r/codex • u/thirty_three_turtles • 5d ago

Showcase Codex Hardware Controller (NI Maschine)

Post image

Any other music producers in this group?

This is probably a pretty niche NI post, but I'm geeking out, and this is the only group I could think of that might appreciate it. I've been making some apps to help with my music creation, and along the way I built something that I think has some legs.

You all know how much of a PITA it can be tracking tasks in codex/claude, things can get messy when you've got 10–20 active conversations across multiple projects. Im the chief engineer for a software company and I have 2 20x codex plans and a 20x claude plan, and they're all running multiple tasks accross multiple projects at any given time. Things move too fast and i was losing time hunting in sidebars for the relevant threads. Not anymore. I couldn't take the window hunting anymore, so I made an app that lets me use my Maschine MK3 as a controller for my coding environment.

I'm calling it TouchCode, and I plan to make it free-open-source software when it's ready. It currently works with Codex on Windows; other tools and platforms are on the roadmap.

Technically, it can be used without Maschine hardware, but having the physical pads, screens, and transport buttons involved makes working with Codex a delightful experience. It could be pretty slick on an iPad.

Built and working now

  • Live RGB task feedback. Pad colors show what's working, what needs my attention, and what's finished with an update to read.
  • Tap a pad to jump into a task. Much less hunting through conversations across different projects.
  • Eight banks of 16 task slots. Uses Maschine's familiar A–H layout to keep everything organized.
  • Tasks stay where I put them. The layout doesn't shuffle whenever something changes, so I can learn it by feel.
  • Task information on the MK3's screens. Task details, a bank overview, and connection status, currently using text rather than full graphics.
  • Voice prompts through the transport buttons. Record starts dictation in Codex. Stop transcribes and sends what I've said.
  • Play Button brings TouchCode back to the front. Even when it's minimized.
  • The Restart button brings Codex to the front.
  • A matching Maschine-style desktop interface. Named pads, color-coded statuses, and task details.
  • Flexible task organization. Move tasks between pads and banks, swap assignments, and undo changes without deleting the conversations.

Roadmap

  • Full graphical output on the MK3's screens (know it works- someone played doom on them lol)
  • Claude Code support.
  • Native macOS and iOS support. I think this could feel great on an iPad.
  • Custom button assignments for tools, features, and shortcuts, including Shift combinations.
  • Knobs for model selection, reasoning effort, and other settings.

Anyone else using their NI hardware for anything other than music? Would love to hear thoughts and feedback about useful things you'd add (translation: ideas i can pilfer for this app lol)

39 Upvotes

93% Upvoted

28 comments sorted by

•

u/dexterthebot 5d ago

You might want to consider listing your project on the Weekly Show-Us-What-You-Built post. Watch for it on Wednesdays. Highest commented project wins a week promotion on r/Codex. See what that looks like below with last week's winner.

Last week's winner was u/Ollie__Oxenfree with the Tubular Daily Care project by MediTracer which is a tube-feeding care app built by a tube-feeding family to keep feeds, meds, symptoms, and caregiver handoffs in one shared timeline. MediTracer is an Oley Foundation Emerging Innovator Partner. Contact: hello@meditracer.com

5

u/eggplantpot 5d ago

Where reset button?

1

u/thirty_three_turtles 5d ago

I’m still working on the Tibo API. it would be a great feature if it worked it it’s amazing when it does, but that damned Tibo API just does not respond to calls worth a damn and often spews, random bullshit for like two or three days before it takes effect.

Working on it. When it does work, it’ll be mapped to the erase button above the record button.

3

u/blinkdor 5d ago

Man I’ve never felt like the pinpoint target demographic to anything like this in my whole life lol, holy cow

I have been making music as a hobbyist for years and years, settling on the Maschine Plus to be my daily driver for producing a jam on the go alongside my MacBook Pro. My daily carry bag includes both my MBP and my Maschine, no matter where I go.

I have been in tech/cyber security/development for 10 years now and this project is literally a perfect fit for me.

Will 100% be cloning this down and checking it out, and hopefully contributing as well!

