SoundPad
Included with Macro DeckPlay sounds from your SoundPad list, control recordings and show the playing sound on your deck.
Two Music Player widgets playing a track, one in the Full cover style and one in the Small cover style, both with the SoundPad name and logo in the header
- Play any sound from your SoundPad list with one button
- Play a random sound, from all sounds or one category
- Start and stop SoundPad recordings
- Music Player widget with the playing sound and volume
- Variables for the current sound, playback and recording
The SoundPad integration connects Macro Deck to SoundPad, the soundboard app for Windows, on the same PC. It uses SoundPad's remote control interface, so there is nothing to configure in SoundPad itself: start SoundPad, run the short setup in Macro Deck, and your buttons can play sounds.
What you can do
- Play a sound you pick from your SoundPad list. Leave the sound empty, and Macro Deck asks you to pick one when you press the button.
- Play a random sound from all sounds or from one Category, on your speakers, through your microphone, or both.
- Stop the sound that plays, mute or unmute SoundPad, and start and stop recordings from the microphone or the speakers.
- Use the usual music player actions: play, pause, next, previous, volume and seek. Previous and next play the neighboring sound in your list.
- Show the sound that plays in the Music Player widget, with how far it has played, its length and the volume.
Some example setups:
- A page of buttons, each with Play Sound for one of your favorite sound effects.
- A Random button with Play Random Sound for your "Memes" category, played through your microphone.
- A Stop button with Stop Playback to end a long sound early.
- A recording button with Start Recording from the Microphone, next to one with Stop Recording.
How it behaves
Play Sound remembers the sound by its file. Sorting your list or adding sounds does not change which sound a button plays, but moving or renaming the file does; pick the sound again then. Because the button stores the file's path on your PC, it does not play that sound on another PC you import your setup on.
SoundPad does not tell other apps which sound it plays. Macro Deck shows the sound it started itself, and for a sound you started in SoundPad, the sound SoundPad last marked as played. When you close SoundPad, the widget shows that it is reconnecting, and Macro Deck connects again on its own a few seconds after you start SoundPad again.
What you need
- Windows. SoundPad only runs on Windows, so the integration is only available there.
- SoundPad installed and running on the same PC as Macro Deck.
Set it up
Step 1: Start SoundPad
Start SoundPad on the PC that runs Macro Deck and keep it running while you use it from your deck.
Step 2: Open SoundPad in Macro Deck
In Macro Deck, click Integrations in the sidebar and click SoundPad.
Step 3: Connect SoundPad
On the Overview tab, click Set up in the Configuration section. Turning on the switch at the top right opens the same dialog. The Connect SoundPad dialog has no fields to fill. Click Continue: Macro Deck checks that SoundPad answers, finishes the setup and turns the integration on. If it says SoundPad did not answer, make sure SoundPad is running and try again.
Step 4: Add an action to a button
On the Deck page, click a button. The deck must be unlocked: when the Lock button shows at the top right, it is. The editor opens with Short Press selected. Click + Add action, select SoundPad on the left of the Add action dialog, pick Play Sound and choose a sound from your SoundPad list.
Step 5: Press the button
Press the button on your deck. SoundPad plays the sound, and a Music Player widget set to SoundPad shows it while it plays.
Actions16
Put these on a button or run them from a flow.
- Play Sound
- Plays a sound from your SoundPad list, or asks you to pick one when the button is pressed.
- Play Random Sound
- Plays a random sound from all sounds or one category, on your speakers, through your microphone, or both.
- Stop Playback
- Stops the sound that is playing.
- Start Recording
- Starts a SoundPad recording from the Microphone, the Speakers or SoundPad default.
- Stop Recording
- Stops the current SoundPad recording.
- Toggle Mute
- Mutes or unmutes SoundPad.
- Play
- Resumes playback.
- Pause
- Pauses playback.
- Toggle Play/Pause
- Switches between play and pause, and shows the playback state on the button.
- Next Track
- Plays the next sound in your SoundPad list.
- Previous Track
- Plays the previous sound in your SoundPad list.
- Refresh State
- Reads the current playback state right away.
- Set Volume
- Sets SoundPad's volume, from 0 to 100%.
- Volume Up
- Raises the volume by 10%.
- Volume Down
- Lowers the volume by 10%.
- Seek
- Jumps to a position in the playing sound, in seconds.
Triggers7
A button or flow can react to these events.
- Track Changed
- A different sound started playing (under Music Player).
- Playback Started
- A sound started playing or resumed (under Music Player).
- Playback Paused
- Playback was paused (under Music Player).
- Playback Stopped
- Playback stopped (under Music Player).
- Volume Changed
- SoundPad's volume changed, with the new and the previous value (under Music Player).
- Player Connected
- SoundPad became reachable (under Music Player).
- Player Disconnected
- SoundPad is no longer reachable (under Music Player).
Variables10
Show these values on buttons and widgets, or use them in conditions.
soundpad_current_sound- The sound that is playing.
soundpad_current_artist- The artist of the sound, when it has one.
soundpad_playback_state- Whether a sound is
playing,pausedorstopped. soundpad_is_playing- Whether a sound is playing.
soundpad_recording- Whether SoundPad is recording.
soundpad_volume- SoundPad's volume in percent. You can also set it, for example with a slider.
soundpad_position- How far the sound has played in seconds. You can also set it to seek.
soundpad_duration- The length of the sound in seconds.
soundpad_is_muted- Whether SoundPad is muted.
soundpad_is_connected- Whether Macro Deck reaches SoundPad right now.
Widgets1
Add these to your deck from the widget picker.
- Music Player
- Shows the sound SoundPad plays, how far it has played, its length and the volume, with play, pause, skip and seek.
Frequently asked questions
Does it work on macOS or Linux?
No. SoundPad only runs on Windows, so Macro Deck offers the integration only on Windows.
Can I control SoundPad on another computer?
No. Macro Deck talks to SoundPad on the same PC. Install Macro Deck on the PC that runs SoundPad and connect your deck to it.
Why does the widget show no title while a sound plays?
SoundPad does not tell other apps which sound it plays. For a sound you started in SoundPad, Macro Deck shows the sound SoundPad last marked as played. If SoundPad does not record when sounds were played, the title stays empty.
What happens when I close SoundPad?
The widget shows that it is reconnecting and soundpad_is_connected reads false. When you start SoundPad again, Macro Deck reconnects on its own within a few seconds; you do not have to set it up again.
I used the SoundPad plugin in Macro Deck 2. Do my buttons carry over?
Yes. Buttons that used the SoundPad plugin by PhoenixWyllow move over: Play becomes Play Sound, and it plays whatever sound is at the old position in your list until you pick the sound again once. Stop Playback, Start Recording and Stop Recording become the actions of the same name. Set up SoundPad once under Integrations after the migration, because the migrated buttons do nothing until then.
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