PadBridge 0.6.0

Turn a game pad (Xbox, DualShock 4) into a MIDI controller, a keyboard/mouse, or a network game pad for another computer, and connect your MIDI controllers across Mac, Linux and Windows.

New in 0.6.0

• Allen & Heath Xone:K2 in the MIDI devices tab: live drawing, remapping, LEDs in red, amber and green.
• Ableton Push 2: 64 pads with velocity, all encoders, the touch strip and every button, drawn live; remapping; pad and button LEDs. (The Push 2 display is not MIDI and stays empty.)
• Button LEDs at rest and pressed: each button can now be lit all the time, change colour on press, or get brighter on press, dimmed where the device can (Launch Control XL, APC mini pads).
• Endless encoders get their own drawing: a ring that lights up while turning and the last step, instead of a made-up position.
• For contributors: scripts/build-remote.sh builds Linux + Windows on another machine with Docker, and examples/midi_probe shows what a controller sends.

All changes: CHANGELOG.md. Setup guide (German): DOC.md.

Downloads

Windows (padbridge-0.6.0-windows-x86_64.exe): put it in a folder of its own (e.g. C:\PadBridge) and start it. Not signed: if SmartScreen warns, click More info → Run anyway. Allow it in the firewall prompt for private networks. For MIDI create a port named exactly PadBridge in loopMIDI; for a virtual pad from another computer install ViGEmBus.

macOS (PadBridge-0.6.0-macOS.zip): unzip and move PadBridge.app to Applications. Intel build for macOS 10.13 and newer; runs on Apple Silicon via Rosetta. Not notarized: on the first start, right-click → Open → Open. For keyboard/mouse output allow PadBridge under System Settings → Privacy & Security → Accessibility.

Linux (padbridge-0.6.0-linux-x86_64.tar.gz, Ubuntu 20.04+, Debian 11+, Mint, Zorin, Arch, Fedora):

tar xzf padbridge-0.6.0-linux-x86_64.tar.gz
install -Dm755 padbridge-0.6.0-linux-x86_64/padbridge ~/.local/bin/padbridge
padbridge

Network: both computers need the same key: "Schlüssel kopieren" on one, paste it on the other in the Netzwerk tab and click "Übernehmen". LAN or VPN (e.g. Tailscale) only, never open the ports to the internet.

The user interface is in German for now.

PadBridge 0.5.0

Turn a game pad (Xbox, DualShock 4) into a MIDI controller, a keyboard/mouse, or a network game pad for another computer. macOS 10.13+, Linux and Windows 10/11.

New in 0.5.0

• Windows as a receiver: a peer's pad becomes a virtual Xbox 360 controller that games recognise (needs the free ViGEmBus driver). Rumble goes back to the pad in your hand.
• The peer's pads, live: the monitor and the MIDI picture view show the pads another computer sends here. Optionally the receiving side turns them into MIDI with its own mapping.
• Status page for your phone: switch it on in the Netzwerk tab, scan the QR code, and see pads, link, latency and MIDI devices live. Open in the home network; from outside (e.g. Tailscale) it asks for a PIN.
• Easier pairing: copy the network key on one machine and paste it on the other ("Übernehmen"); no more editing files.
• Service and window together (Linux): a window opened next to the background service takes over receiving and shows everything; the service resumes when the window closes.
• One window: a second start brings the running window to the front.
• Linux package for Ubuntu & co.: now runs on Ubuntu 20.04 and newer, Debian 11+, Mint, Zorin, Pop!_OS, Arch and Fedora (the 0.4.2 package only started on very new systems).
• Windows: a MIDI device held by another app is picked up as soon as it is free.

All changes: CHANGELOG.md. Setup guide (German): DOC.md.

Downloads

Windows (padbridge-0.5.0-windows-x86_64.exe): put it in a folder of its own (e.g. C:\PadBridge) and start it. Not signed: if SmartScreen warns, click More info → Run anyway. Allow it in the firewall prompt for private networks. For MIDI install loopMIDI and create a port named exactly PadBridge (optional PadBridge In for MIDI clock), then start PadBridge. For a virtual pad from another computer install ViGEmBus.

macOS (PadBridge-0.5.0-macOS.zip): unzip and move PadBridge.app to Applications. Intel build for macOS 10.13 and newer; runs on Apple Silicon via Rosetta. Not notarized: on the first start, right-click → Open → Open. For keyboard/mouse output allow PadBridge under System Settings → Privacy & Security → Accessibility.

