forget the 'ultimate DJ controller' and make your own

zevieee · Post by **zevieee** » Sat May 20, 2006 1:34 am

I just wanted to put out word of encouragement to anyone grappling with the midi controller issue that has been considering making one...

My partner and I finished our midi controller a few months back, we went through 6 controllers before giving up and making one. It was very, very easy, and took a total of 3 days to make. We've been using it problem free for months now! Needless to say IT'S PERFECT!

We generally use 3 channels and sorely missed those nice Vestax toggles...

and we're always playing the dark, so we got LED tipped toggles...

cardboard prototype

Here's exactly how the Wolf + Lamb controller was born:

- Purchased a UC-33
- Got fed up with the crappinness of it
- Ordered the doepfer kit
- Ordered the parts and a bare project case
- Made a prototype out of cardboard
- Set it all up in the cardboard mold
- Went to a friends machine shop and milled the holes using the prototype as a template
- Screwed it all together
- Mapped it into a new ableton template
- it worked!

More info here...
http://www.zevie.com/?loadmeup=inst_light.asp

and if you need any help along the way, feel free to ask!

thx1138 · Post by **thx1138** » Sat May 20, 2006 2:01 am

Cool, looks like something out of the et of Barbarella (semi naked/mid 30 year old Jane Fonda not included sadly)

nuperspective · Post by **nuperspective** » Sat May 20, 2006 3:34 am

looks good. i have looked at the deopfer web site and the pocket kit supports 16 switches etc how do you take it further if you want 32 switches - what mod do you need?

klarky · Post by **klarky** » Sat May 20, 2006 3:04 pm

daisy chain a second unit by the midi thru. im seriously looking at the 64 kit now, is this just a case of big boy lego? you do you attach components to those pins? id imagine its a case of soldering components to a particular connector ir it?

leisuremuffin · Post by **leisuremuffin** » Sat May 20, 2006 3:10 pm

yeah man, i really like the controller.

However, by the looks of the pics, you need to get Gadi on some super-weight gain 5000 and a regimen of arm workouts.

hearts and livers
.lm.

r0an · Post by **r0an** » Sat May 20, 2006 3:12 pm

looks like its plug n play lol

quite interested myself if it aint rocket science

klarky · Post by **klarky** » Sat May 20, 2006 3:46 pm

yeah thats what im thinking, may just get that small kit and play with it first, i believe the kit comes with the 2 ten pin wires and the button/led, so basically all you see in the pic bar the actual controls.

Lo-Fi Massahkah · Post by **Lo-Fi Massahkah** » Sat May 20, 2006 6:43 pm

Nice box and cool knobs and switches!

Machinate · Post by **Machinate** » Sat May 20, 2006 8:27 pm

very nice assembly. However I'd also like to recommend a different product that offers the same ease of assembly, at a slightly different price point:

MidiBoutique offer this:
http://www.largonet.net/midiboutique/pr ... mdbc24.htm
-which has 24 inputs at 90€ (10 more euro) for 8 more ins.
and this:
http://www.largonet.net/midiboutique/pr ... e32064.htm
-for bigger controllers: 160 euros allow connection of up to 320 buttons and 64 pots.

A.

zevieee · Post by **zevieee** » Tue May 23, 2006 3:08 am

looks good. i have looked at the deopfer web site and the pocket kit supports 16 switches etc how do you take it further if you want 32 switches - what mod do you need?

Actually, I cheated a little, the kills are part of the EQ high, mid and low chain, so effectivly, by killing

the kills you're turning the same channel as the pots down to 0 and by turning them on, it will resume at what ever value you had the pots set at last.

It's really very easy to figure out!

I also went to Radio shack and got a rechargeable mini airplane power pack so it doesn't need power or eat up batteries: that's probobly one of the biggest drawbacks to the doepfer [that it needs power].

However, by the looks of the pics, you need to get Gadi on some super-weight gain 5000 and a regimen of arm workouts.

Thanks muff.

zevieee · Post by **zevieee** » Tue May 23, 2006 3:12 am

very nice assembly. However I'd also like to recommend a different product that offers the same ease of assembly, at a slightly different price point:

MidiBoutique offer this:
http://www.largonet.net/midiboutique/pr ... mdbc24.htm
-which has 24 inputs at 90€ (10 more euro) for 8 more ins.
and this:
http://www.largonet.net/midiboutique/pr ... e32064.htm
-for bigger controllers: 160 euros allow connection of up to 320 buttons and 64 pots.

A.

Have you worked with either of these?

And love the operator patches! Thanks!

DeadlyKungFu · Post by **DeadlyKungFu** » Tue May 23, 2006 3:13 am

I want to implant those controllers into my skull.

\m/

zevieee · Post by **zevieee** » Tue May 23, 2006 3:14 am

klarky wrote:daisy chain a second unit by the midi thru. im seriously looking at the 64 kit now, is this just a case of big boy lego? you do you attach components to those pins? id imagine its a case of soldering components to a particular connector ir it?

That is correct. It's that easy...

M. Bréqs · Post by **M. Bréqs** » Tue May 23, 2006 3:46 am

Hmmm. Something to think about!!!

By the way, I went to the Doepfer site and they linked me to this.

http://www.midigun.com/midiGunchart.htm

Watch the video, then shit your pants. I did.

kabuki · Post by **kabuki** » Tue May 23, 2006 5:13 pm

Went looking for the illuminated switches. Couldn't find them, but I did find a bunch of other ones...

These are my favorites...

http://www.rjselectronics.com/cms/html/ ... _photo.php