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Adaptive trigger effects deep dive

Every adaptive trigger effect the DualSense ships — vibration, weapon, galloping, bow, machine, feedback — mapped to MIDI inputs for haptic monitoring.

Updated 29 May 2026

Adaptive trigger effects are Sony's killer hardware feature, and the gamepad doesn't know they were only meant for games. Universal Controller MIDI exposes all six effect modes — and drives them from incoming MIDI so you can feel your tracks while you mix.

Adaptive trigger effects — six firmware curves giving each pull a distinct physical sensation.

The six effects

Each effect takes different parameters and produces a distinct sensation. The mapping editor exposes them under Haptics → Trigger effect, with intensity ranges that map directly to the values Sony's firmware accepts.

Effect	Params	Intensity range	Behaviour	Best for
`vibration`	start, amplitude, frequency	amp `0–8`, freq `0–255`	Continuous buzz while held past start position	Kick drum monitoring — feel the 4-on-the-floor
`weapon`	start, end, strength	str `0–8`	Resistance ramp then hard click at end	Sidechain pumping — hard click on each duck
`galloping`	start, end, first foot, second foot, frequency	foot `0–9`, freq `0–255`	Two-beat clop pattern between start and end	Hi-hat / shaker patterns — feel the swing
`bow`	start, end, strength, snap force	str `0–8`, snap `0–8`	Smooth pull, sudden release at end	Long string swells — sustained resistance with release
`machine`	start, end, amp A, amp B, frequency, period	amp `0–8`, period `0–9`	Two amplitudes alternate over a period	Two-rate textures — synced LFOs you can feel
`feedback`	position, strength	str `0–8`	Single resistance bump at fixed position	Threshold alerts — "you just clipped" tactile flag

Driving effects from incoming MIDI

The bridge speaks MIDI in, too. Listen on the same virtual port for events from your DAW and route them to triggers. Map kick (note 36) → vibration on LT. Map a CC envelope follower → weapon strength on RT. Every effect parameter is automatable.

{
  "trigger": "LT",
  "effect": "galloping",
  "params": { "start": 1, "end": 7, "firstFoot": 2, "secondFoot": 5, "frequency": 8 },
  "trigger_on": { "type": "note", "channel": 1, "note": 42 }
}

To drive a parameter dynamically from a CC — say, modulate vibration amplitude from your bus compressor's gain reduction meter (routed out as MIDI CC) — bind the CC to the effect param directly:

{
  "trigger": "RT",
  "effect": "vibration",
  "params": { "start": 0, "amplitude": "{cc7}", "frequency": 60 },
  "trigger_on": { "type": "cc", "channel": 1, "cc": 7, "threshold": ">0" }
}

Calibration + safe ranges

Position parameters are 0–9 (resolution of the trigger pull). Amplitude/strength is 0–8. Frequency is 0–255. Running max amplitude + low frequency for sustained periods drains battery fast and warms the controller — keep amplitude under 6 for set-long use.

Real-world scenarios

Five places adaptive haptics change how you work:

Late-night mixing. Headphones off, family asleep. Kick on LT (vibration), snare on RT (weapon). You can hear the mix at conversation volume and still feel the rhythm section.
Sidechain tuning. Route the compressor's gain-reduction CC into a weapon effect. Pull RT slowly — the click position tells you exactly where threshold sits without watching the meter.
Tempo confirmation on stage. A galloping effect bound to a clock divider gives you a private metronome in the trigger hand. Quieter and more reliable than an in-ear click.
Clipping alert. Bus peak meter sends a CC; bind it to feedback with position 9. Trigger snaps hard the instant you go over — eyes-free safety net.
Long-form ambient. bow on RT for slow filter sweeps; the resistance build-and-release matches the swell shape, so muscle memory teaches you the curve.

Adaptive trigger effects are a Pro feature. Background reading: velocity curves deep dive and the haptic-feedback blog post.

Edit this page on GitHub Updated 29 May 2026