APC40 design could be way better

intellijel · Post by **intellijel** » Fri Jan 16, 2009 12:15 am

Robert Henke wrote:Hi intelljel, you seem to overlook one very exciting point here: The MAX integration will allow users to access Live with far more elegane and ease than how it ever was possible via the old (inofficial) API. If you want to build your own hardware:

go ahead. the doors are wide wide open now. plus full documentation! Access to Live will become a supported feature and not a secret science...

R.

aha! cool i wasn't clear if it just integrates with official akai apc40 or if other hardware can use the same protocols/ communication methods. Obviously i will have to wait and see!

I had been working on a live controller for a long time and got frustrated working on hacked python scripts.

Also it was becoming to much of a hassle to create an appropriately sized rgb led button matrix. This is mainly due to poor button options and not being able to (easily) manufacture a button solution like on the monome.

No one seemed to get that you should space out the matrix so that the track controls are in line with it like a column!

I have still really been hoping for a simpler solution for creating rgb buttons. I even sent request to Omron for them to create rgb versions of the B3W-9 switches.... slim chances! This is why I was hoping one of the manufactures of midi controllers would see the successes of the monome along with it's pitfalls (too expensive, monochrome, no extra buttons or controls with it)

http://www.omron.com/ecb/products/sw/2/b3w-9.html

Robert Henke · Post by **Robert Henke** » Fri Jan 16, 2009 12:17 am

intellijel, have a look here ( scroll all the way down to the end ):

http://www.cycling74.com/story/2009/1/15/114420/967

R.

intellijel · Post by **intellijel** » Fri Jan 16, 2009 12:18 am

I am also curious to explore how this controller will coexist with other controllers.

what if I have two APC40's?

What if I want to use only some of the APC40's live functions and would like another controller to perform the other duties?

These are all problems that can hopefully be solved with the max interface

intellijel · Post by **intellijel** » Fri Jan 16, 2009 12:22 am

Robert Henke wrote:intellijel, have a look here ( scroll all the way down to the end ):

http://www.cycling74.com/story/2009/1/15/114420/967

R.

sweet, I will just have to be patient for now

I will definitely be buying one of the APC40 to evaluate it but I can see I will still likely build my own Monodeck thingy for live performance. Fortunately now you guys have made life pretty easy for the DIYers (which you kind of hinted on months ago!!)

cheers,
Danjel

JJarvis · Post by **JJarvis** » Fri Jan 16, 2009 1:50 am

I like this new controller, but I think I am going to go ahead and make my own midi controller to sit next to my monome. Finally it will be easier than ever to do so

Gurulogic · Post by **Gurulogic** » Fri Jan 16, 2009 2:19 am

I would have liked to see leds on the faders to mark where the current takeover point was... (unless of course they are motorized?)

Jesse · Post by **Jesse** » Fri Jan 16, 2009 3:04 am

You can have up to 6 APC40 controllers attached, each will bring up its own ring around the clips. We haven't had enough APCs to test that fully though, so that's currently an "Unsupported feature"
Best,
Jesse

Johnisfaster · Post by **Johnisfaster** » Fri Jan 16, 2009 3:39 am

everyone has to admit that it 'could have been WAY worse'

Tone Deft · Post by **Tone Deft** » Fri Jan 16, 2009 3:54 am

Johnisfaster wrote:everyone has to admit that it 'could have been WAY worse'

word.

especially after dorking around with automap for too long and the notorious 128 parameter limit.

not to mention it's editable, if you don't like it, get off yer arse and change it.

there are always going to be whiners.

carlv · Post by **carlv** » Fri Jan 16, 2009 4:59 am

anamexis wrote:
carlv wrote:My wish would be to have 'banks' like on the MPD where you have 48 virtual pads...
It does have banks.

So you can have 16 or 24 tracks or whatever number of banks??? If so May just got a lot farther away

Surreal · Post by **Surreal** » Sun Jan 18, 2009 6:54 pm

Just to confirm, will we have access to that ring feature via max for live?

i have been puling hair out trying to figure out way to emulate page down in LiveAPI and that ring is more than an answer to my desire.

Parametex · Post by **Parametex** » Sun Jan 18, 2009 7:33 pm

I think the design is all in all pretty spot on. Especially when you can just open it up wit the M4L and modify and it to become what ever you wish (make the grid play 3 color video or whatever!)

Only thing that I actually am missing are the RGB leds on the matrix. I would have personally payed 200 eur more easy for them to be included.

Also I would have probably wished it to be a bit lighter ( I assume that it weights now around 3.5 kg - thats 7.7 pounds for all you living in middle earth)

chrysalis33rpm · Post by **chrysalis33rpm** » Sun Jan 18, 2009 8:53 pm

Robert Henke wrote:Hi intelljel, you seem to overlook one very exciting point here: The MAX integration will allow users to access Live with far more elegane and ease than how it ever was possible via the old (inofficial) API. If you want to build your own hardware:

go ahead. the doors are wide wide open now. plus full documentation! Access to Live will become a supported feature and not a secret science...

R.[/quote

THAT is what I'm talking about.

You don't like this controller? Pfft, so what? Sure, I would have like some knobs on each channel. But its pretty cheap for what it does, its metal, and it has a multi color LED grid. I dont know if I'll get one or not. But I do know that I'll exploit this things protocol in whatever controllers I end up building/using/hacking.

Surreal · Post by **Surreal** » Wed Jan 21, 2009 7:50 pm

no answer on the ring?

adventurepants_ · Post by **adventurepants_** » Wed Jan 21, 2009 9:27 pm

Surreal wrote:no answer on the ring?

im pretty sure the 'ring' is going to be controlled by the secret handshake between Live and the APC, thats the impression i got from Jesse on the other thread.

Im confident one of the boffins here will reverse engineer it using MFL, to allow other devices to use it.