Ableton Forum

optimistic wrote:I'm firmly on the 'real knobs' side of the fence. Don't like the lack of feedback and the indented 'clicking' feel of encoders.

But then I have a simple set-up and never change program banks live.

Not all encoders are detened... If that's what you mean by "clicking."

maksk wrote:

Patch wrote:

maksk wrote:but you don't have the real feel of turning the knob

Are you saying that endless knobs DON'T turn and turn and turn?

I always imagined that they turned all the way around, but did not hit a stop at hard left or hard right...

what i mean is that you have to look at the screen to know how far for example your eq-knob is open/closed, how far your send is open/closed. with a 'normal' knob you can know that by looking at the midicontroller with those knobs too.

Well, one might argue that if You cannot HEAR the changes You make, it doesn't matter anyway, especially in a DJing context...

SMonk wrote: Well, one might argue that if You cannot HEAR the changes You make, it doesn't matter anyway, especially in a DJing context...

I think one of the problems is when you need to do things quickly, which is most of the time when DJ'ing, endless rotaries can be a pain.
Not all parameters are constantly displayed on screen either, considering people use rack macros on various channels.

Imagine a scenario where you are trying to raise the volume of "Deck B", but you cannot hear it, then you realise that the volume wasn't down in the first place, but that you had filtered it out previously, so you rush to the filter knob, and start filtering it in, but by the time you've done this, the vocal has started, and your mix sounds shit.

Add to this the fact that most controllers with endless rotaries allow for multiple banks, and you're entering a world of confusion if you're not careful.

yes, it is potentially a world of confusion, and endless encoders turn too slow, but I get around that with good organization and a MAX patch to make the encoders turn at the resolution I want.

encoders are more flexible if you are willing and able to do the prep work- if you want the one knob does one thing approach, go for knobs.