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Akai MIDImix — Bitwig Studio Controller Script

A full-featured Bitwig Studio controller script for the Akai MIDImix, with LED feedback, multi-page track banking, four program modes, scene launching, device control, and on-screen notifications.


Hardware Layout

Heads up: Custom Hardware Layout

This script uses a custom MIDI preset (bitwig.midimix) that differs from the Akai MIDImix factory defaults. You must load this preset via the Akai MidiMix Editor before use. The button rows have been remapped:

Physical label on hardware Factory function This script
Button Row 1 Mute / Solo Solo
Button Row 2 Rec Arm Mute / ARM (context-dependent)
Right panel SOLO button Solo SHIFT
SHIFT + Button Row 2 n/a Rec Arm

Without the custom preset, buttons will not behave as documented.

+-----+-----+-----+-----+-----+-----+-----+-----+
| ENC | ENC | ENC | ENC | ENC | ENC | ENC | ENC |  <- Send 1
| ENC | ENC | ENC | ENC | ENC | ENC | ENC | ENC |  <- Send 2
| ENC | ENC | ENC | ENC | ENC | ENC | ENC | ENC |  <- Device Parameters
+-----+-----+-----+-----+-----+-----+-----+-----+
|SOLO |SOLO |SOLO |SOLO |SOLO |SOLO |SOLO |SOLO |  <- Button row 1 (LED row 1)
| ARM | ARM | ARM | ARM | ARM | ARM | ARM | ARM |  <- Button row 2 (LED row 2)
+-----+-----+-----+-----+-----+-----+-----+-----+
| FAD | FAD | FAD | FAD | FAD | FAD | FAD | FAD |  <- Channel faders
+-----+-----+-----+-----+-----+-----+-----+-----+
                                        [ MASTER ]  <- Master fader

Right panel:  [ BANK L ]  [ BANK R ]  [ SHIFT ]

Installation

  1. Load the bitwig.midimix preset file into the Akai MidiMix Editor and send it to the hardware.
  2. Copy the akai-midimix-bitwig folder into your Bitwig Studio controller scripts directory:
    • macOS: ~/Documents/Bitwig Studio/Controller Scripts/
    • Windows: %USERPROFILE%\Documents\Bitwig Studio\Controller Scripts\
  3. In Bitwig Studio go to Settings → Controllers → Add controller manually and select Akai → Akai Midimix.
  4. Set both MIDI input and output to MIDI Mix.

Program Modes

The script has four program modes. A short press of SHIFT (< 400 ms) cycles through them:

Mixer → Track → Device → Project → Mixer → ...

The active mode is indicated by the BANK L / BANK R LEDs:

Mode BANK L BANK R
Mixer Off Off
Track On Off
Device Off On
Project On On

Faders (all modes)

Control Function
Channel faders (x8) Channel volume (capped at -6 dB)
Master fader Master track volume (capped at -6 dB)

Encoders (all modes)

Each channel has three encoders stacked vertically:

Row Function
Top Send 1 level for that channel
Middle Send 2 level for that channel
Bottom Device remote control parameter (current page, mapped in Bitwig's Remote Controls editor)

The active remote control parameters are shown as a highlighted bar at the bottom of the Bitwig UI — visible in all modes and bound to the cursor device on the selected track.


Mode 1 — Mixer Mode

Default mode. Full mixing control with LED feedback.

Button Row 1 (SOLO)

Button Function
SOLO 1–8 Toggle solo for that channel

Button Row 2 (ARM/MUTE)

Button Normal While SHIFT held
ARM 1–8 Toggle rec arm Toggle mute

Solo and mute are mutually exclusive — enabling one automatically disables the other on the same channel.

BANK L / BANK R

Button Normal While SHIFT held
BANK L Previous page of 8 channels Select previous device
BANK R Next page of 8 channels Select next device

Up to 160 tracks (20 pages x 8 channels) are supported.


Mode 2 — Track Mode

Focus on track navigation. BANK L LED is lit.

