Second Mouse as Midi?

June 29, 2009 10:08 AM

I'm trying to get Ubuntu to see my USB mouse data as midi data--any ideas?

I have a PS/2 mouse that I use for all my primary mousing needs, and then I have a second USB mouse that I would like to use as a midi device. Failing that, if there was a way to get it to send key presses, that would be fine, too.

I'm running Ubuntu Studio, and I can't afford a legit pedal controller. Consider this idea (stomping on an old-skool iMac puck) to be a refinement on my previous search for foot controller replacements.

posted by Squid Voltaire to computers & internet (3 comments total)

Well, for windows (and again) and dos.

In any linux system my guess is all you'd need to do it write a little program to act as a "shim"--ie grab the /dev/mouse input, scale it to proper midi values etc. and output it. Then just set your midi program to listen to /usr/bin/my-mouse-to-midi-shim rather than the usual /dev/midi/pedalcontroller.

This program could be as simple as just 10 or 20 lines I would guess. (However you can guess how on-target my guess might be as I don't even know the proper names for the mouse or midi devices and can't be bothered to look them up, either . . . ).

It does look like someone has done something similar here: kontroll.

FWIW the magic google terms seem to be "mouse to midi".
posted by flug at 11:02 AM on June 29

PureData should be able to do this for you.
posted by AltReality at 11:12 AM on June 29

Well, I was really hoping that I could map just the data from the USB mouse to midi, but not the data from my primary PS/2 mouse.

/dev/mouse includes data from every mouse plugged into the machine, right? Surely there must be a way to get only the USB data, right?

I'll look into Pd, thanks. I was kinda hoping for something a little simpler, rather than having to learn an entire new system, but it's something I should probably do anyway.

Thanks.
posted by Squid Voltaire at 3:13 PM on June 30