Control Surfaces?
Submitted By: j. rogers
Hey. After posting about that production/performance tools list it occurred to me that I really need a new control surface (hence me NOT RECCOMENDING the CME bitstream). The knobs and faders have way too much resistance for performance, though they would be quite nice for a mixdown. Worst of all, it has this strange habit of unmapping its midi assignments every so often.
What does everyone else use? Any recomendations?
My boy Kush Arora rocks the Evolution ucb33. Been eyeing that one lately...
Yeah I've heard good things about that Evolution unit. They make a good controller with keys, pads, and knobs as well.
novation remote zero sl
i use that to control ableton and works wery well
myspace.com/zarazarecords
i use a doepfer pocket dial and an evolution x session. novation is going to give me one of there new nocturns, so i'll let people know how well it works.
http://www.novationmusic.com/news/nocturn_compact_intelligent_plugin_con...
auralism records / lil brthr
novation remote sl 25 & Doepfer Pocket Dial
wicked wicked.. but not enough controlz.
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http://kirkwoodwest.com
build it... although the rats nest of wires and exposed components on my desk isnt that portable at the moment eek
mmm... i am looking forward to building my own later this year.
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http://kirkwoodwest.com
i use the aforementioned evolution controller, the uc33e. its pretty good, but i wish there were buttons for every "channel strip." all of the buttons are positioned on the bottom righthand corner of the unit, and i think it would be great to have additional buttons on the individual strips to act as mute/unmute buttons. however, i love that it is lightweight, sturdy, its definitely something you can bang up a bit as you take it around to gigs. one downside to it is the knobs are all black, making it hard to see where they are positioned in dark clubs.
i've been eyeing the novation remote zero SL lately. i like that you can custom label your controls and they're backlit, i think there are enough faders and knobs, and it looks relatively portable. i haven't seen one in person though so i have no idea how heavy it is (always something to consider!)
www.monocle-music.com
www.myspace.com/monoclemusik
As for the Evolution, I also wish it had at least 4 knobs per channel strip (for send + EQs). It's amazing how much manufacturers tend to miss the mark. If you want to sell a million units:
Give me 8 channels
Put AT LEAST 4 knobs on each channel
Put a button on each channel
SOLD!!
(but the UC33e is cool. Happy with it..)
DJ-Producer-Promoter
myspace.com/DJjrogers
jrogers.net
Try this one out. Super cheap.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nD9qub4fJWo
Sean Knight
www.blipswitch.net
sean@blipswitch.net
I also use the UC-33e, and to surmount the problem of not having enough/functional buttons, I have supplemented it with a Nostromo n52 speedpad (http://tinyurl.com/5esauh). Although it's actually intended for video games and has a stupid name, it's a cheap (~$30) source of lots buttons. I think these sorts of things are pretty good alternatives to lots of the overpriced, legitimate MIDI controllers, as the n52 essentially has 56 buttons, is very cheap, and can be trivially configured with software.
Haha. I'm going to see if I can get my Wacom Tablet to work as a MIDI controller.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hTH-V309q7c
Sean Knight
www.blipswitch.net
sean@blipswitch.net
wacom tablets are pretty cool controllers as they have xy, pressure and tilt. great for parameters but tablets are also great for doing studio work, like drawing automation, or I found melodyne particularly fun with a tablet for example...
i must admit though it's been sitting in its box for a while now (i'm not a graphic designer, only bought it for music purposes). that's how it goes with some of these things. i just got a space navigator for similar purposes but haven't hooked it into anything just yet (you really need time set aside for experimenting with different software/hardware)
i'm with everyone else as far as the uc33 goes - more knobs and added buttons please! it's so close. so is the bitstream. so is the remote SL. but none have hit it spot on just yet. DIY my friends! DIY!
http://www.monocle-music.com/
http://www.myspace.com/monoclemusik
http://www.myspace.com/coupler300
The problem with DIY is you can end up with a really bulky controller by the end of it, unless you're working with a really huge budget or happen to be an electrical engineering/design whiz. I was going to build a DIY MIDI controller as my final project in college using Doepfer kits, but after planning the configuration and controls I'd want, then figuring out the budget it would've required, I was looking at approximately $600+. It was also most likely going to end up being pretty large and impractical to travel around with. I have a seriously hard time justifying spending that much money on something that doesn't produce any sound, even if it is my ultimate performance device. That goes on my "someday" list. For now I'd rather buy more synths with that kind of skrilla...
www.monocle-music.com
www.myspace.com/monoclemusik
've played around with the Arduino board a little bit and I'm sure that that could be used to build a controller. There are plenty of guides online to help you if you need direction. Dan Sullivan has a great book on physical computing.
Sean Knight
www.blipswitch.net
sean@blipswitch.net