Chapters
  1. 1 Using this manual
  2. 2 Getting started
  3. 3 Differences from Maschine
  4. 4 The Maschine MK3
  5. 5 The Launchpad Pro MK3
  6. 6 Modulation
  7. 7 Expressive recording
  8. 8 Multi-output plug-ins
  9. 9 DECKARD's own synths
  10. 10 Controlling modular synths
  11. 11 Themes and controller scripts

DECKARDManual

11. Themes and controller scripts

Restyle the MK3's screens with a theme, and change what any button or page does with DECKARD's controller scripts.

Themes for the MK3’s screens

DECKARD draws the MK3’s screens itself, so they can be restyled: colours, fonts and text sizes, plus an optional animated border on the chosen button. Every page uses the theme, so one file changes them all.

Choose one in Preferences ▸ Hardware ▸ Controller theme. DECKARD comes with three:

  • Maschine: the look of Maschine’s own screens.
  • Palenight: deep blue-grey with lavender text and purple and cyan accents. A new install starts with it.
  • Solarized Dark.
The LFO page on the MK3's screens in the Maschine theme.
The LFO page in the Maschine theme…
The same LFO page in the Palenight theme.
…and in Palenight.

Making your own

A theme is one small file that lists only what it changes from another theme. DECKARD reloads it each time you save, so you can tweak it with the MK3 in front of you. THEMING.md in DECKARD’s repository shows how, step by step.

DECKARD’s own window can’t be themed yet.

Controller scripts

Every button, pad, knob, light and screen on the MK3, and the Launchpad Pro’s session grid, is run by a Lua script that you can replace. Controller ▸ Open Controller Scripts Folder opens your scripts folder. Its defaults folder holds DECKARD’s own scripts.

  1. Copy a script from defaults to the same place in your folder. For the Control page, copy defaults/pages/control.lua to pages/control.lua.
  2. Edit your copy. DECKARD reloads it when you save.
  3. To go back to DECKARD’s version, delete your copy.

docs/controller-api.md in DECKARD’s repository describes what a script can do.