Command-line tool that translates MIDI input as computer keyboard input in real time.
You need to have Rust installed.
To build the app, run the following command from the root directory:
cargo build --release
This will generate a binary called midirect and store it in ./target/release/.
Prepare a configuration file which specifies which MIDI signals are mapped to which keyboard keys. You can use the existing ./rsc/alphabet.json or ./rsc/arrows.json configs for inspiration.
The content of the configuration file should be a JSON with two parameters: notes and controls.
Entries in notes represent note on/off signals. Each note has a code between 0 and 127. For reference, this is the layout of notes on a 88-key piano:
Entries in controls are for control change events, like pressing a sustain pedal (code 64). Any non-zero value emitted by a control is mapped to a key press, and zero is mapped to a key release.
In both notes and controls, MIDI signals are mapped to keys on a computer keyboard. All possible values include keys represented by characters, such as a and 1, as well as special keys from the following list:
alt backspace caps_lock control
delete down_arrow end escape
f1 f2 f3 f4
f5 f6 f7 f8
f9 f10 f11 f12
f13 f14 f15 f16
f17 f18 f19 f20
home left_arrow meta option
page_down page_up return right_arrow
shift space tab up_arrow
Here is an example of mapping some piano keys to WASD and a sustain pedal to the space bar:
{
"notes": {
"48": "a",
"50": "w",
"52": "d",
"53": "s"
},
"controls": {
"64": "space"
}
}Once you have your configuration file ready, pass it to the app as a command line argument:
midirect config.json
- A MIDI device must be connected before starting the app.
- Only a single MIDI device can be used at a time. If there are more MIDI devices, the app will pick one of them.
The app has been tested to work on Windows and macOS.