Controlling Effects with Akai APC-40 Mk II Soft Knobs: What Goes Where?

[otalgia99]

Hey Everyone

As hinted at in the subj. header, I use an APC-40 MkII to launch clips and control sets in Live when I'm, yknow... "live."

While I find that the APC works nicely-enough for my purposes, I'm a bit puzzled by the problem of identifying which effects parameters are assigned to the soft knobs when a particular effect is selected.

I love the fact that I can adjust these on the fly, I just wish there was some kind of systematic way to know what parameter is to be found on which knob -- or even which page of knobs.

An effect with several pages-worth of adjustables can have a few that are, at any given moment, in the same or close-enough settings, so dial position alone often isn't enough to identify the one I'm looking for. I then resort to trial-and-error micro-tweeks to see if the desired parameter is responding on screen.

Especially when performing solo, that makes me feel as if I'm stalling through some critically-awkward moments as I go hunting across the galaxy for the parameter I want RIGHT... NOW.

Perhaps others of you have already been down this route and have some experience to lend?

It's been difficult for me to identify any systematic assignment going on, but to be fair all of the different effects do present a range of variety substantial enough to defy standardization.

I guess I could boil it down to a few common elements and count myself lucky to have that much (e.g. On All Reverbs, DRY/WET Is Always On Page Three Lower Bank Second From Right, or Compressor Threshold Is Always This One...)

...but does it even work that way?

Yours In Tweek,
O99

[Tarekith]

I don’t think there’s much that ties the different effect mappings together. Your best bet since this is for live use is to rack your effects and make those assignments manually to the macro knobs. Then you can set them up to always have the same controls on the knobs you want.

[otalgia99]

Hello, and thank you!

Yes, I think I am finding that the Macros are indeed the foolproof route.

Occasionally I find myself wishing that an additional bank of macros could be added just like effects -- by simply dragging another group of 8 into a rack. But I suppose one could always obtain another bank of macros by installing a secondary child rack within the parent rack.

However when that urge strikes, perhaps instead I should be asking myself: "Have I Gone.... Too Far?"

With best regards,
O99

[Mark Williams]

Live 11 allows upto 16 macros in a rack

[otalgia99]

Thanks for the information! That's fascinating -- and welcome -- news. I think that even I could be satisfied with that much control!

I'd like to get 11 but I'm hung up on L-10-S because the operating system on my production workstation is too old to accommodate the update and I want to maintain parity between it and my performance laptop.

Doesn't stop me from dreaming, tho...

Best regards,
O99