logitech g13

[tor.helge.skei]

i'm on a mission to update all my controller scripts (there's 16 of them now!) to the newest bitwig controller api.. and except for some lack of time, the updating is going pretty great, and i will post all the scripts soon.. not sure if people want to use them, since they have a little bit different focus and functionality than the moss scripts 'standard'.. but we'll see..

at the moment, i'm experimenting with my old logitech g13



and some hacked/reverse-engineered stuff i found here:https://github.com/ecraven/g13.. with this, i can easily change some things, like the key mappings, joystick, bitmap/display/rgb colors, etc.. but it's a command-line application, talking to the g13 via libusb..

but, if possible, i want to try making a proper controller script for it instead, so that i can do some more advanced stuff than just remapping keys.. multiple pages and modes, some graphical stuff on the (160x43 pixels) lcd screen, use the analog joystick for parameter tweaking, etc..

if i'm not completely mistaken, there's some usb functionality in the controller script api (v7 and upwards, i think), but have no idea how to use it.. or, if it's usable from javascript at all..

anybody knows anything about this?

- tor-helge

[tor.helge.skei]

some progress..

after some more investigation, i found that the g13 sends 8 bytes via usb whenever you press any of the key, or moves the joystick.. one initial byte that always seems to be 0x01, one byte each for joystick x and y position, and 5 bytes with bits for each of the 35 buttons (pressed/not pressed), plus some bits for indicating if the lcd light is on or off.. i can also send a few bytes to update the lcd screen, change the lcd rgb color, joystick mode, etc..

so, now i just need to send and receive midi to/from bitwig somehow, and write a controller script.. i tried to set up an alsa midi output port, but i wasn't able to make bitwig see it, so i need to investigate more..

and, since the usb stuff was easier than i initially thought, i will experiment with other usb stuff.. my wacom tablet, arduino, raspberry pi, axoloti.. maybe we can do something interesting with a webcam?

fascinating!

- tor-helge

update 2:

[Yokai]

If only Logitech hadn't discontinued making these.

[Tj Shredder]

That is why we can be grateful to Bitwig! It is giving us the opportunity to reanimate those old gems via scripting. Hurray to open standards...
No commercial oriented business would ever even consider to do that kind of programming... But its worth every second of time you put in for the joy to incorporate such tools in your personal set...

[tor.helge.skei]

If only Logitech hadn't discontinued making these.

i bought it on an impulse years and years ago.. i had just discovered that my (also old) novation nocturn doesn't need the automap crap in linux, and works flawlessly without me haviong to do anything at all, so i wrote a script for it, and also decided to take another look at other old equipment i thought was completely deprecated
isn't there new versions of some of these type of keyboards available? or other, similar ones?

That is why we can be grateful to Bitwig! It is giving us the opportunity to reanimate those old gems via scripting. Hurray to open standards... No commercial oriented business would ever even consider to do that kind of programming... But its worth every second of time you put in for the joy to incorporate such tools in your personal set...

oh yeah, absolutely!

[tor.helge.skei]

not directly related to the logitech g13, but i just discovered that my wacom tablet is just as easy to use it send 9 bytes when something happens: a byte with bits for the different buttons on the stylus, and if it touches the tablet, then a few values for xpos, ypos, pressure, and distance from the tablet (if you're not directly touching it).. quite easy to figure out..

[DarkGlove]

Did you get very far with his?

Just dug out my G13 for this reason...

[tor.helge.skei]

not really.. the g13 (and tablets) is quite easy to do somethin cool with.. making it interact withy bitwig, not so much.. usb isn't very well supported in the javascript controller api.. too bad we can't write controller stuff in a "proper" language, like c.. :-/ also, since bitwig uses raw (low level) alsa midi on linux, it's messy to write an additional 'translator' program inbetween bitwig and the controller.. so i kind of lost interest..