Arduino DJ Controller

Arduino & Breadboard wiring with buttons and rotary knob

Overview

This project implements a DJ controller using Arduino for the Comp 522 course. The controller interfaces with DJ software, allowing for hands-on control of various parameters through MIDI communication.

Features

• Custom DJ controller using Arduino
• Integration with Traktor Pro 3 DJ software
• MIDI communication for seamless software interaction
• Rotary encoder for precise control
• Potentiometer for continuous parameter adjustment
• 4 buttons for triggering actions or toggling states

Hardware Components

• Arduino board
• Rotary encoder
• Potentiometer
• 4 buttons
• Wires
• Resistors

Software Used

• Arduino IDE: For programming the Arduino board
• Encoder Library: For reading rotary encoder data
• MIDI Library: For MIDI communication
• Traktor Pro 3: DJ software
• Hairless MIDI: For MIDI communication between Arduino and computer
• MIDI Monitor: To verify MIDI signals
• MIDI Studio: Stock Mac app to activate IAC bus for inter-app MIDI transfer

System Architecture

The project consists of two main parts:

1. Hardware setup (Arduino with components)
2. Software integration (Arduino sketch + MIDI processing + DJ software)

Software Diagram

graph TD
    A[Arduino Sketch] -->|Serial Data| B[USB Connection]
    B -->|Serial Data| C[Hairless MIDI]
    C -->|MIDI Data| D[MIDI Monitor]
    C -->|MIDI Data| E[MIDI Studio]
    E -->|MIDI Data| F[IAC Bus]
    F -->|MIDI Data| G[Traktor Pro 3]

    subgraph Arduino Sketch
        H[Encoder Library] -->|Position Data| A
        I[MIDI Library] -->|MIDI Messages| A
        J[Potentiometer Reading] -->|Analog Data| A
        K[Button Readings] -->|Digital Data| A
    end

    subgraph MIDI Processing
        A -->|CC 74| L[Rotary Encoder MIDI CC]
        A -->|CC 75| M[Potentiometer MIDI CC]
        A -->|CC 40-43| N[Button MIDI CCs]
    end

    L --> B
    M --> B
    N --> B

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Hardware Block Diagram

graph TD
    A[Arduino Board] --> B[Rotary Encoder]
    A --> C[Potentiometer]
    A --> D[Button 1]
    A --> E[Button 2]
    A --> F[Button 3]
    A --> G[Button 4]
    A --> H[USB Connection]
    H --> I[Computer]
    I --> J[Hairless MIDI]
    J --> K[MIDI Monitor]
    J --> L[MIDI Studio]
    L --> M[IAC Bus]
    M --> N[Traktor Pro 3]

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Setup and Installation

1. Connect the hardware components according to the block diagram:
   • Connect the rotary encoder to pins 2 and 3
   • Connect the potentiometer to analog pin A0
   • Connect the buttons to pins 8, 9, 10, and 11
2. Install the required libraries in the Arduino IDE:
   • Encoder Library
   • MIDI Library
3. Upload the Arduino sketch to your board
4. Set up Hairless MIDI for MIDI communication
5. Configure MIDI Studio to enable IAC bus
6. Launch Traktor Pro 3 and configure MIDI mappings:
   • CC 74 on channel 1 for the rotary encoder
   • CC 75 on channel 2 for the potentiometer
   • CC 40-43 on channel 1 for the buttons

Usage

1. The rotary encoder sends MIDI CC 74 on channel 1, which can be mapped to a continuous parameter in Traktor Pro 3 (e.g., filter cutoff)
2. The potentiometer sends MIDI CC 75 on channel 2, which can be mapped to another continuous parameter
3. The four buttons send MIDI CC 40-43 on channel 1 when pressed (value 127) and released (value 0), which can be mapped to trigger actions or toggle states in Traktor Pro 3
4. Adjust the debounceDelay variable in the code if you experience button bouncing issues

Known Issues

• Initial design had too many connections on the breadboard, causing MIDI communication interference. The current version is a simplified design to address this issue.

Future Improvements

• Add LED feedback for button states
• Implement shift functionality to increase the number of controllable parameters
• Create a custom enclosure for the controller

Contributors

• Jimwell Castillo