Since the previous story on using joysticks with MIDI and music applications, I’ve been getting more tips on how to make this work. First up is a very powerful application for managing joysticks and gamepads on Mac OS X:
The software just got a major software update, and it looks terrific. (That is, it looks tremendously powerful and — typical of a Mac app — looks aesthetically lovely, too.) Using modular “building blocks,” you can use the application to build sophisticated chains of interaction based on controller input. Notably, there’s no MIDI present, but apparently users have already bugged the developer to add that, so stay tuned. Even without MIDI, you could connect this to software, or use an app like MidiPipe to add MIDI output. More tips on this and other applications in the growing thread on the forum; thanks, Cris (atariboy) and Tonmeister for pointing this out. Anyone got a PC alternative (Linux/Windows) that does some of this stuff?
I’ve been using a wireless Logitech gamepad that works very nicely as a remote control, so I’ll be anxious to hook the two up. The Logitech pads even ship with Mac drivers. Mac users looking for more extensive driver support (and aren’t we always), be sure to check out the CarvWare Gamepad Companion. Even if your device is already supported, this gives you some additional options.
Of course, all these things could also be useful for playing games, but I’ll ignore that. Isn’t the major draw of gamepads and joysticks controlling music apps?