Linux (padbridge-0.5.0-linux-x86_64.tar.gz):

tar xzf padbridge-0.5.0-linux-x86_64.tar.gz
install -Dm755 padbridge-0.5.0-linux-x86_64/padbridge ~/.local/bin/padbridge
padbridge

Pads need the input group, the virtual pad and keyboard/mouse need /dev/uinput; the udev rules are in DOC.md, part 2.

Network: both computers need the same key: "Schlüssel kopieren" on one, paste it on the other in the Netzwerk tab and click "Übernehmen". Use it in your LAN or over a VPN such as Tailscale only, never open the ports to the internet.

The user interface is in German for now.

PadBridge 0.5.0-beta.1 (Windows beta)

Turn a game pad (Xbox, DualShock 4) into a MIDI controller, a keyboard/mouse, or a network game pad for another computer. New: Windows 10/11.

This is a beta: the first Windows build. Another release follows in a few days.

New in 0.5.0-beta.1

• Windows 10/11: Xbox pads via XInput (360, One, Series; rumble), DualShock 4 via USB (rumble, light bar), keyboard/mouse output, MIDI to your DAW through a loopMIDI port, MIDI devices, network to Mac and Linux. Not yet: a virtual game pad on Windows as the receiving side (needs ViGEmBus, planned).
• MIDI-Geräte tab: live drawings for the Novation Launch Control XL, Akai MIDImix and APC mini mk2 and the Elektron Digitakt II; remapping, LED colours, and forwarding a device to the other computer.
• DualShock 4: light bar and rumble now react at once (could take seconds before).

All changes: CHANGELOG.md. Setup guide (German): DOC.md.

Downloads

Windows (padbridge-0.5.0-beta.1-windows-x86_64.exe): put it in a folder of its own (e.g. C:\PadBridge) and start it. The program is not signed: if Windows SmartScreen warns, click More info → Run anyway. Allow it in the firewall prompt for private networks.
For MIDI install loopMIDI and create a port named exactly PadBridge (optional PadBridge In for MIDI clock from the DAW), then start PadBridge.

macOS (PadBridge-0.5.0-beta.1-macOS.zip): unzip and move PadBridge.app to Applications. Intel build for macOS 10.13 and newer; runs on Apple Silicon via Rosetta. Not notarized: on the first start, right-click → Open → Open. For keyboard/mouse output allow PadBridge under System Settings → Privacy & Security → Accessibility.

Linux: no package in this beta; use 0.4.2 or build from source (see DOC.md). The next release brings a Linux package again.

Network: both computers need the same key: in the "Netzwerk" tab click "Schlüssel kopieren" and put it into netpad.key on the other one (Windows: %APPDATA%\PadBridge\netpad.key), then restart PadBridge there.

The user interface is in German for now.

PadBridge 0.4.2

Turn a game pad (Xbox 360, DualShock 4) into a MIDI controller, a keyboard/mouse, or a network game pad for another computer. Linux and macOS 10.13+.

New in 0.4.2

• MIDI picture view: the MIDI tab shows the outline of the pad in your hand (Xbox or DualShock 4) with a CC/note field next to every control. Pressed controls light up, and clicking a control opens all its settings (CC/note, momentary/toggle, velocity, invert). The table view is still there.
• README and setup guide (DOC.md, German) rewritten for the Rust app.

Since 0.4.0 also: DualShock 4 support on macOS (USB and Bluetooth: buttons, sticks, triggers, rumble, light bar) and the light bar on Linux. See CHANGELOG.md.

Downloads

macOS (PadBridge-0.4.2-macOS.zip): unzip and move PadBridge.app to Applications. Intel build for macOS 10.13 and newer; runs on Apple Silicon via Rosetta. The app is not notarized: on the first start, right-click → Open → Open. For keyboard/mouse output allow PadBridge under System Settings → Privacy & Security → Accessibility.

Linux (padbridge-0.4.2-linux-x86_64.tar.gz): built on Arch/CachyOS, needs a recent glibc (2.43 or newer). On older distributions build from source (cargo build --release -p padbridge in rust/, see DOC.md).

tar xzf padbridge-0.4.2-linux-x86_64.tar.gz
install -Dm755 padbridge-0.4.2-linux-x86_64/padbridge ~/.local/bin/padbridge
padbridge

Pads need the input group, the virtual pad and keyboard/mouse need /dev/uinput; udev rules for the LED ring and light bar are in DOC.md, section 2.

The user interface is in German for now.