Please update all lab products to allow them to also enumerate as a computer keyboards and allows computer keyboard keys to be mapp to DAW controls. That would allow users to reconfigure DAW controls to output computer key sequences instead of MIDI and allow the DAW controls to be used with ANY computer software. This would obviously only work over USB (not 5-pin MIDI).
In Midi Control Center, users would select the DAW control button, configure it for computer keyboard mode, then specify a key sequence similar to how this is done in the software for flight sim yokes/sticks. The keybed, kobs, sliders, etc. would still operate over MIDI.
I totally understand this feature request. Actually, I already have a keyboard that does this (Nektar Panorama P6) but here’s the thing:
Windows and Mac OS are changing their keyboard/mouse input policies from time to time, and when it comes to MIDI controller manufacturers I’m not sure if they would want to open another field of needing instant updates.
At the same time, there are already software solutions for this pretty useful case, I already have Bome MIDI Translator Pro (my personal choice for years now), AutoHotKey and some other and equally capable. These solutions are great when it comes to stability, because it’s actually their exclusive job to deliver, so they update accordingly. At the same time, having these utilities, we are not obliged to stick with any controller, but we can set the same MIDI CC (or whatever) behaving the same way with other ones, by a simple port change in our setup.
Thanks for the response. Could you explain how keyboard/mouse policy changes might break such functionality?
I know changes have been implemented to limit input speed in an attempt to thwart bad USB devices like the rubber ducky and such changes have not broken my flight sim gear, so I am skeptical that it would break similar functionality in any of the keylab devices.
Its good to know that AHK works with MIDI. I will likely hack a script together to satisfy my needs in the meantime. I have used it for years for other purposes.
Hi, sure, although I maybe misunderstood something in your request.
There are two ways of implementing keyboard actions, I’m talking about the one which uses a software bridge to receive the midi messages and transform them to keystrokes/mouse movements. Over the years, classes used for this purpose needed updates because of the OS policies. It mostly had to do with more strict security rules (mainly unattended access). BUT, I think that you’re talking about either a direct send of such keystrokes and/or a dedicated USB driver for this. In this case, yeah, there won’t be any problems.
Yes, and since you’ve already worked with it things can be much easier
As a side note, I already use an app I’ve prepared for such case, let me know if you’d be interested to give it a try. It’s a bit more complex than simple keystrokes. Here’s a screenshot that shows how we create a “sequence” of actions:
