AXIS

My Xbox Guitar Hero to MIDI application AXIS is available now!  The videos below explain all:

Mac users:

  • Get AXIS 1.0 HERE.
  • You’ll also need the Tattiebogle Xbox drivers from here.

Windows users:

  • Get AXIS 1.0 HERE.
  • You’ll also need LoopBe from here.
  • If the Xbox drivers don’t install automatically try here.

AXIS was built in Max/MSP.  If you’d like to adapt it for a different guitar or anything just get in touch and I’ll send you the source.

30 comments to AXIS

  • BzZz

    Hey dude, great job you did with this piece of software. To bad I can not get it to run. I’m running Windows Vista here. Installed LoopBe + Axis and plugged in my Rockband controller. When I start the application I hear one single note beeping. I can switch between controllmode and playmode but I when I push the buttons on the guitar I don’t hear any sound at all. The orange signalbutton is flickering though…

    I assume something is wrong with the internal LoopBe MIDI Port :/

  • Justin

    Great app, mate. I love it! However I can’t seem to get the Tilt or Roll to send out MIDI CC. I’m on Win7 using Live 7. I have loopbe installed as well. Everything works except when I try and map tilt or roll like you do in your video, Ableton doesn’t pick up the messages. Even if I map, say cutoff, to CC2 via another controller (nanoKontrol) I can’t get Tilt to respond to anything.

    Any ideas?

    • bob

      hmmm… my guess would be it’s a windows 7 driver problem. although clicking the MIDI CC buttons with tilt disabled should be happily sending MIDI messages.
      maybe check in ableton midi preferences that loopbe is set to “remote”. if that doesn’t work maybe try the windows xbox drivers i linked to above. let me know!

  • [...] wrote a program using Max/MSP that lets him make music with his guitar hero controller. There’s another video after the break where he walks through the various features but [...]

  • [...] My live show’s centered around my macbook running Ableton controlled by a guitar hero controller using an app I wrote in max/msp called AXIS. [...]

  • Zack

    Hmm… looks like an extremely interesting project! I tried, in vain mind you, a long while ago to map the keys of my rockband guitar to hit some notes in a synth called zynaddsubfx, and pretty much gave up on the idea thinking that it would be fairly useless anyway, but seeing this has inspired me again! My question is: do you think this will be in any way easily adaptable to linux, and if so can I get my hands on some source? Great job, it looks like tons of fun to play!

  • eric

    going to get it working in linux nexy? maybe give us some source code so we could complie it to work in gnome or a debian/ubuntu package would be sweet!

  • A

    does this work with a wii guitar?

    • bob

      not at this point. but it would be fairly straight forward to mod it if you have any experience with max… or you have a friend with experience with max… or you can wait a lil’ while and i’ll get around to it eventually. i chose the xbox guitar because it’s bog standard usb plus they’re cheap and plentiful :D

  • Max

    Really good :) But I Get a fucking sound of piano..How to change it plz ?

    • bob

      AXIS doesn’t make any sound itself, it only sends out MIDI information other software interprets to make sound. The piano sound you’re hearing is the operating systems inbuilt midi synth. Getting different sounds requires running something like Ableton Live, Reason, Garage Band or anythng that accepts MIDI. If you’re in OSX select “from axis 1″ as your MIDI input in your prefered audio app. If you’re in windows you’ll need to download and install loopbe then select that as your MIDI in. Let me know how you go.

  • Hey Robert!!!! Great Job!! Just what I´ve been looking for : a windows software for this! Cant wait to plug in and try.

  • hey there! RAD app. i’ve got 3 macs – an old power pc g5 iMac,

    a brand new macbook pro w/ intel chip,

    and an older power pc g5 laptop that i haven’t tested yet with Tattiebogle.

    with the first 2 machines, tattiebogle does not work as an osx driver.

    I REALLY want to use your app. but neither my Preference Pane in System Preferences – XBox 360 Controller, or the Axis app, recognizes the xbox 360 explorer guitar as a device.

    amanda

    • bob

      Hi Amanda,
      I’ve had a couple of people report the same problem. It seems to be a driver problem. I’d recomend emailing the tattiebogle guy, I’m going to do the same and we’ll see if we can get to the bottom of it. and let me know how you go with the other ‘puter. thanks.