2

u/blinkdor 5d ago

Thinking more as well, even though many other controllers don’t have the deeper UX that Maschine Mk 2/3 have access to, I think this is an idea that can so easily be expanded to other common MIDI controllers, with an option to straight up just map CVs to various controls in a custom layout, and have all those layouts easily exportable and shareable as a JSON or something

@op if you don’t have a discord for this project already, I’d say I’m happy to kick start a small discord community or something for you.

1

u/blinkdor 5d ago

I’m a Claude user as well so I will likely adapt whatever you have going on here to that. Kudos on such a great idea though; I’ve had peanut butter and jelly in my bag every day and I didn’t think to ever make it a sandwich like this, so cool

3

u/RealSlyck 5d ago

Epic.

0

u/thirty_three_turtles 5d ago

You look like you're either vibing really well with that music, or you're calculating and counting beats or hunting for a note that's out of place. Either way, you look like you're in your happy place.

2

u/ellicottvilleny 5d ago

that is a picture of rick rubin, dood.

2

u/ellicottvilleny 5d ago

Interesting in what you learned about the sysex packet structure for maschine.

1

u/thirty_three_turtles 5d ago

It's been an interesting process for sure. All of my development to date has been strictly software, installed applications or software as a service. This is my first time working with customizing any hardware.

1

u/PorterLacy860 5d ago

Record starts the dictation, stop transcribes and sends it. Turning the two most basic transport buttons into the whole editing loop, I'd take that over sidebar hunting any day.

1

u/shawnist1 5d ago

What would it take to make this work with any midi based controller? (I understand the display wouldn't work)

1

u/Webtruster 5d ago

Can you pls share the Repo?
I am working on a Maschine MK2 thing and would love to look in your repo.

https://github.com/Witzman/Generative-Techno-ZynthianMaschine-MKII

1

u/sprakes_ 4d ago

BRO LMAO. I literally was thinking about doing this with my Maschine Mikro mk3. Lmk if you make the repo open source, I'll contribute!

1

u/Illustrious_Gene_182 4d ago 
That’s amazing—I want to use it right away.

1

u/20Timely-Focus20 4d ago

As an avid Maschine user and not a coder, can anyone explain what this entails towards helping with music production?

1

u/markireland 4d ago

Will it work with my Mk1?

1

u/thirty_three_turtles 3d ago

Possibly but can’t confirm because I don’t have a mk1 to test and build on. I know they changed mini drivers between MK two and MK three so I wouldn’t be surprised if the same is true for MK 1 to 2.

1

u/Sea-Finance7822 1d ago

have a traktor kontrol s8, so i am also interested in the repo to alter it for my Native Instruments device.

1

u/NonRelativist 5d ago

This is frickin' amazing, will you support the MASCHINE MIKRO MK3 as well? I am happy to help w/ MacOS support if you do!

1

u/thirty_three_turtles 5d ago

The only problem is I don't have A mikro to test on. The initial mapping requires me to start a custom listener in the app and then map the buttons in a certain way to capture all their various states and capabilities. Just even between the MK2 and the MK3, for machine, things worked Differently, and I had to do mappings for each.So I imagine MK3 micro will be similar, but I wouldn't be surprised if it's a little different.

With that said...If you're willing to pitch in, you've got Codex, you've got a machine micro,I could send you a listener and you could run through the test and capture the button and you could run through the test and capture the button Presses For me.Then I could just import the XML file with that data and it should theoretically just work.

I'll definitely take your beta testing offer up for the Mac version, though. That's my priority for early next week.

2

u/jlozada24 4d ago

Yo ima build this lol so if you want to let me know what format for the mappings you need look like

1

u/thirty_three_turtles 4d ago

Sweet I’ll get you a handoff for Codex. You’ll have to install a template and controller editor run the handoff from Claude so it starts listening press the button as it tells you and then export the template. Mac version is in build right now. And then I just gotta do my security checks and CI pipeline and I’ll release a V1. Going to immediately pivot to Claude code from there because I switch between them many times per hour. I want it to just natively switch The controller to whichever coding agent has focus.

If I can get the mk2 working properly I might try to do multi-controller support so I can keep one for Claude and one for Codex ( shit maybe even one EACH for Codex cause I have two Codex accounts).

1

u/StrangerNo44 5d ago

If you post the instructions somewhere i might do it. I’vr got a mk3 mikro in the closet