HackMidiMask Mixer – The First Project
This is where it all started. The HackMidiMask Mixer is the first project in the series — and it was born from a very specific real-world problem.
As a DJ using a DVS (Digital Vinyl System) on a laptop, there was a constant frustration: to select the next track, load a cue point, or trigger a loop, you had to lift your hands off the mixer and reach for the keyboard or mouse. Mid-set. Mid-mix. Every single time.
The solution: implant an Arduino Leonardo (Micro) directly inside the analog mixer. With the Arduino hidden inside the console’s chassis and connected to the computer via USB, it could send and receive MIDI signals to and from the DVS software — giving full track control from the mixer itself, without ever breaking contact with the deck.
What was added to the mixer
- 16 backlit pads — for triggering cues, loops, and track controls
- 2 RGB rotary encoders — for browsing and selecting tracks
- 4 push buttons — assignable functions
- 1 joystick (PlayStation-style) — X/Y axis + push, for navigation and effects
- Arduino Leonardo (Micro) — implanted inside the mixer chassis, connected via USB
How it works
The Arduino inside the mixer enumerates as a standard USB MIDI device. The DVS software on the laptop sees it as a MIDI controller and responds to its messages — track load, cue select, loop toggle, effects. At the same time, the Arduino receives MIDI feedback from the software, so the pads light up to reflect the current state of the deck.
The result: a completely integrated DJ setup where you never have to take your hands off the mixer. The control surface is the console. This project laid the foundation for everything that came after — HackPad, HackFad, MisteryBox, and the rest of the Hack Midi Mask family.
📷 Follow the project: @hackmidimask
What came next
- HackPad — 16 pressure-sensitive pads, Chord Finder
- MisteryBox — portable audio loop player
- The full story — how it all started