Button Row 1 (SOLO)

Button Function
SOLO 1 Select previous track
SOLO 2 Select next track
SOLO 3 Previous channel page (-8 tracks)
SOLO 4 Next channel page (+8 tracks)
SOLO 5–8 (unused)

Mode 3 — Device Mode

Navigate and control devices on the selected track. BANK R LED is lit.

Button Row 1 (SOLO)

Button Function
SOLO 1 Select previous device in chain
SOLO 2 Select next device in chain
SOLO 3 Previous remote controls page
SOLO 4 Next remote controls page
SOLO 5 (unused)
SOLO 6 Focus/toggle Device Panel in Bitwig UI
SOLO 7 Toggle expanded device view
SOLO 8 Toggle remote controls section visibility

BANK L / BANK R (while SHIFT held)

Button Function
BANK L Select previous device
BANK R Select next device

Mode 4 — Project Mode

Scene launching and transport/view control. Both BANK LEDs are lit. A colored bracket appears in the Bitwig clip launcher UI showing the active scene window.

Button Row 2 (ARM) — Scene Launcher

Button Function
ARM 1–6 Launch scene 1–6 (LED lit when scene exists)
ARM 7 (unused)
ARM 8 If playing: Stop all clips + stop transport
If stopped: Jump to loop start (if loop active) or project start (beat 0)

Button Row 1 (SOLO) — View & Transport

Button Function
SOLO 1 Switch to Arrange layout
SOLO 2 Switch to Mix layout
SOLO 3 Toggle Clip Editor panel
SOLO 4 (unused)
SOLO 5 Toggle arranger loop on/off (LED reflects loop state)
SOLO 6 (unused)
SOLO 7 Toggle Clip Launcher panel visibility
SOLO 8 Toggle Arranger Timeline panel visibility

BANK L / BANK R — Scene Scrolling

Button Function
BANK L Scroll scene bank up (bracket moves up in UI)
BANK R Scroll scene bank down (bracket moves down in UI)

SHIFT Button

A short press (< 400 ms) of SHIFT cycles to the next program mode.

Holding SHIFT unlocks a second function layer without switching modes:

  • The ARM row LEDs switch to show the current mute state of each channel.
  • BANK L / BANK R navigate devices instead of channel pages (all modes).
SHIFT + ... Function
ARM button (any channel) Toggle mute for that channel
BANK L Select previous device on the focused track
BANK R Select next device on the focused track

When SHIFT is released, all LEDs return to the normal state for the active mode.


LED Behaviour Summary

LED Mixer Mode Track Mode Device Mode Project Mode
Row 1 (SOLO) Channel solo state Ch 1–4 lit Ch 1–4, 6–8 lit Ch 1–3, 7–8 lit; Ch 5 = loop state
Row 2 (ARM) Channel arm state Channel arm state Channel arm state Scene existence (1–6); Ch 8 always lit
BANK L Off On Off On
BANK R Off Off On On

On script load, a startup LED sweep animation runs across both rows, then restores the actual project state.


On-Screen Notifications

Action Notification example
Move a channel fader Ch 3 Volume: -12.0 dB
Move the master fader Master Volume: -6.0 dB
Turn a send encoder Ch 1 Send 2: 45%
Turn a device encoder Cutoff: 880 Hz
Change channel page Channel Page -> 3
Switch device Device: Reverb
Change device page Device Page: Filter
Select a track Track: Bass
Switch program mode Mode: Device
Stop transport (while stopped) Loop Start / Project Start

Developer Options

Variable Default Description
DEBUG true Print MIDI and state info to the Bitwig Script Console
NOTIFICATIONS true Show popup notifications in Bitwig on every interaction

Tip: Toggle these at runtime via the Controller Script Console in Bitwig Studio (Settings → Controllers → your controller → Show Console) by typing e.g. DEBUG = false.


License

GNU GENERAL PUBLIC LICENSE

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