Using a Rane 72 to Control Spotify

Rane72 Spotify.scpt

on runme(message)
	if (item 1 of message = 191) and (item 2 of message = 0) and (item 3 of message = 65) then
		tell application "Spotify"
			next track
		end tell
	end if
	if (item 1 of message = 191) and (item 2 of message = 0) and (item 3 of message = 63) then
		tell application "Spotify"
			previous track
		end tell
	end if
	if (item 1 of message = 190) and (item 2 of message = 45) then
		tell application "Spotify"
			set faderVol to item 3 of message
			set sound volume to (faderVol / 128) * 100
		end tell
	end if
	if (item 1 of message = 158) and (item 2 of message = 17) and (item 3 of message > 0) then
		tell application "Spotify"
			if shuffling is false then
				set shuffling to true
			else
				set shuffling to false
			end if
		end tell
	end if
	if (item 1 of message = 159) and (item 2 of message = 50) and (item 3 of message > 0) then
		using terms from application "Spotify"
			if player state of application "Spotify" is paused then
				tell application "Spotify" to play
			else
				tell application "Spotify" to pause
			end if
		end using terms from
	end if
end runme

Why?

Because I use my Rane 72 on a daily basis not only with Serato but also with Spotify I wanted to be able to control my music with my mixer.

Prerequisites

Requirements: You will need a MacOS Computer and a Rane 72 Mixer for this script to work, but the script can be modified to work on any other midi controller.

I'm using the Rane 72 as my main audio output device so I can control the volume using the faders/knobs on the mixer. This step is not needed and optional. To configure the Rane 72 as your main audio output open the audio and midi setup application.

Press configure speaker and select which channel you want to output your pc's sound to:

You could use USB Aux which will output the sound as a sampler, the volume then can be controlled using the 'Sampler Level' knob, you can then also listen to the sound via the main cue mix. I prefer using Deck 1 because of the access to the 3 Band EQ and Effects.

How to use

1. Install MidiPipe
2. Drag and drop Midi In into your Pipe, then select the Rane 72

3. Drag and drop AList into your Pipe, this tool can be used for debugging because it outputs any incoming midi signals
4. Drag and drop AppleScript Trigger into your pipe and paste the above code

5. Open Spotify
6. Press the buttons on the mixer to control Spotify as described below

Button	Function
Shift	Start/Stop
Scroll Knob	Previous/Next Track
Sampler Level Knob	Spotify Volume
Session In Cue	Shuffle On/Off

You could expand this as you like and even map tracks and playlists to a special midi button or assign a special button to open Spotify. This script can also be modified to work on iTunes and other players.

Sources and further reading

This was inspired by Jake Hebbert's Video "Controlling PhotoShop with a Korg NanoKontrol via midiPipe and AppleScripts".

• https://gist.github.com/joshuaswilcox/7251527
• https://gist.github.com/ellcom/58f47d7eeb3601734ef9
  Feel free to ask any questions in the comments below!