As a backend project, omriharel/deej has picked up 5.5k stars on GitHub (Go). Set app volumes with real sliders! deej is an Arduino & Go project to let you build your own hardware mixer for Windows and Linux
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deej is an open-source hardware volume mixer for Windows and Linux PCs. It lets you use real-life sliders (like a DJ!) to seamlessly control the volumes of different apps (such as your music player, the game you're playing and your voice chat session) without having to stop what you're doing.
Join the deej Discord server if you need help or have any questions!
New: work-in-progress deej FAQ!
deej consists of a lightweight desktop client written in Go, and an Arduino-based hardware setup that's simple and cheap to build. Check out some versions built by members of our community!
Download the latest release | Video demonstration | Build video by Tech Always
Psst! No 3D printer? No problem! You can build deej on some cardboard, a shoebox or even a breadboard :)
Table of contents
Features
How it works
Hardware
Schematic
Software
Slider mapping (configuration)
Build your own!
FAQ
Build video
Bill of Materials
Thingiverse collection
Build procedure
How to run
Requirements
Download and installation
Building from source
Community
License
Features
deej is written in Go and distributed as a portable (no installer needed) executable.
Bind apps to different sliders
Bind multiple apps per slider (i.e. one slider for all your games)
Bind the master channel
Bind "system sounds" (on Windows)
Bind specific audio devices by name (on Windows)
Bind currently active app (on Windows)
Bind all other unassigned apps
Control your microphone's input level
Lightweight desktop client, consuming around 10MB of memory
Runs from your system tray
Helpful notifications to let you know if something isn't working
Looking for the older Python version? It's no longer maintained, but you can always find it in the legacy-python branch.
How it works
Hardware
The sliders are connected to 5 (or as many as you like) analog pins on an Arduino Nano/Uno board. They're powered from the board's 5V output (see schematic)
The board connects via a USB cable to the PC
Schematic
Software
The code running on the Arduino board is a C program constantly writing current slider values over its serial interface
The PC runs a lightweight Go client in the background. This client reads the serial stream and adjusts app volumes according to the given configuration file
Slider mapping (configuration)
deej uses a simple YAML-formatted configuration file named config.yaml, placed alongside the deej executable.
The config file determines which applications (and devices) are mapped to which sliders, and which parameters to use for the connection to the Arduino board, as well as other user preferences.
This file auto-reloads when its contents are changed, so you can change application mappings on-the-fly without restarting deej.
It looks like this:
slider_mapping:
0: master
1: chrome.exe
2: spotify.exe
3:
- pathofexile_x64.exe
- rocketleague.exe
4: discord.exe
# set this to true if you want the controls inverted (i.e. top is 0%, bottom is 100%)
invert_sliders: false
# settings for connecting to the arduino board
com_port: COM4
baud_rate: 9600
# adjust the amount of signal noise reduction depending on your hardware quality
# supported values are "low" (excellent hardware), "default" (regular hardware) or "high" (bad, noisy hardware)
noise_reduction: default
master is a special option to control the master volume of the system (uses the default playback device)
mic is a special option to control your microphone's input level (uses the default recording device)
deej.unmapped is a special option to control all apps that aren't bound to any slider ("everything else")
On Windows, deej.current is a special option to control whichever app is currently in focus
On Windows, you can specify a device's full name, i.e. Speakers (Realtek High Definition Audio), to bind that device's level to a slider. This doesn't conflict with the default master and mic options, and works for both input and output devices.
Be sure to use the full device name, as seen in the menu that comes up when left-clicking the speaker icon in the tray menu
system is a special option on Windows to control the "System sounds" volume in the Windows mixer
All names are case-insensitive, meaning both chrome.exe and CHROME.exe will work
You can create groups of process names (using a list) to either:
control more than one app with a single slider
choose whichever process in the group that's currently running (i.e. to have one slider control any game you're playing)
Build your own!
Building deej is very simple. You only need a few relatively cheap parts - it's an excellent starter project (and my first Arduino project, personally). Remember that if you need any help or have a question that's not answered here, you can always join the deej Discord server.
Build deej for yourself, or as an awesome gift for your gaming buddies!
FAQ
I've started a highly focused effort of writing a proper FAQ page for deej, covering many basic and advanced topics.
It is still very much a work-in-progress, but I'm happy to share it in its current state in hopes that it at least covers some questions you might have.
FAQ feedback in our community Discord is strongly encouraged :)
Build video
In case you prefer watching to reading, Charles from the Tech Always YouTube channel has made a fantastic video that covers the basics of building deej for yourself, including parts, costs, assembly and software. I highly recommend checking it out!
