Just to clarify, mapping a Pyramid smartpad to Mackie that way would not be a global thing but only a specific control track. So yeah it’s cumbersome, way more so than a dedicated play button, but possible.
Very much know the feeling - dedicated transport controls are nice … if you can use it. I’m in the same boat more or less, impatiently waiting for ages for my MidiHub to arrive (should be close now, but sigh…) to be able to map things to my liking.