My Xbox Guitar Hero to MIDI application AXIS is available now! The videos below explain all:
Mac users:
- Get AXIS 1.0 HERE.
- You’ll also need the Tattiebogle Xbox drivers from here.
Windows users:
- Get AXIS 1.0 HERE.
- You’ll also need LoopBe from here.
- Quicktime’s required for the Heads Up Display. I’d recommend Quicktime Alternative.
- If the Xbox drivers don’t install automatically try here.
AXIS was built in Max/MSP. If you’d like to adapt it for a different guitar or anything just get in touch and I’ll send you the source.


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20 comments ↓
Hey dude, great job you did with this piece of software. To bad I can not get it to run. I’m running Windows Vista here. Installed LoopBe + Axis and plugged in my Rockband controller. When I start the application I hear one single note beeping. I can switch between controllmode and playmode but I when I push the buttons on the guitar I don’t hear any sound at all. The orange signalbutton is flickering though…
I assume something is wrong with the internal LoopBe MIDI Port :/
ah, sorry man, axis is only for xbox GH controllers. you might wanna give miditar hero a go. it’s similar and supports rockband axes.
Great app, mate. I love it! However I can’t seem to get the Tilt or Roll to send out MIDI CC. I’m on Win7 using Live 7. I have loopbe installed as well. Everything works except when I try and map tilt or roll like you do in your video, Ableton doesn’t pick up the messages. Even if I map, say cutoff, to CC2 via another controller (nanoKontrol) I can’t get Tilt to respond to anything.
Any ideas?
hmmm… my guess would be it’s a windows 7 driver problem. although clicking the MIDI CC buttons with tilt disabled should be happily sending MIDI messages.
maybe check in ableton midi preferences that loopbe is set to “remote”. if that doesn’t work maybe try the windows xbox drivers i linked to above. let me know!
[...] wrote a program using Max/MSP that lets him make music with his guitar hero controller. There’s another video after the break where he walks through the various features but [...]
[...] My live show’s centered around my macbook running Ableton controlled by a guitar hero controller using an app I wrote in max/msp called AXIS. [...]
Hmm… looks like an extremely interesting project! I tried, in vain mind you, a long while ago to map the keys of my rockband guitar to hit some notes in a synth called zynaddsubfx, and pretty much gave up on the idea thinking that it would be fairly useless anyway, but seeing this has inspired me again! My question is: do you think this will be in any way easily adaptable to linux, and if so can I get my hands on some source? Great job, it looks like tons of fun to play!
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going to get it working in linux nexy? maybe give us some source code so we could complie it to work in gnome or a debian/ubuntu package would be sweet!
does this work with a wii guitar?
not at this point. but it would be fairly straight forward to mod it if you have any experience with max… or you have a friend with experience with max… or you can wait a lil’ while and i’ll get around to it eventually. i chose the xbox guitar because it’s bog standard usb plus they’re cheap and plentiful
Really good
But I Get a fucking sound of piano..How to change it plz ?
AXIS doesn’t make any sound itself, it only sends out MIDI information other software interprets to make sound. The piano sound you’re hearing is the operating systems inbuilt midi synth. Getting different sounds requires running something like Ableton Live, Reason, Garage Band or anythng that accepts MIDI. If you’re in OSX select “from axis 1″ as your MIDI input in your prefered audio app. If you’re in windows you’ll need to download and install loopbe then select that as your MIDI in. Let me know how you go.
Hey Robert!!!! Great Job!! Just what I´ve been looking for : a windows software for this! Cant wait to plug in and try.
hey there! RAD app. i’ve got 3 macs – an old power pc g5 iMac,
a brand new macbook pro w/ intel chip,
and an older power pc g5 laptop that i haven’t tested yet with Tattiebogle.
with the first 2 machines, tattiebogle does not work as an osx driver.
I REALLY want to use your app. but neither my Preference Pane in System Preferences – XBox 360 Controller, or the Axis app, recognizes the xbox 360 explorer guitar as a device.
amanda
Hi Amanda,
I’ve had a couple of people report the same problem. It seems to be a driver problem. I’d recomend emailing the tattiebogle guy, I’m going to do the same and we’ll see if we can get to the bottom of it. and let me know how you go with the other ‘puter. thanks.
[...] are available about the Zealousy [...]
Thanks for you work on this project. I’m really interested in making this work but as of yet, I have not had any luck.
I’m running Mac OS10.5.8 on my macbook and I have downloaded axis and the driver from tattiebogle, even though the xbox GH explorer is recognized from the USB slot in Syestem Preferences, I cannot get axis to recognize it or any sounds. Garage band does tell me midi inputs have changed and two have been added, but I can’t figure out how to use them….help please, if you can!
Thanks
Hi,
do you get a solid green light when the guitar is connected? does does the system preference pane recognize button presses?
make sure your guitar is plugged in before opening axis and as long as the system pane recognizes the guitar, it should appear in the drop down list.
some people have hit a driver problem but it sounds like your guitar is properly installed…
when you press buttons on the guitar do you get orange blinking lights in the top right coners of axis?
as far as MIDI goes, you should have two new midi devices, axis 1 and axis 2. by default both play and control mode send to axis1. set up a software instrument and choose “from axis 1″ as your midi input and set it to channel 2. you might also need to record arm the track to hear it. this guide might help:
http://manuals.info.apple.com/Apple_Support_Area/Manuals/software/GarageBandTutorial3.pdf
another thing to try is to select “AU DLS Synth” from the midi device menu and that should give you a default piano sound with out needing any additional software.
hope that’s of some help, keep me updated!
bob.
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