Pro Command MIDI
macOS App for Music Makers
Introduction
Pro Command MIDI is an app for macOS that allows music producers to control Avid Pro Tools, the industry-standard recording/mixing software, from Native Instruments' Maschine music production controllers. Pro Command MIDI runs in the background and translates between the data protocols used by Maschine and Pro Tools.
Beyond a simple 1:1 translation, Pro Command MIDI was designed to bring Maschine's intuitive workflow to Pro Tools by sending batches of commands to Pro Tools to recreate single-button Maschine commands. And while Pro Tools' control protocol only allows eight channels to be controlled per device, Pro Command MIDI functions as four virtual Pro Tools controllers, aggregating their channels to all be controlled by one Maschine device.
Video
Design
Unobtrusive Icon
Pro Command MIDI runs as an unobtrusive icon in the menu bar. It can start automatically at login so that the user does not even need to worry about it – they can simply jump right into their Pro Tools Session. To indicate Pro Command MIDI's current status, its menu bar icon changes opacity to indicate whether a Maschine controller is connected or not.
Setup Guide
Pro Command MIDI includes a built-in setup guide to walk users through the initial setup process. The setup guide stays on top of other windows, making it fast and easy to complete setup.
User Guide
A built-in user guide is included to explain all of Pro Command MIDI's features. Because there are multiple variants on the Maschine hardware, the user guide adapts its instructions to show how they apply to each Maschine variant.
Website
To explain the entire featureset of Pro Command MIDI, a website was created with video tutorials and access to the app's interactive user guide.
Behind the scenes
Filming the Ad
A camera motion control system was used for precise and repeatable movement, captured in 4K.