Bill of Materials
An Arduino Nano, Pro Micro or Uno board
I officially recommend using a Nano or a Pro Micro for their smaller form-factor, friendlier USB connectors and more analog pins. Plus they're cheaper
You can also use any other development board that has a Serial over USB interface
A few slider potentiometers, up to your number of free analog pins (the cheaper ones cost around 1-2 USD each, and come with a standard 10K Ohm variable resistor. These should work just fine for this project)
Important: make sure to get linear sliders, not logarithmic ones! Check the product description
You can also use circular knobs if you like
Some wires
Any kind of box to hold everything together. You don't need a 3D printer for this project! It works fantastically with just a piece of cardboard or a shoebox. That being said, if you do have one, read on...
Thingiverse collection
With many different 3D-printed designs being added to our community showcase, it felt right to gather all of them in a Thingiverse collection for you to browse. If you have access to a 3D printer, feel free to use one of the designs in your build.
Visit our community-created design collection on Thingiverse!
You can also submit your own design to be added to the collection. Regardless, if you do upload your design to Thingiverse, please add a deej tag to it so that others can find it more easily.
Build procedure
Connect everything according to the schematic
Test with a multimeter to be sure your sliders are hooked up correctly
Flash the Arduino chip with the sketch in arduino\deej-5-sliders-vanilla
Important: If you have more or less than 5 sliders, you must edit the sketch to match what you have
After flashing, check the serial monitor. You should see a constant stream of values separated by a pipe (|) character, e.g. 0|240|1023|0|483
When you move a slider, its corresponding value should move between 0 and 1023
Congratulations, you're now ready to run the deej executable!
How to run
Requirements
Windows
Windows. That's it
Linux
Install libgtk-3-dev, libappindicator3-dev and libwebkit2gtk-4.0-dev for system tray support. Pre-built Linux binaries aren't currently released, so you'll need to build from source. If there's demand for pre-built binaries, please let me know!
Download and installation
Head over to the releases page and download the latest version's executable and configuration file (deej.exe and config.yaml)
Place them in the same directory anywhere on your machine
(Optional, on Windows) Create a shortcut to deej.exe and copy it to %APPDATA%\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu\Programs\Startup to have deej run on boot
Building from source
If you'd rather not download a compiled executable, or want to extend deej or modify it to your needs, feel free to clone the repository and build it yourself. All you need is a Go 1.14 (or above) environment on your machine. If you go this route, make sure to check out the developer scripts.
Like other Go packages, you can also use the go get tool: go get -u github.com/omriharel/deej. Please note that the package code now resides in the pkg/deej directory, and needs to be imported from there if used inside another project.
If you need any help with this, please join our Discord server.
Community
deej is a relatively new project, but a vibrant and awesome community is rapidly growing around it. Come hang out with us in the deej Discord server, or check out a whole bunch of cool and creative builds made by our members in the community showcase.
The server is also a great place to ask questions, suggest features or report bugs (but of course, feel free to use GitHub if you prefer).
Donations
If you love deej and want to show your support for this project, you can do so using the link below. Please don't feel obligated to donate - building the project and telling your friends about it goes a very long way! Thank you very much.
How does omriharel/deej compare to other Backend projects?
omriharel/deej is tracked by TopGit in the Backend category, with 5.5k GitHub stars and written in Go. Browse the Backend topic page on TopGit to compare it against similar projects by stars and activity.
How many stars does omriharel/deej have?
omriharel/deej has 5.5k GitHub stars — refresh the page for the live number, or check github.com/omriharel/deej. TopGit mirrors GitHub's count but does not claim minute-by-minute accuracy.
Is omriharel/deej open source?
Yes — omriharel/deej ships under the MIT license, which makes its source code freely readable (and, depending on license terms, forkable and reusable). Source: github.com/omriharel/deej.
What else is in the Backend space?
omriharel/deej is tracked by TopGit under the Backend category, alongside 7 GitHub-tagged topics. Trending and Topics pages list peer repositories of comparable stars and language.
What is omriharel/deej?
omriharel/deej (omriharel/deej) is a Go project on GitHub. From the project's own README: Set app volumes with real sliders! deej is an Arduino & Go project to let you build your own hardware mixer for Windows and Linux
Where can I see omriharel/deej in action?
The project maintains a homepage at https://deej.rocks. The README tab on this page also usually contains screenshots and a quickstart.
Where do I read more about omriharel/deej?
This TopGit page is a snapshot — the READ ME tab shows the project's own README content (links stripped, images preserved). The GitHub repository at github.com/omriharel/deej is the definitive source.
Read full README in the tab above.
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