🧬Biotron Advanced — MIDI CC and SysEx
Deep MIDI mapping for Biotron — CC, SysEx, per-channel routing.
Parent page: Biotron — your plant as a MIDI instrument. Start there if you have not done the first-time setup.
🛠️ For musicians and developers. The web settings panel at settings.playtronica.com is the entry level. MIDI CC and SysEx turn Biotron into a fully programmable instrument with real-time control, preset management, and deep firmware access.
⚠️ Handle only the parts shown in this guide. Touch the leaf-pad cables, the light sensor face, and the USB-C connector. Do not touch the solder joints, the exposed chips, or the underside of the PCB — even when the device is unplugged. Biotron is durable, but those areas can be damaged permanently.
Why use MIDI CC?
A MIDI controller with knobs and faders turns Biotron into a physical, expressive instrument. Instead of clicking in a web app, you move several parameters at once and shape the plant's behaviour as you perform. MIDI CC works with DAWs, hardware controllers, foot pedals, and sequencers.
| Tool | Best for | When to use |
|---|---|---|
| Web settings panel | Configuration before a session | Set a baseline scale, sensitivity, and channel routing |
| MIDI CC | Real-time performance | Move knobs and faders while the plant plays |
Performance workflows
Music engine — map knobs to musical parameters
- Scale and key — shift mood and harmony live.
- Note length — short for percussive, long for droning textures.
- Probability — from sparse to busy note density.
- Velocity — from quiet to intense dynamics.
Turning these knobs while the plant plays is conducting the plant. The music shifts under your hands.
Sensor shaping — map faders to sensor logic
- Sensitivity — low: only deliberate touches trigger notes. High: micro-movements become music.
- Threshold — how much change is required to trigger a note.
- Smoothing — more smoothing produces slow, meditative shifts. Less smoothing produces fast, glitchy detail.
You are shaping the interpretation of the plant's biological signals in real time.
DAW automation — automate Biotron from your timeline
In Ableton, Bitwig, or Logic, automate every parameter from automation lanes:
- Automate Scale for harmonic transitions across a track.
- Automate Probability for build-ups and drops.
- Automate Note Length for texture evolution.
- Automate Velocity to mix Biotron in and out of the arrangement.
Biotron becomes a MIDI-generating module driven by your timeline.
Installations — adapt to the room over time
For galleries, museums, and interactive spaces:
- Lower Sensitivity during busy hours to ignore crowd interference.
- Raise Probability at night for generative ambience.
- Change Scale through the day for mood shifts.
- Load specific presets with SysEx at scheduled times.
Biotron adapts to the environment without anyone touching the device.
CC parameter map
| CC number | Parameter | Effect |
|---|---|---|
| 20 | Scale / Key | Changes the musical scale and harmonic mode |
| 21 | Note Length | Short (percussive) to long (droning) |
| 22 | Probability | Note density and trigger chance |
| 23 | Velocity | Output intensity |
| 24 | Sensitivity | Sensor reactivity |
| 25 | Threshold | Minimum change required to trigger a note |
| 26 | Smoothing | More stable to more jittery |
| 27 | Channel Mode | Plant and light channel options |
| 28 | Note Range | Octave and pitch range |
Full firmware reference: github.com/Playtronica/biotron-firmware.
SysEx — the deep configuration layer
SysEx (System Exclusive) is Biotron's device-specific command language. CC controls performance. SysEx controls structure — saving and loading presets, remote control in installations, developer access, and firmware operations.
Message format: F0 7D [command] [data] F7. Full specification in the firmware source: SysexService.cpp.
SysEx command reference
| Command | Function | Use case |
|---|---|---|
0x01 |
Request device info | Diagnostics, firmware version check |
0x02 |
Dump settings | Save current configuration as a preset or backup |
0x03 |
Load settings | Load a saved preset |
0x04 |
Factory reset | Reset configuration to defaults |
0x05 |
Firmware update handshake | Prepare the WebMIDI updater |
0x06 |
Enter bootloader | Manual UF2 flashing |
CC compared to SysEx
| MIDI CC | SysEx | |
|---|---|---|
| Purpose | Performance control | Structural control |
| Signal type | Continuous | Discrete |
| Typical use | Knobs and faders | Preset and device state |
| Audience | Musicians | Power users and developers |
Example — plant profiles via SysEx
Create several configurations for different contexts — "Calm Ambient", "High Energy", "Kids Mode", "Night Ambience" — and switch between them instantly with a SysEx load command. For installations, schedule auto-resets and preset loads at specific times so Biotron adapts through the day without manual control.
Ask the community
🤝 Other Playtronica users have probably hit this before. The Playtronica Friends Facebook group has 4,400 members and is the fastest source of creative and technical help. Search the group's history first (use the magnifying glass at the top — try
playtron mobile no sound,all leds lit,touchme biotron no sound,koala sampler midi, or whatever fits your problem). If your question is not already answered, post a new one with a[Device]prefix in the title. See the community page for what to ask there and what to email instead.
Still stuck
Email support@playtronica.com with the subject Biotron Advanced #[order number]. For firmware-level questions, the source is open on GitHub: Playtronica/biotron-firmware.