AKAI APC Mini controller - Lighting python script

Use this script to easily turn on / off the lights of the AKAI APC mini controller. Without using ableton live, you can use it to make a pattern to remember the functions associated to each key.

All you need is python installed and the mido library for python. You can use a software (sniffer) to get each key code you wan't to map.

This script is not submitted to any licence, be free to adjust it to fit your own needs.

Demo

• Youtube demo video

Installation

Python 2

Install the folowing dependencies :

• mido
• python-rtmidi

Using PIP :

pip install mido
pip install python-rtmidi

Python 3

Install the folowing dependencies :

• mido
• python-rtmidi

Using PIP :

pip install mido
# pip uninstall rtmidi <- only if you have the issue described at the bottom of this file
pip install python-rtmidi

Usage

usage: keymap.midi.py [-h] [-l | -i INPUT] [-p PORT]

APC mini enlighter

optional arguments:
  -h, --help            show this help message and exit
  -l, --list            List port names
  -i INPUT, --input INPUT
                        Path to the input file
  -p PORT, --port PORT  Name of the port to use

Example:

$ ./keymap.midi.py -l
-> "APC MINI"
$ ./keymap.midi.py -p "APC MINI" -i keymap.example.json 

Configuration

You an edit the json file to make you'r own pattern, by default, the pattern used in the example file is the same as a piano keyboard.

Each node (json object) represent a key on your controller, you can use those 4 options to change the behaviour on each key :

• key: the key code (mandatory!), use the code in numeric format (base 10). You can use sniffer tools for midi to get the code numbers
• color: the color to use for this key, AKAI APC Mini support 3 colors -> red, green, yellow
• blink: make the key blink, you have to define a color to use this
• enabled: a boolean used to enable / disable a color, if you set this to false, the light will be turned off, default value is true

Example:

{
    "enabled": true,
    "key": 67,
    "color": "green",
    "blink": true
}

Issues

• If you have the error "AttributeError: module 'rtmidi' has no attribute 'API_UNSPECIFIED'" : then try to use python-rtmidi instead of rtmidi. (no changes to the source code required, juste use pip to uninstall rtmidi and install python-rtmidi instead).