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Audioswift - Use Your Trackpad As A MIDI Control Surface (MAC)

charlieclouser said:
Now that the excellent Sensel Morph is discontinued, I'm just wondering something about AudioSwift:

Can a trackball AND a Magic Trackpad be used simultaneously, with the trackball acting as normal cursor control WHILE the Trackpad is being used for MIDI control via AudioSwift?

The docs (and Apple UI conventions) would seem to indicate that this is NOT possible - so that you enable AudioSwift via a key or whatever, but as soon as you jiggle the cursor using the trackball AudioSwift MIDI CC control goes away.

You see what I'm getting at, right? (Using AudioSwift+TrackPad as an always-on replacement for the Sensel Morph.)
Click to expand...
Hi. Thanks Charlie for your interest in AudioSwift.

To answer your question, yes, now you can move the cursor with the trackball, but there are a couple of things to be aware.

Before it was an issue because AudioSwift required to be the key app on screen. I found a solution in code and fixed this. The latest beta version 2.3.6 (available here) includes the option to unlock the cursor from the other input device. Here is a screenshot of the Preferences window and some of the options available (more details below):

Screen Shot 2023-12-02 at 1.39.37 PM.png

Unlock cursor from other input devices
While AudioSwift is on, touching the trackpad will still freeze the cursor. Moving the trackball will move the cursor without turning off AudioSwift automatically like before. Both devices can't be used at the very same time because one will cancel the movement or freezing of the cursor from the other. Although the cursor is frozen from the trackpad, some system macOS gestures could (not always) pass through (like a two fingers swipe for moving through a window). This will depend where the cursor is on screen. This shouldn't be a problem when using one finger to control an XY pad for example. I'm currently working on a new update that will include the option to unlock the cursor on ALL devices or on the OTHER device.

Disable AudioSwift key shortcuts when it is on
When AudioSwift is called, it has its own key shortcuts that take priority on screen. Disable them to keep using your DAW key shortcuts.

Automatically by touching the trackpad
This feature turns on AudioSwift automatically by just touching the trackpad. If the Unlock Cursor from other input devices is not enabled, moving the trackball will cause AudioSwift to be turned off automatically.

You can give it a try to this beta version for free and see if it works with your workflow. If you have questions, Im glad to help here in the forum or send me an email through my support page.

Best regards,
Nigel
 

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Thank you @Golden Frog for the reply and all your hard work on AudioSwift!

Being a die-hard Kensington user, I don't normally use a Trackpad at all, but my wife loves them and I'm sure she has one I can borrow to test out the new AudioSwift features....

I do love the idea of using an actual Apple input device for X-Y control, since I know they will be around and supported for a long time, unlike the Sensel Morph which has already gone end-of-life in terms of software support. Shame, really, because it is an elegantly designed and well executed piece.

I will give AudioSwift a try!
 
charlieclouser said:
Thank you @Golden Frog for the reply and all your hard work on AudioSwift!

Being a die-hard Kensington user, I don't normally use a Trackpad at all, but my wife loves them and I'm sure she has one I can borrow to test out the new AudioSwift features....

I do love the idea of using an actual Apple input device for X-Y control, since I know they will be around and supported for a long time, unlike the Sensel Morph which has already gone end-of-life in terms of software support. Shame, really, because it is an elegantly designed and well executed piece.

I will give AudioSwift a try!
Click to expand...
Great! I can’t make a comparison with Morph since I didn’t had the opportunity to use it, but here are a couple of features you can get with AudioSwift and a Magic Trackpad:

- The smooth glass surface and the response AudioSwift gives when sending CC. Some users on this forum have changed from their hardware sliders built in keyboards to a Magic Trackpad for VI control, because of the response.

- AudioSwift can send CC, Pitch Bend or Channel Pressure messages via any of the axes or sliders.

- There’s a return to default feature, where you can lift the finger and the CCs return to a value you set.

- Magic Trackpads with Force Touch support can send Channel Pressure by pressing the trackpad.

- CC messages can be Regular (absolute MIDI but it will pick up from the last value sent), Absolute, and two Relative formats (Signed Bit and 2’s complement).

