horatio.brunswick@gmail.com

Hello, I have kind of an interesting project and I wanted to know if max was the right place to start with it, or if not, what direction I should head in.

I have a Saitek X52 joystickthrottle combination, which is really, really cool. Everything about it, from the pageability to the numerous pots, hat switches, and the overall build of the unit screams to me that I should find a way to convert these babies to send midi data for effects control in ableton live.

Here's a pic and technical info on the joysticks:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16826102507

Now, a few joystick to midi programs exist, but none of them are even close to supporting what the x52 can offer in terms of paging, number of axes and programmability. I've tried to get in touch with some of the writers of these programs, but no luck. People have suggested that perhaps MAX is the answer.

I do not program myself, and would pretty much have to hire or badger one of my friends into setting this up for me. Before I buy the program, is this definitely something max can do, or am I barking up the wrong tree? The joystick connects via USB, so to my limited understanding, it's just a matter of using something like midi ox (which I also don't understand) to capture the signals, translate them into midi code defining CC ranges etc, and send them via a virtual midi port to ableton. (I think!) Is there more to it than this?

Thanks in advance for any thoughts on the matter.

I have a Saitek X52 joystickthrottle combination, which is really, really cool. Everything about it, from the pageability to the numerous pots, hat switches, and the overall build of the unit screams to me that I should find a way to convert these babies to send midi data for effects control in ableton live. 

Thanks in advance for any thoughts on the matter.


the-saitek-x52-midi-joystick-project

maybe im missing something, but i would guess you should be able to get 

your USB controller to play nice with max via the [hi] object. from 

there you could parse the control data and translate it to midi in Max 

then pass it out of Max via the midi out family of objects. ableton 

could then see these midi outs as available ports...

maybe im missing something, but i would guess you should be able to get 
your USB controller to play nice with max via the [hi] object.  from 
there you could parse the control data and translate it to midi in Max 
then pass it out of Max via the midi out family of objects.  ableton 
could then see these midi outs as available ports...

It occured to me to use the search function after I posted this (d'oh) and it seems like a lot of people already use these controllers in MAX.

The X52 is a HID-compliant device, and works fine with Max/MSP; it 

just takes a bit of scaling since the different controls (of which 

there are many) generate different ranges. Since the little tri- 

coloured-LED rotator thing also generates values, it can be used as a 

Add some Java, season with JavaScript, and you get something like this:

nick rothwell -- composition, systems, performance -- 

The X52 is a HID-compliant device, and works fine with Max/MSP; it  
just takes a bit of scaling since the different controls (of which  
there are many) generate different ranges. Since the little tri- 
coloured-LED rotator thing also generates values, it can be used as a  
shift/select for the other controls.

   nick rothwell -- composition, systems, performance -- http:// 
www.cassiel.com

So basically, max is the way to go, but I will need to hire a js programmer to make it happen?

you could totally do this sorta stuff with just max objects...

its just easier with js or java (assuming you are the kind of person 

> So basically, max is the way to go, but I will need to hire a js 

its just easier with js or java (assuming you are the kind of person 
who can deal with text programming)  

> So basically, max is the way to go, but I will need to hire a js 
> programmer to make it happen?


I downloaded the demo to check it out, and am completely baffled :( currently slogging through the manuals

Don't feel badly -- I've been stop/starting on 

baffled. But I've done some satisfying things 

with using joysticks (and flight-sim pedals) 

to front-end my performance patch. So there's 

solid hope (no, I'll even call it a guarantee) 

that you'll get exactly what you want using 

--raf (...who's about to take another look 

> I downloaded the demo to check it out, and am completely baffled :( currently slogging through the manuals

Don't feel badly -- I've been stop/starting on 
Max for over eight years, and I'm still 
baffled.  But I've done some satisfying things 
with using joysticks (and flight-sim pedals) 
to front-end my performance patch. So there's 
solid hope (no, I'll even call it a guarantee) 
that you'll get exactly what you want using 
Max, and it won't take long.

    --raf (...who's about to take another look 
at the Saitek X52)

> I downloaded the demo to check it out, and am completely baffled :( currently slogging through the manuals
>


On 25 Jul 2006, at 18:36, Horatio Brunswick wrote:

Depends what you're after, and whether you want something complex and 

algorithmic (say, involving some kind of latching state machine), and/ 

or whether you want a graphical user interface.

