buttons! buttons! buttons!

glu · Post by **glu** » Sat Sep 30, 2006 1:47 pm

franknputer wrote:There's a 58-key version for $149, which fits your sub-$200 budget -

Booom CHuakakaka

thanks!

Machinate · Post by **Machinate** » Sat Sep 30, 2006 2:26 pm

hambone1 has been harping on about the x-keys forever - looks like one of the best ready-made solutions out there at the moment.

glu · Post by **glu** » Sat Sep 30, 2006 4:10 pm

so, with x-keys, does it come with a key translater as well..

so for instance, i can program one key to split a clip, or one key to paste time, etc, etc...

dm_hawk · Post by **dm_hawk** » Sat Sep 30, 2006 4:49 pm

franknputer wrote:Yeah, I posted a link to the x-keys in another thread. It was recommended to me by a radio automation company. There's a 58-key version for $149, which fits your sub-$200 budget - also, the keycaps are removable, so you can insert any labels you want, and change them later.

the x-keys or the dx-1 seem closest to what I'm looking for, especially with the x-keys' removable keycaps.

imagine something with a button layout like the center section of this:

http://www.genoqs.net/15010/index.html

[that's a 10x16 grid

] ...but cheap and plastic with no leds

i'll stick with the lappy keys for now.

thanks for the recommendations, though.

Michael Hatsis · Post by **Michael Hatsis** » Sat Sep 30, 2006 5:24 pm

Just got one of these. Really happy with it. the New drivers/software let you program each key. got it for 35$ so i think its a steal compare to the xkeys. also, its a little moe visual ccompared to the xkeys. The only downside i can see is that you have to have the program running while you have live running- they seem to get along very well together so far

glu · Post by **glu** » Sat Sep 30, 2006 11:03 pm

that's pretty nifty. That could work for some things...

What I like about the xkeys, is the layout. it reflects live a little better, and the labels would be handy.

I just might get that 58 key version...

glu · Post by **glu** » Sun Oct 01, 2006 5:42 pm

dm_hawk wrote:
i remember hambone1 talking about a similar setup... i'll do it as a last resort, but it would be great to find some cheap plastic keyboard-thingy with 5 vertical columns of 15 tiny rubber buttons. for instance... my tv remote has 3 columns of 11 buttons, and it's 7" long.

Hambone1, do you have one of these?

Anybody actually use one with live?

Please share your experiences...

hambone1 · Post by **hambone1** » Sun Oct 01, 2006 6:46 pm

I don't. I bought a Faderfox LX2 instead. I wanted MIDI rather than ASCII, and something compact. I can't remember what 147 buttons on the Faderfox do, tho!

I'm holding out for a Lemur. I want multiple pages of buttons with labels for audio, video, lighting, cameras, etc.

Just a few more parties...

glu · Post by **glu** » Sun Oct 01, 2006 7:30 pm

hambone1 wrote:I don't. I bought a Faderfox LX2 instead. I wanted MIDI rather than ASCII, and something compact. I can't remember what 147 buttons on the Faderfox do, tho!

Yeah, the facer fox looks decent, but I think I would get lost with what buttons did what as well. The xkeys seems perfect for shortcuts, labels, but i have to ask, what is the downside of it not being MIDI?

hambone1 · Post by **hambone1** » Sun Oct 01, 2006 7:33 pm

If you're using ASCII mappings, the 'focus' has to be on Live for the mappings to work.

MIDI mappings will work irregardless of where the focus is.

dm_hawk · Post by **dm_hawk** » Sun Oct 01, 2006 7:55 pm

isn't there a little something that can convert ASCII to midi?
...or at least convert the x-keys' data to midi through some means?

glu · Post by **glu** » Sun Oct 01, 2006 11:19 pm

hambone1 wrote:If you're using ASCII mappings, the 'focus' has to be on Live for the mappings to work.

MIDI mappings will work irregardless of where the focus is.

Cool. I would just use it for simple multi-key commands in Live such as cut or paste time, copy track, render, consolidate, etc etc...

I think it works for mouse clicks as well, no?

glu · Post by **glu** » Sun Oct 01, 2006 11:20 pm

dm_hawk wrote:isn't there a little something that can convert ASCII to midi?
...or at least convert the x-keys' data to midi through some means?

never tried this but here's a link or two
http://www.midiox.com/
http://www.archduke.org/midi/index.html

tbone_us · Post by **tbone_us** » Wed Nov 08, 2006 8:35 am

dm_hawk wrote:isn't there a little something that can convert ASCII to midi?
...or at least convert the x-keys' data to midi through some means?

If you are handy with elecetronics there is an option.

Check out avrfreaks dot net in the projects section a guy gave a schematic and code for the avr microcontroller to convert ps/2 (keyboard) to midi notes. The link is down at the moment but I will post again tommorow. The code is easly converted to send cc (mapped in the inbuilt eeprom).

The microcontroler (from digikey) is around $2, small components $4 result pricless!

I did use the circuit to controll live from a standard keyboard but wanted the keys to line up (like a grid). Recently found point of sale keyboards on ebay for around $30 that send ps/2 (and are programmable). see http://www.preh-keytec.com/rw_nlmm/main ... PageID=428
for the manufactures website (128 keys)

University is a bit crazy at the moment but next session I will be putting one of these together. So 16x8 pads for around $50.

Update:
The article at AVRFreaks is called "PS2 keyboard to MIDI for Tiny13"

Somthing cheap like this as the actual keyboard would work, although you would need to create some simple hardware to decode the signals and replace the numbered keys with more blank ones. Nothing special as the keyboard works the same way a normal computer keyboard works.

@ $5 a pop just might be worth it!!

Michael-SW · Post by **Michael-SW** » Wed Nov 08, 2006 11:43 am

This one would work fine instead of the X-keys:

http://www.preh-keytec.com/rw_nlmm/main ... PageID=578