Any successful use of Akai APC Key25 using Linux FOSS?

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foodforester1
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Any successful use of Akai APC Key25 using Linux FOSS?

Post by foodforester1 »

Hi,

I am trying to connect an Akai APC Key 25 to Linux FOSS Audio tools such as QTractor, Carla, LMMS, NON-Sequencer ... or any other such production software running native under Linux. I am hoping to get at least SOME of the functionality that Ableton has built into their software, according to the "Akai APC Key 25 User guide" available at https://www.akaipro.com/amfile/file/dow ... roduct/17/.

Unfortunately, being a newbie to the MIDI world, I cannot even find ANY of the kinds of commands that a MIDI controller may issue to a DAW in general.

I have used the Linux command 'aseqdump -p 20 > textfile' to map all the keys and controllers, but the amazing thing is that all but three of the buttons output, what I would guess, are note values "N64, N71" etc.. I have also saved the output of 'kmidimonitor' and confirmed that both outputs provide the same data. Only the SUSTAIN button seems to output a control value "C64" as an output, along with the 8 knobs that also seem to give a control output "C48 - C55".

The OCT DOWN and OCT UP both produce N91 output, but the OCT UP enables N91 and OCT DOWN disables N91. The controller button and key MIDI output numbers and assignment (note or controller) are also confirmed by the Linux command 'midisnoop'. Output of the kmidimontor text file has been attached.

I was hoping to find some sort of a config utility / vst that could instruct ALSA /Jack that certain note values with only 0 and 127 outputs are actually meant to be control buttons / switches, and not note values with their attendant velocity / after touch values etc., but that utility has eluded me so far.

For example:-
Convert values N0 through to N39 (the 8x5 button martix on the APC Key25) to:-
At best (ever hopeful)
First push Switch Track / instrument /Clip Arm on
Second push Switch track / instrument /Clip on
Third push Switch track / instrument /Clip off
At worst
Something equivalent to the old Trigger or Gate

Explanatory Note: I built for myself a large modular studio analog synthesizer based on the Maplin Modular circa late 1970's - early 80's pre MIDI standard - hence thinking in terms of Triggers and Gates.

While I have been a Linux user for over 15 years, even the simplest bash script causes me much headache.

I have spent a few years coding in Visual Basic for Applications (VBA - Excel and Access), but I am NOT a Linux programmer and know nothing of coding Linux applications. As a result, I will NOT attempt to tinker with or alter any coding without VERY explicit instructions and guidance, which I quite sure you are not in any position to provide.

Please, are you able to help in this process?

Thanking you in advance.

Alex
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LAM
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Re: Any successful use of Akai APC Key25 using Linux FOSS?

Post by LAM »

Hi @foodforester1,

if you intend to use it in a DAW like Ardour, LMMS, Qtractor, etc. you should look into the MIDI mapping configuration of these programs.

If you want to make a "translation" of MIDI notes and CCs into something else you could look at something like Pure Data (https://puredata.info/) or Mididings (http://das.nasophon.de/mididings/).

There are also other solutions out there for Linux, I'm sure others on the forum can have suggestions on them.

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Helmihenna
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Re: Any successful use of Akai APC Key25 using Linux FOSS?

Post by Helmihenna »

I got this for my mobile beat maker 2 app before realizing it was ableto which probably explains why I'm handing issues but I finish my beats in Logic Pro X and I'm happy with it.
foodforester1
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Re: Any successful use of Akai APC Key25 using Linux FOSS?

Post by foodforester1 »

Hi LAM,

Thank you very much for that tip about mididings. I had already looked at it as it is in the normal repositories of the AV-MXLinux I use, but glancing at the manual, and seeing python scripting, I backed away (too quickly?), as I was not really keen on learning a new programming language (python) at nearly 70 years young

On the second read of the mididings Manual at http://das.nasophon.de/mididings/doc/index.html, I have to admit it looks reasonably straight-forward, and very powerful, and I am only on page 4.

I then went looking for examples of mididings code and came across a marvelous resource at https://programtalk.com/vs2/?source=pyt ... Fmididings and can’t wait for the opportunity to dive down this ‘rabbit-hole’.

Well, it looks very much like programming in python is going to be what it takes, so, in for a penny, in for a pound, full speed ahead and damn the torpedoes!

Now to figure out how to incorporate what is there into what I want to do, while not having any idea how to even start python or even if there is an IDE (Integrated Development Environment) for python, but I am sure I will find such information on the wonderful resource that is the internet.

Would I be correct in assuming that after a basic script is written to do the conversions I need, that I would need to run that as soon as the Key25 becomes available, and that configuration would remain in place until the Key25 is removed?

Could this script be run from, for instance, Jack -> Setup -> Options -> Execute Script on Startup?

I will have another, closer look at puredata, but again, first looks had me run screaming for the exits, as what I saw, looked very far removed from where I wanted to go with all this.

Where do I want to go? I have long (over 4 decades) had some music running around in my head, something like (what I call) the early classical synthesists such as Jean Michelle Jarre, Klaus Schultz, Kitaro and Tangerine Dream etc. produced back in the late seventies and eighties. Since my favourite music is currently Mozart, Vivaldi, and Handel, the music I have in mind will be strongly influenced by any and all of the above mentioned, among others.

Sadly for me I know I will never gain any fame or fortune from such music, since all that I hear of popular music now, seems to consist primarily of very loud bass drums and bass guitar in very repetitive and rapid basic patterns and I have purposely left any and all drum software out of my installation, since that is NOT the type of music that I want to compose. That does not include orchestral percussion, which can no doubt similar in function and method, but not used in the same way.

But I have never been one to shrink from the road less traveled.

Thanks once again for the suggestions.
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Re: Any successful use of Akai APC Key25 using Linux FOSS?

Post by LAM »

foodforester1 wrote: Sat Jun 05, 2021 9:54 am
Would I be correct in assuming that after a basic script is written to do the conversions I need, that I would need to run that as soon as the Key25 becomes available, and that configuration would remain in place until the Key25 is removed?

Could this script be run from, for instance, Jack -> Setup -> Options -> Execute Script on Startup?
Yes @foodforester1, mididings should show in your in you JACK connections/graph, you connect the the Key25 to the mididings client, and then connect mididings client to the synthesizer or software.

If you want to automate this process (starting programs and making connections) you could use a session manager like https://www.laborejo.org/agordejo/ or https://github.com/Houston4444/RaySession.

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