What is wrong with the controllers - build yours

Discuss music production with Ableton Live.
IP
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Location: Greece

What is wrong with the controllers - build yours

Post by IP » Mon Jan 26, 2009 10:31 pm

(Subject changed)

Sorry if a similar topic is already exist ...

Too many controllers out there and none is offering quality to all the parts.
Some have good keys, some good pots some good sliders.

How you would build yours?

my dream all in one controller:

12 padkontrol's pads (4-4-4)
8 MPK49's faders
16 BCR2000 pots (with the lights)
Edirol's keys
Edirol's crossfader
Novation's automap
Last edited by IP on Tue Jan 27, 2009 7:44 am, edited 3 times in total.

Tone Deft
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Post by Tone Deft » Mon Jan 26, 2009 10:38 pm

some sort of extension to my arms, perhaps with 8 standard extensions, 4 on each arm, like bendable sticks, tiny legs if you will (without feet of course), then maybe another one of to the side that would allow me to grasp objects and pick them up.

that would be awesome, I could turn any surface into a control surface.
In my life
Why do I smile
At people who I'd much rather kick in the eye?
-Moz

IP
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Location: Greece

Post by IP » Tue Jan 27, 2009 7:36 am

come on, seriously ...

there are 1000 controllers out there.

Most care for features and ignoring quality ...

Take and major's, Akai MPK49 and novation sl as an example

Im happy with what they offer but if the quality is maximum medium then why i should be happy?

I have an edirol which has keys second to none!
I wanted to buy an akai mpk49 but after having a small demo im not satisfied at all especially with keys

So im thinking to buy a bcr2000 and a padkontrol and keep my edirol for the keys.
Then ill need only some good faders ;p

Many controllers man.

chrysalis33rpm
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Post by chrysalis33rpm » Tue Jan 27, 2009 9:01 am

The thing is, where to get decent faders? Everything else can be bought separately- but where are the faders?

2ndSoul
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Post by 2ndSoul » Tue Jan 27, 2009 9:25 am

128 Pads Padkontrol style with feedbackligtening like the APC40.

16 Channels with Motorfaders, 1 each Channels (of course) and 5 Rotary's per Channel with Led's Like the Behringer.
Mute/Solo/Rec per channel.

Master Channel with Motorfader & Cuerotary.

Extra Section with 8 Fields, 3 Buttons/3 Rotary per Field.

Joystick for Navigation.

Transport Section.

16 Extra Drumpads and a full-wighted 3 Octave Keyboard.

Delivered in a 60 x 120 Transportcase.

Power via USB (ROFL) & Price less than € 2000,--

8)
MacBook Pro 2,16 GHZ, Live 7 Suite, SonicCharge Microtonic & Synplant, M-Audio Fast Track Pro, ESI- Near05, AKG 271, Novation Remote SL 25 Compact, AKAI MPD32 (hopefully soon AKAI APC40 & Live 8)

2ndSoul
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Post by 2ndSoul » Tue Jan 27, 2009 9:26 am

Sorry for double-posting.... :(
MacBook Pro 2,16 GHZ, Live 7 Suite, SonicCharge Microtonic & Synplant, M-Audio Fast Track Pro, ESI- Near05, AKG 271, Novation Remote SL 25 Compact, AKAI MPD32 (hopefully soon AKAI APC40 & Live 8)

IP
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Post by IP » Tue Jan 27, 2009 12:03 pm

man you send me to space!!!

... but something like that will never come in real life

I mean something that could be done easily :P
Last edited by IP on Sun Feb 01, 2009 3:39 pm, edited 2 times in total.

sporkles
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Post by sporkles » Tue Jan 27, 2009 12:36 pm

Rave wrote:Mind control..

My hands can then be free to grope my female fans boobies :D
Fail.

If you were just standing there, controlling Live with your thoughts, you'd be
shown off the stage and to the exit. The tweaking of knobs is what separates
the performer from the audience!

