Want even more control? Plug in your favorite MIDI controller and get started right away. While djay has support for a number of MIDI controllers built-in, you can also use any other controller using djay’s easy-to-use MIDI Learn feature.
Using a natively supported MIDI controller
To use a MIDI controller that is natively supported by djay, simply connect the controller to your Mac. djay will automatically recognize and configure the controller.
Changing mappings
To change mappings for your controller, open the MIDI configuration window from the "MIDI" menu in djay’s menu bar. See the next section on details on how to change MIDI mappings.
Configuring a MIDI controller using MIDI Learn
If you have a MIDI controller that is currently not natively supported by djay, you can still use it with djay’s easy-to-use MIDI Learn feature.
-
Connect the MIDI controller to your Mac.
-
In most cases, djay will automatically alert you about the new MIDI controller. Click "OK" in the dialog, or configure the controller from the "MIDI" menu that appears in djay’s menu bar when a MIDI controller is connected. A new MIDI configuration window will be opened.
-
By pressing or moving a control on your MIDI controller, djay will automatically add an entry for the control in the mapping table in the configuration window.
Example: Add a mapping entry for the play button on your MIDI controller by pressing the play button on your controller. In the same way you can create an entry by moving the crossfader on your controller.
-
Select the target for the mapping from the drop-down menu in the "Target" column.
Example: If you are configuring the play button for the left turntable in djay, select "Turntable 1" from the menu.
-
Now select the action that should be performed when using the control from the drop-down menu in the "Action" column.
Example: Select "Play/Pause" from the menu if you are configuring the play button.
Note: You can reorder mappings using drag & drop, and delete the selected mappings by pressing the Backspace key.
Inverting a control
For sliders and knobs, different MIDI controllers sometimes send inverted signals, which make the controls in djay move in the opposite direction as on the controller. To invert a mapping, control-click (right-click) the mapping entry and select "Invert" from the menu.
Testing the configuration
You can immediately test a new mapping by using it on your MIDI controller. No saving is required to test a new mapping.
Saving or reverting the configuration
-
When clicking the Done button, your custom MIDI configuration is saved in the Music/djay/MIDI Mappings folder in your home folder.
-
Clicking the Revert button will revert to the last saved configuration, or to an empty list of mappings if the configuration was not saved before.
You can exchange and share your custom MIDI mappings with other djay users by sending the respective mapping file from the Music/djay/MIDI Mappings folder in your home folder. To install a new mapping, simply double-click the mapping file in the Finder.