Modifiers (multiple shif keys) while custom MIDI mapping on Djay Pro

Old Forum djay Pro for Windows
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Is it possible to have more than one modifier (controller shift key) while custom MIDI mapping a controller? I want to be able to use the same performance pads for loops, cues and samples on my Gemini G4V connected to Djay Pro on Windows.

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Hi guys,

Thank you for getting in touch.

Adding more layers by enabling more modifiers is a good request. 
Normaly the Shift keys are handled on the controller (and are therefore not mapable in most of the times).

I added a request for software wise adding modifiers.

Cheers,Lukas E.

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Currently (2.0.13) it does not. Only a single SHIFT key, which must be held (not toggled) to be used.

I had a thought Algoriddim might find interesting.

Of course, Algoriddim can go ahead and implement modifiers, wherever it is in their priority list (or never). It would involve sort of duplicating the Shift button to 4 more “Shift”-like buttons, except typically these are more like toggles, instead of a held-down Shift. I’m sure the devs have already thought all this. This is the ideal solution.

But if this involves so much work that Algoriddim won’t ship modifiers anytime soon, then rather than lose the market of everyone who uses controllers with modifiers, there may be an alternative: Introducing a new Action that loads a different mapping.

For example, perhaps it can be implemented as a new Target called Mappings, which has a dynamically loaded set of Actions, e.g.

Load MyMapping1
Load ExperimentalMapping
Load bonnySaysHello

The meta-ness of it opens the doors to a lot. (Though, not necessarily in the cleanest way.) For example, let’s see how a user might use “Mappings > Load ___” to emulate modifiers:

  1. Suppose the user’s default mapping is called “DefaultMapping”, or in OP’s case, “G4V” probably.

  2. The user first duplicates their mapping, creating, say, “SecondMapping.”

  3. Back in DefaultMapping, the user enters MIDI learning mode as usual.

  4. The user then presses the key they want to make into a modifier. Say, the “Sample” key on G4V, which triggers the MIDI note F1 on its deck.

  5. The user selects Target “Mappings,” Action “Load SecondMapping.”

Voila. SecondMapping can now be customized to enact “modified” actions.

There is of course a downside, which would generally apply to any use (or “abuse”) of this loading action, because this loading action is way too powerful and generalized, so by some law of conservation, the cost will be complexity of implementing specific functionalities. In the case of modifiers, the cost is: Whenever the user wants to map a non-modifier action, the user must duplicate that mapping in DefaultMapping, SecondMapping, ThirdMapping, etc.

But the thing is, as long as it’s possible to do, users dedicated to their hardware will endure any amount of discomfort to create a mapping that suits them, and then share them for others to use.

tl;dr - Exposing an action that loads other mappings can enable users to do all kinds of crazy things (not just modifiers), which would shut them up / buy you time to implement things correctly, without losing their support :slight_smile: You merely shift the burden to the users who volunteer to suffer, i.e. make mappings lol.

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Thank you Lukas!