Arduino MIDI Project

Here are some things I am going to use for my first Arduino MIDI project. This is going to be a simple controller with six buttons and LEDs just above the buttons. A display would be nice, but it’s not a deal breaker. I will most likely use it for turning on and off and switching instruments in my MIDI setup.

• 
  Mini Nano V3.0 ATmega328P
  
• 
  WWZMDiB Expansion Board
  
• 
  DIY Metal Guitar Pedal Project Sloped Box, Black
  
• 
  USB Mini to USB B connector

I haven’t done any Arduino projects before, so hopefully this goes reasonably well. A quick Google search popped these instructions up:

How to Set It Up

1. Hardware Setup: Connect your potentiometers (for knobs/faders), buttons, or sensors to the Micro’s analog and digital pins. [1, 2, 3]
2. Library Installation: Open the Arduino IDE, go to Tools > Manage Libraries, and search for and install the official MIDIUSB library. [1]
3. Coding: Use the library’s noteOn, noteOff, and controlChange commands to send MIDI signals over USB. You’ll end each message with MidiUSB.flush() to send the data to your computer. [1, 2]
4. Software: Once your code is uploaded, your Arduino will automatically appear as a “MIDI Controller” in DAWs like Ableton, Logic, or FL Studio. [1, 2]

Standard Example Code (Single Button)

Here is a quick example of a sketch that sends a MIDI Note On/Off when a button is pressed:

cpp

#include <MIDIUSB.h>

const int buttonPin = 2; // Pin connected to your button
int previousButtonState = LOW;

void setup() {
  pinMode(buttonPin, INPUT_PULLUP);
}

void loop() {
  int buttonState = digitalRead(buttonPin);

  if (buttonState == LOW && previousButtonState == HIGH) {
    // Note On: Channel 0, Pitch 60 (Middle C), Velocity 127 (Max)
    midiEventPacket_t noteOn = {0x09, 0x90, 0x3C, 0x7F}; 
    MidiUSB.sendMIDI(noteOn);
    MidiUSB.flush();
  } 
  else if (buttonState == HIGH && previousButtonState == LOW) {
    // Note Off: Channel 0, Pitch 60, Velocity 0
    midiEventPacket_t noteOff = {0x08, 0x80, 0x3C, 0x00};
    MidiUSB.sendMIDI(noteOff);
    MidiUSB.flush();
  }

  previousButtonState = buttonState;
  delay(10);
}

Use code with caution.