- New beta version supports 14 bit CC messages

- For the XY Mode, the trackpad can be divided in several views. The main one is the whole surface as an XY pad, using only one finger or using up to three fingers for a total of 9 CCs messages at the same time. The new beta has a four XY pads view for 12 CCs messages at the same time. This is for synths like U-he Zebra or Hive.

- There’s also a grid-style MPE controller and a surround controller for Pro Tools and Logic Pro.

And there are more ideas I want to develop.

I’ll support AudioSwift as long as I can and as they keep supporting their system Multitouch framework, which AudioSwift uses to read the raw data.

I personally haven’t tested Sonoma yet, but other users are running AudioSwift on it without issues.

Let me know if you have questions about using AudioSwift.
 
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Well, that's a lot of nifty features for sure!

Sensel Morph really is excellent. The rubber overlays with keyboard, drum pads, and even an authorized and official Buchla Thunder™ layout work very well, although I rarely use them. The industrial design and construction is absolutely excellent and on-par with Apple products. And the larger size is very nice. For me it was all about the plain-jane X-Y pad, for use with products like NI's Thrill etc. Which is why it's tragic that they stopped making+supporting the device. For now it still works but who knows what macOS update will kill it.

Of course I could use an iPad or iPhone with MIDI Kraken or something, but that's bigger and clunkier and a little less elegant than a Magic TrackPad. And because I need both eyes on the keyboard to play without clams, using a touch device for fader+knob control has never worked well for me - my finger slides off the hot zone and things go south quickly. So for buttons + faders + knobs I'm all about hardware controls. But for small + sleek X-Y control, AudioSwift looks like a winner!

If you ever figure out a way to just lockdown the TrackPad as a permanent MIDI input device, with all other trackballs and mice for normal cursor control, then my problems will be permanently solved! I realize that my situation is an edge case compared to single-input-device situations like MacBooks, but still.... a boy can dream, right?
 
charlieclouser said:
Well, that's a lot of nifty features for sure!

Sensel Morph really is excellent. The rubber overlays with keyboard, drum pads, and even an authorized and official Buchla Thunder™ layout work very well, although I rarely use them. The industrial design and construction is absolutely excellent and on-par with Apple products. And the larger size is very nice. For me it was all about the plain-jane X-Y pad, for use with products like NI's Thrill etc. Which is why it's tragic that they stopped making+supporting the device. For now it still works but who knows what macOS update will kill it.

Of course I could use an iPad or iPhone with MIDI Kraken or something, but that's bigger and clunkier and a little less elegant than a Magic TrackPad. And because I need both eyes on the keyboard to play without clams, using a touch device for fader+knob control has never worked well for me - my finger slides off the hot zone and things go south quickly. So for buttons + faders + knobs I'm all about hardware controls. But for small + sleek X-Y control, AudioSwift looks like a winner!

If you ever figure out a way to just lockdown the TrackPad as a permanent MIDI input device, with all other trackballs and mice for normal cursor control, then my problems will be permanently solved! I realize that my situation is an edge case compared to single-input-device situations like MacBooks, but still.... a boy can dream, right?
Click to expand...
Yes, you can already do this with the “Unlock cursor from other input devices” and with “Automatically by touching the trackpad” enabled.
 
Just to remind you AudioSwift is 30% off until December 30th, 2023.

In other news, I've been working on a new beta update coming next year, focused on the Mixer Mode. I added support for Digital Performer, LUNA and Ableton Live AMS (AudioSwift Mixer Script, a custom script for AudioSwift). The first two are done, while Live AMS is still in the testing phase.

Screen Shot 2023-12-24 at 9.55.11 AM.png

What it's great about Live AMS is that we get rid of the issue of selecting a track and focus the trackpad controller to that track. This was a limitation of the Mackie Control protocol (MCU) in Ableton Live. Plus I added a couple of key shortcuts for Overdub, Automation Arm, Session Record and Capture, helpful when working with a MacBook. Here is a short video demo:



Thanks for supporting AudioSwift. Happy Holidays to everyone!
 
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