I want a transport controller that I can operate remotely with my feet while I'm tracking guitars but also be able to put it on a stand and operate by hand for tracking vocals too. Basic Play, Stop, Record, Rewind and Undo functions. I think I'm going to build one this month using an ATMega chip (Arduino) as the brains. I have the skills so it's a pretty simple exercise for me. I'll just go MIDI into my audio interface so I don't have to mess with USB or drivers on the PC side.
 
Hoping maybe someone has done this and can share their "wish I knew that before I started" insights?
 
What else might be a "must have" button that I'm not thinking of? But I am going with the KISS principle on this project. Maybe in the future I'll do something like a scaled-down FaderPort.

Though I have not done it with Arduino, there is a shield for MIDI:
https://www.sparkfun.com/products/12898
Or Build your own MIDI IN Shield:
http://www.instructables.com/id/Arduino-MIDI-in-shield/
 More info from the Arduino folks:
https://www.arduino.cc/en/Tutorial/Midi
 
My apologies if you have already seen these links, I wanted to get them into the Forum to get people thinking!

patm300e
Though I have not done it with Arduino, there is a shield for MIDI:
https://www.sparkfun.com/products/12898
Or Build your own MIDI IN Shield:
http://www.instructables.com/id/Arduino-MIDI-in-shield/
 More info from the Arduino folks:
https://www.arduino.cc/en/Tutorial/Midi
 
My apologies if you have already seen these links, I wanted to get them into the Forum to get people thinking!

Your post reminded me of two things: 1) the Raspberry Pi devices, and 2) the late 70s and early 80s when I was a design engineer and did all of my own prototyping (wire wrapping; soldering; coding in assembler; circuit board layout with tape on acetate (or whatever material was)).
 
The wayback machine!
 
Thanks for stirring up those long-unused neurons (which had started to transpose into morons  )!

DIY are always fun, but why not simply use some MIDI foot controller?
Also foot buttons are normally not so nice for hands...
 
A tip: if you by chance has any MIDI Keyboard/DP around, you can use its pedal(s) for transport. My Kawai has 3. When required, I use 2 of them as controllers. Stop, play, record (long press on play) and RTZ (long press on stop). Also Sonar is natively prepared to use pedal + normal key as a (computer) keyboard shortcuts.

patm300e
My apologies if you have already seen these links, I wanted to get them into the Forum to get people thinking!

It's all good man! Hopefully someone will be inspired by this thread, follow those links and go to do something great!
 
Here's a great set of videos for someone to get started with this too...
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL4_gPbvyebyH2xfPXePHtx8gK5zPBrVkg
 

TheMaartian
Your post reminded me of two things: 1) the Raspberry Pi devices, and 2) the late 70s and early 80s when I was a design engineer and did all of my own prototyping (wire wrapping; soldering; coding in assembler; circuit board layout with tape on acetate (or whatever material was)).

 
Raspberry Pi is a way-cool platform but WAY overkill for this project. An ATMel ATTiny chip with 8 i/o ports and a dedicated program created in the Arduino IDE is all this project needs. I can probably do the whole thing for pretty close to the cost of an RPi alone. My son is doing some really cool stuff on the RPi. He wants to help me on this build too. Awesome.
 

azslow3
DIY are always fun, but why not simply use some MIDI foot controller?
Also foot buttons are normally not so nice for hands...

 
Why do I design and build my own tube amps instead of buying a genuine Marshall or Fender or Matchless or Trainwreck or Dumble? Why do I build my own effects pedals? If you have to ask that, then you don't understand.
 
Also, I have the option of choosing from around 5000 or so buttons from DigiKey or Mouser. They'll have something that will work. Already scoped a few out. If you looked inside a BOSS pedal at the "footswitch" they use, I think you'd be pretty shocked at what you see.
 

Years ago I built a midi foot controller using an arduino. It just had midi out so I didn't bother with a midi shield. That was pretty straight forward, no lessons learned to pass on.

rsinger
Years ago I built a midi foot controller using an arduino. It just had midi out so I didn't bother with a midi shield. That was pretty straight forward, no lessons learned to pass on.

Very cool. Thanks.
 
I was thinking of just going midi out like you did or doing both in/out so I could add some status indicator LED's like a green one while playing back, red one while recording, etc.
 
I think I will start with just output. The enclosure I am considering using has plenty of room for a second circuit card and LED's if I think I need them.
 

I haven't looked into the transport protocols so I don't know if there is any feedback that would require midi input, but I'm sure you'll want status of some sort - leds or an lcd screen so you know if you're running/recording/stopped.

Yeah it would be nice to have LED indicators above the play and record buttons... maybe flash the record button if CW is in "punch-in" mode until it activates recording.
 
A flashing LED above UNDO after it completes might be nice too.
 
Maybe I should just do it all from the get-go.

MakerDP

azslow3
DIY are always fun, but why not simply use some MIDI foot controller?
Also foot buttons are normally not so nice for hands...

Why do I design and build my own tube amps instead of buying a genuine Marshall or Fender or Matchless or Trainwreck or Dumble? Why do I build my own effects pedals? If you have to ask that, then you don't understand.

I will not ask such question in case someone is constructing (any kind of) audio analog device or digital circuit with unique properties.
 

MakerDP
Yeah it would be nice to have LED indicators above the play and record buttons... maybe flash the record button if CW is in "punch-in" mode until it activates recording.
 
A flashing LED above UNDO after it completes might be nice too.

I do not know how to achieve the last (undo is finished) function with Sonar... But for other indication either be prepared to write your own plug-in or see you on my forum