Introducing D.E.A.G.L.E. (Digital Electronic Audio Generation and Live Enhancement), a MIDI mixer tailored for live performances with Rekordbox. Constructed from laser-cut acrylic, it boasts two custom PCBs secured by brass standoffs and M3 screws. Featuring nine mappable arcade buttons, a potentiometer for turntable-like control, and sixteen NeoPixels for dynamic visuals—animating during startup and dynamically changing color to reflect the current state selected by the MIX button—D.E.A.G.L.E. merges advanced technology with elegant design. Perfect for modern musicians seeking seamless and electrifying performances.

Below are some final shots of D.E.A.G.L.E. from different angles to highlight individual design aspects.

The process began with designing the case using makercase.com and importing the file into Inkscape so the proper measurements for the arcade buttons and potentiometer could be used to add cutouts. These designs were then exported as a .dxf file a laser-cut.

After this, the sticker design was created using the top acrylic outline to clip a uniform shape out of a design gathered from vecteezy.com that was then printed using sublimation ink. This design was then heat pressed onto a sticker sheet and cutout using an x-acto blade.

Next, the PCB was designed in EasyEDA by first creating a schematic and then placing the components and traces in their respective places. The boards were shipped and took a week to arrive for assembly.

Once the boards arrived, solder paste was applied to them and the components were placed n the correct spots according to the schematic before being placed in a reflow oven for 3-4 minutes. The buttons and potentiometer were hand soldered after the boards had time to cool down. The finished boards were then mounted into the acrylic frame using M3 screws and brass standoffs.

Closing out the hardware portion of the build, a turntable was signed in Fusion360 and exported as a .dxf file to be laser-cut and was attached to the potentiometer using CA glue and accelerant. then the backing was closed and the base code was uploaded using the Arduino IDE.

After finishing the hardware setup, I started coding a startup animation for the MIDI device and programmed color variations for each mode of the MIX button. Simultaneously, I finalized my set list on Rekordbox, practiced my performance routine, and developed a visual display using Processing that responded to sound on a NeoPixel matrix. Lastly, I designed a DJ logo on Canva to complete my branding.

Here is a 3D model of the custom PCB designed for housing the ESP32 and arcade buttons. 

Below is a video of D.E.A.G.L.E. in action.

After finishing the project, I had the pleasure of performing a set list at RaveBerry using D.E.A.G.L.E during a live performance. Below are pictures and videos of the event.