As for my dream controller, I don't know if squeezing *everything* in on
one surface is the answer. It would be kind of huge, I think. As far as having
the most important things in one spot goes, Behringer are actually pretty
close with their B-Controls (and especially the BCR, for live stuff, anyway) .
They're customisable, they have 32 presets, and plenty of
customisable buttons and knobs. I'd love it if they came with an X/Y pad as
well, but I guess that's where Korg's Nanopad comes into play :)

The APC 40 looks cool and all, but I think I'd be easily confused by the clip
grid. I totally prefer having my BCR set "partly" to Mackie emulation, so that
the 16 top buttons can be linked to specific clips, while I can have two knobs
and two buttons set to select and play clips. Also, I have a BCF which has
*motorised* faders. Nuff said.

IP
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Post by IP » Tue Jan 27, 2009 1:47 pm

How is the Nanopad compared to the padkontrol ?? ... for someone who is ok with 12 pads instead of 16 and for someone who dont care about the pad size (me ) :D

Is the velocity sensitive thing and X/Y pads like the padkontrol's?

snap
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Post by snap » Tue Jan 27, 2009 1:48 pm


2ndSoul
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Post by 2ndSoul » Tue Jan 27, 2009 2:01 pm

IP wrote:man you send me to space!!!

... but is something like that will never come in real life

I mean something that could be done easily :P

Hm,... it depends on the costs, i thing € 3000 or 4000 is realistic for this. More or less an extended version of an APC40.

If i see the big mixing consoles what some artists are carrying around to their gig's (for example Tim Exile or Christian Vogl) i thing the size I thought 'bout is not so unrealistic.
MacBook Pro 2,16 GHZ, Live 7 Suite, SonicCharge Microtonic & Synplant, M-Audio Fast Track Pro, ESI- Near05, AKG 271, Novation Remote SL 25 Compact, AKAI MPD32 (hopefully soon AKAI APC40 & Live 8)

julienb
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Re: What is wrong with the controllers - build yours

Post by julienb » Tue Jan 27, 2009 2:21 pm

IP wrote:(Subject changed)

Sorry if a similar topic is already exist ...

Too many controllers out there and none is offering quality to all the parts.
Some have good keys, some good pots some good sliders.

How you would build yours?

my dream all in one controller:

12 padkontrol's pads (4-4-4)
8 MPK49's faders
16 BCR2000 pots (with the lights)
Edirol's keys
Edirol's crossfader
Novation's automap
midibox.org
Julien Bayle
____________________________________________________________________________________________________

art + teaching/consulting
ableton certified trainer
____________________________________________________________________________________________________

dphouse84
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Joined: Fri Jul 29, 2005 7:21 pm
Location: Music City USA - Nashville, TN

Re: What is wrong with the controllers - build yours

Post by dphouse84 » Tue Jan 27, 2009 2:31 pm

julienb wrote:
IP wrote:(Subject changed)

Sorry if a similar topic is already exist ...

Too many controllers out there and none is offering quality to all the parts.
Some have good keys, some good pots some good sliders.

How you would build yours?

my dream all in one controller:

12 padkontrol's pads (4-4-4)
8 MPK49's faders
16 BCR2000 pots (with the lights)
Edirol's keys
Edirol's crossfader
Novation's automap
midibox.org
yep, that's the way to go!
Stuff I actually use.
sound card, speakers, mic, MBP, Mighty Mouse, Ableton, Reason, iPad, iPhone,Touchable, Rebirth, & other apps.
Pair of Technics 1200's, and a Pioneer Mixer

ton
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Re:

Post by ton » Thu Sep 03, 2009 8:49 pm

IP wrote:Most care for features and ignoring quality ...
I am also not satisfied with the features in general, they are all too low-level, non-intelligent imo.

I did not visit any music store for some time, some weeks ago I visited one again and could just see all the cheap quality of all new controllers, synthesizers, cases... very bad. Cheap, light plastic which feels like sh.t. :)

julienb
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Re: What is wrong with the controllers - build yours

Post by julienb » Thu Sep 03, 2009 9:01 pm

really, there are A LOT of opensource framework that can be followed.
there are modular, so we can take parts, change some other, drop other ...
if we really want special controller, we have all in our hands to build it


about "too low-level", for me, the way is:
- hardware (=firmware + physical controller) => only handles BASIC functions like, light a led, send value from button 0 or 1
- software => the real smart interface

I'm just waiting for max for live exactly for this second point :-)
the brain isn't in the box, but in the computer.
Julien Bayle
____________________________________________________________________________________________________

art + teaching/consulting
ableton certified trainer
____________________________________________________________________________________________________

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