I wanted an algorithmic, and graphical, solution which could be 

configured for using an X52 in several ways (and which could also be 

configured for other devices - I have a P880 and a Logitech wireless 

as well). I coded the first version in JavaScript but found the 

performance to be unacceptable, so I re-coded the calculation engine 

> So basically, max is the way to go, but I will need to hire a js  
> programmer to make it happen?

Depends what you're after, and whether you want something complex and  
algorithmic (say, involving some kind of latching state machine), and/ 
or whether you want a graphical user interface.

I wanted an algorithmic, and graphical, solution which could be  
configured for using an X52 in several ways (and which could also be  
configured for other devices - I have a P880 and a Logitech wireless  
as well). I coded the first version in JavaScript but found the  
performance to be unacceptable, so I re-coded the calculation engine  
in Java.

   nick rothwell -- composition, systems, performance -- http:// 
www.cassiel.com


there's a joystick external on XP. It's got support for the analog joystick axis of say like a PS2 type controller and also for force feedback.... makes a damn fine drum trigger I must say.

Quote: nick rothwell / cassiel wrote on Tue, 25 July 2006 14:19

----------------------------------------------------

> On 25 Jul 2006, at 18:36, Horatio Brunswick wrote:

> > So basically, max is the way to go, but I will need to hire a js 

> Depends what you're after, and whether you want something complex and 

> algorithmic (say, involving some kind of latching state machine), and/ 

> or whether you want a graphical user interface.

> I wanted an algorithmic, and graphical, solution which could be 

> configured for using an X52 in several ways (and which could also be 

> configured for other devices - I have a P880 and a Logitech wireless 

> as well). I coded the first version in JavaScript but found the 

> performance to be unacceptable, so I re-coded the calculation engine 

> nick rothwell -- composition, systems, performance -- 

Do you plan to release your work to the public ever? I've been screwing with max all day and have basically come to the conclusion that it's beyond my grasp.

Quote: nick rothwell / cassiel wrote on Tue, 25 July 2006 14:19
----------------------------------------------------
>
> On 25 Jul 2006, at 18:36, Horatio Brunswick wrote:
>
> > So basically, max is the way to go, but I will need to hire a js  
> > programmer to make it happen?
>
> Depends what you're after, and whether you want something complex and  
> algorithmic (say, involving some kind of latching state machine), and/ 
> or whether you want a graphical user interface.
>
> I wanted an algorithmic, and graphical, solution which could be  
> configured for using an X52 in several ways (and which could also be  
> configured for other devices - I have a P880 and a Logitech wireless  
> as well). I coded the first version in JavaScript but found the  
> performance to be unacceptable, so I re-coded the calculation engine  
> in Java.
>
>
>    nick rothwell -- composition, systems, performance -- http:// 
> www.cassiel.com
>
>
>
>
----------------------------------------------------

Do you plan to release your work to the public ever? I've been screwing with max all day and have basically come to the conclusion that it's beyond my grasp.


On 26.07.2006, at 00:08, Horatio Brunswick wrote:

> I've been screwing with max all day and have basically come to the 

here's something simpler if just want to control effects in Live:

http://www.steim.org/steim/junxion_v2.html

I've never used it myself, but just ask STEIM for details

>  I've been screwing with max all day and have basically come to the  
> conclusion that it's beyond my grasp.

here's something simpler if just want to control effects in Live:
http://www.steim.org/steim/junxion_v2.html

: ( junxion is exactly what I want but it's mac only : (

On 26 Jul 2006, at 00:08, Horatio Brunswick wrote:

> Do you plan to release your work to the public ever?

Sure, time and effort permitting - it'll obviously need packaging and 

documenting properly. (I'm slowly trickling out bits of my Java and 

In the meantime, doing basic stuff with a joystick via the [hi] 

object is pretty simple in plain old Max.

Sure, time and effort permitting - it'll obviously need packaging and  
documenting properly. (I'm slowly trickling out bits of my Java and  
JavaScript codebase at http://www.loadbang.net .)

In the meantime, doing basic stuff with a joystick via the [hi]  
object is pretty simple in plain old Max.

The Saitek X52 Midi Joystick Project.