in max, you can now easily route the incoming letter and number characters by filtering for modifiers.
if you want to keep command/strg you still have 4 left, giving you a total of 17 different modifier combinations, from "none" to "control&alt&shift&caps".
oh, no, wait... :D