Isadora Gamepad MIDI for Mark Coniglio's Media Server

Isadora is Mark Coniglio's media-and-control engine for performing arts — theatre, dance, opera, live cinema. It is built around an actor graph, MIDI/OSC/DMX inputs, and scenes you can jump between via cue lists. The cleanest way to drive an Isadora rehearsal session from your desk is with a gamepad bridged to virtual MIDI. This post walks an Isadora gamepad MIDI setup with MIDI Watcher actors and shows the patching patterns that hold up on a real show.

Why a gamepad for Isadora

Stage managers run shows from cue lists. Designers prototyping new pieces want a tactile controller to nudge values during rehearsal, then deliver the show through cue triggers. A DualSense covers both modes — sticks for nudging during dev, face buttons for cue jumps during run. Universal Controller MIDI hands Isadora a virtual MIDI port the MIDI Watcher actors consume natively.

What you'll need

• Universal Controller MIDI v1.0+ (download)
• Isadora 3.+ (troikatronix.com)
• macOS 12+ or Windows 10+
• PS5 DualSense on USB-C

Setup

1. Bridge the gamepad

Launch the bridge, plug the DualSense in. macOS: Audio MIDI Setup → MIDI Studio → IAC Driver → Device is online. Windows: nothing extra. Bridge status pill reads UCMIDI port online.

2. Enable the input in Isadora

Open Isadora. Communications → MIDI Setup. In the Inputs list tick Universal Controller MIDI. Hit Apply. The MIDI activity indicator at the bottom of the Isadora window lights up as you wiggle sticks.

3. Add MIDI Watcher actors

Drag a MIDI Watcher actor into your Scene. Set Channel = 1 and Controller = 1 to watch CC 1 (left stick X). The actor publishes a value output you can route anywhere. Add a MIDI Note Watcher for buttons — set Channel = 1, Pitch = 60 to watch the Cross button.

4. Route values onto actor inputs

Connect the MIDI Watcher's value output into any actor input — for example, into a Projector actor's horz pos. Drop a Limit-Scale Value actor in between to remap 0–127 into Isadora's sensible range (often -100 to 100 or 0 to 1).

5. Use Note Watchers to fire cues

The MIDI Note Watcher's trigger output fires on note-on. Route that into a Jump actor, a Trigger Scene, or a state-flip user input. A face button becomes a stage cue trigger.

Mapping ideas

• Left stick → projector position nudge. CC 1/2 → Projector horz/vert pos, with Limit-Scale bound tight to ±20% of stage width.
• Right stick → effect parameters. CC 3/4 onto a Distortion or Colorize actor's 2D parameter.
• Triggers → opacity envelopes. CC 5/6 onto layered video Projector intensity for analog cross fades.
• Face buttons → scene jumps. Notes 60–63 fire Jump actors to four key cue scenes.
• D-pad → cue list nav. Notes 78–81 step the Scene List up/down/next/previous.
• Touchpad → XY effect. CC 16/17 onto an Eyes++ or Blur actor's 2D parameter.

Performance tips

• 14-bit CCs for projector position. Enable 14-bit in the bridge. Slow stage moves look smooth instead of stairstepping.
• Use Smoother actors. Drop a Smoother after the MIDI Watcher with 80–120 ms time. Stage moves are slow; smoothing improves the look.
• Save MIDI mappings per scene. Isadora scenes can hold their own MIDI Watchers. Build a "rehearsal nudge" scene and a "show run" scene with different bindings.
• USB-C in the venue. A Bluetooth dropout mid-show is a career story you don't want to tell.

Gotchas

• Isadora doesn't see the port. MIDI sources are enumerated when the MIDI Setup dialog opens. Run the bridge first, then open Isadora.
• Watcher pubs value before stage move. First incoming CC value snaps the parameter. Either wiggle the stick across its range before going live, or add a User Actor that gates the value until a button is held.
• Buttons fire on both press and release. Note Watchers fire on note-on by default. If you bound a separate note-off trigger, remove it.
• MIDI lag during render. Isadora's MIDI input runs on the main thread. Heavy GPU loads can introduce 10–20 ms lag. Use Smoothers and accept stage moves are not sample-accurate.

Wrap

Isadora plus a DualSense plus virtual MIDI is the most economical rehearsal rig for a theatre or dance designer working solo. Mark Coniglio's Isadora documentation covers the rest of the actor graph side. Pair with the MadMapper guide if your show needs hard surface mapping alongside Isadora's playback.

Try Universal Controller MIDI tonight against an Isadora file. $49 Pro unlocks every connector and the mapping editor.