  • B

    Thanks for you work on this project. I’m really interested in making this work but as of yet, I have not had any luck.
    I’m running Mac OS10.5.8 on my macbook and I have downloaded axis and the driver from tattiebogle, even though the xbox GH explorer is recognized from the USB slot in Syestem Preferences, I cannot get axis to recognize it or any sounds. Garage band does tell me midi inputs have changed and two have been added, but I can’t figure out how to use them….help please, if you can!
    Thanks

    • bob

      Hi,
      do you get a solid green light when the guitar is connected? does does the system preference pane recognize button presses?
      make sure your guitar is plugged in before opening axis and as long as the system pane recognizes the guitar, it should appear in the drop down list.
      some people have hit a driver problem but it sounds like your guitar is properly installed…
      when you press buttons on the guitar do you get orange blinking lights in the top right coners of axis?

      as far as MIDI goes, you should have two new midi devices, axis 1 and axis 2. by default both play and control mode send to axis1. set up a software instrument and choose “from axis 1″ as your midi input and set it to channel 2. you might also need to record arm the track to hear it. this guide might help:
      http://manuals.info.apple.com/Apple_Support_Area/Manuals/software/GarageBandTutorial3.pdf

      another thing to try is to select “AU DLS Synth” from the midi device menu and that should give you a default piano sound with out needing any additional software.
      hope that’s of some help, keep me updated!
      bob.

  • B

    1) I have a blinking green light on the guitar…why/how do I fix that?

    2) No button presses are recognized by either the system or the axis software. The guitar doesn’t show up on the axis pull down menu.

    This all might be due to whatever is causing the green light to blink…any ideas about what I could do?

    Thanks!

    • bob

      hi b,
      yep, this is a known problem. if the light’s blinking it means the driver isn’t recognizing the guitar. are you on osx? if so i reccomend using something like appcleaner to completely remove the driver and then reinstall it.

      I’ve been trying to get in touch with the tattieboggle guy with out any success so far…

      if you’re on windows then try this driver:
      http://www.versiontracker.com/dyn/moreinfo/win/55158

      please keep me posted!

  • This is such a nifty tool and works great on my Windows 7 laptop. I’m going to try to incorporate this into our band’s live show, thank you so much.

    Microsoft sells a wireless receiver for xbox 360 devices to connect to the PC (I.E. GH Wireless guitars). Do you think the wireless GH guitars would work using that receiver?

    The adapters sell on Ebay for 14 bucks or so. I might get one and try it out. I am assuming it would send the same messages via the wireless USB receiver as the USB controller?

    http://www.microsoft.com/games/en-US/Hardware/Controllers/Pages/XboxWirelessGamingReceiverforWindows.aspx/

    • bob

      great to hear! i pretty sure the wireless adapter will work. it is mentioned on the tattieboggle site. let me know how it goes and post some video! i’d love to check it out.

  • B

    I uninstalled and reinstalled the driver and still have the same blinking light situation. I’m running Mac 10.5.8. I guess I’m just outta luck unless there is a fix or update…let me know if you think of anything else I should try.
    Thanks!

  • Lakalb

    cool video….
    I wanted to know if the set up will work with a xbox 360 controller?
    I want to map a xbox controller to the functions in serato scratch live,
    the controller is picking up in axis but when i try map controller in serato scratch live nothing happens. will it be possible to map conroller to serato functions? any help will be appreciated…running windows 7 64 bit.

    • bob

      Hi,
      not sure about this but my hunch is it would work. I don’t have a controller to try it out but the standard controller and guitar should output more or less the same. Maybe just make sure you have loopbe installed and have it selected as midi in in serato. let me know if you have any luck.

      • Lakalb

        Hi,
        I do have loopbe installed, How does it work?
        do u just click loopbe icon and its on workin?
        The midi in serato doesnt work so u can select a device,
        to assign device in serato u just click midi button and start
        assigning…similar to albeton…Do i have to set settings in axis or
        loopbe correctly??

  • Lakalb

    Hi Bob,
    I seem to have it going now. thanks for for making a
    cool, simple to use program.I mapped a few functions
    and all is well. i will continue testing and let u know
    if any changes. Is there adjustment so u can hold down button?
    i can only trigger once and im not able to hold down button if u
    know what i mean..

    • bob

      good to know you got it working. it will only really be effective in control mode which means yes, you’ll only get blips of midi. play mode can output sustained notes but relies on combinations of buttons tailored to the guitar. maybe you might wanna look into live sticks or osculator which are both geared towards joystick to midi conversion.

Leave a Reply

 

 

 

You can use these HTML tags

<a href="" title=""> <abbr title=""> <acronym title=""> <b> <blockquote cite=""> <cite> <code> <del datetime=""> <em> <i> <q cite=""> <strike> <strong>