BCR2000... how do you roll yours?

hambone1 · Post by **hambone1** » Fri Jun 09, 2006 8:36 pm

Lots of us use Behringer's BCR2000. It's easy to use and program, relatively robust, and inexpensive. It would be interesting to know how everyone uses theirs. There's lots of info to be shared, and hopefully it will help someone out. We all do different things in different ways, so not everything will apply to everyone.

I'll start. Here's my live preset. (I also use a Faderfox LX-2, FCB-1010, and Yamaha DD-55 percussion controller.)

Top row: Rotary encoders push to stop Deck A main track, Deck A loops A1 & A2, Deck B main track, Deck B loops B1 & B2. Scr/Lnch knobs turns to scroll through scenes, push to launch scene.

Button A sets crossfader to 100% A Deck. 8, 16, 32, 64, and 128 are automated quantized crossfades (8 beat, 16 beat, etc). Same for B deck. A=B sets crossfader equal. RST resets all controls in Live and on BCR.

A, A1, A2, B, B1, B2 are sends. Rear row is to rear of room PA, middle row to front of room PA. P is front of room and rear of room live Impulse percussion sends. Viz is audio level that feeds a visualizer to Arkaos VJ (I do video and lighting in Live and play percussion while DJing), PM is percussion IEM volume.

VA and VB are deck volumes, FM and RM front and rear IEM percussion volumes. CV is click track volume, T tempo, and AxB crossfader.

Buttons on the right start and stop the click track, stop Live play, and reset Live.

hambone1 · Post by **hambone1** » Sun Jun 11, 2006 8:25 am

Hmmm.... guess it's just me wanting to share BCR tips and tricks...

hoffman2k · Post by **hoffman2k** » Sun Jun 11, 2006 9:04 am

What info is there to be shared really?
There are billions of combinations on how to set it up.

hambone1 · Post by **hambone1** » Sun Jun 11, 2006 9:35 am

What info is there to be shared really?

How about the billions of combinations on how to set it up?

I for one would be interested in seeing how others use theirs. It's information exchange. Pass tips, pick up tips.

Maybe it's just me...

hoffman2k · Post by **hoffman2k** » Sun Jun 11, 2006 9:40 am

Heh, i guess there are 2 ways to look at it

Personally i use it to control my softsynths. I got them all mapped out to the bcr.
So the bcr is mostly used to design and tweak sounds in my case.

peeddrroo · Post by **peeddrroo** » Sun Jun 11, 2006 11:03 am

ok, here are 2 tips:
firstly, in the behringer's software editor, i chose "no function buttons", and just 1 group for the top rotary buttons. this way, i have 8 more buttons on the right hand side. (i don't like to navigate through setup/pages when gigging).

second tip: instead of assigning some knobs to volume levels of tracks, i've set them to the threshold level of gate devices, and i have inverted the min and max values of the knobs.
this way, the knobs act as volume buttons ( the higher you set them, the lower the gate threshold gets). but it sounds different to fading in and out a track, it's more like you cut the quietest elements of each track.

hambone1 · Post by **hambone1** » Sun Jun 11, 2006 12:20 pm

I haven't been able to get the Behringer software editor to work on my Mac, so I'm just editing on the BCR.

I've looked in the manual and can't find it, but are you saying there's a way to use the Encoder Group buttons and others as normal buttons? Which 8 buttons are you referring to?

I also only use one preset. Too confusing for my pea-sized brain otherwise!

peeddrroo · Post by **peeddrroo** » Sun Jun 11, 2006 2:24 pm

the 4 buttons to choose the groups and the 4 "system" buttons can be used as regular buttons (note/CC/whatever).
you have to do that with the software editor though.

if you can't get the editor to work on a mac, maybe you can try to install it on a PC (come on, you MUST know someone who has a PC). and then do the tweaks once on a certain preset, say preset 20.
then you'll know that on preset 20, those 8 buttons will send midi data (the other presets will still enable you to use system and groups buttons).
so you don't need to use the editor software too often once you've done your settings.

hambone1 · Post by **hambone1** » Sun Jun 11, 2006 3:16 pm

Thanks!

John Sweet · Post by **John Sweet** » Sun Jun 11, 2006 5:55 pm

In my liveset I use 9 or more tracks (not counting routing tricks), but I found I only need lots of control over the 6 where I play back audio & MIDI loops (rest are live performance like Impulse & Automat). So I use vertical rows 1-6 as channel strips and then rows 7 & 8 for more generic stuff.

I tried using the relative knob modes, but they're really slow for tweaking filters & such, so I only use them for tempo, scene select, and clip/loop controls. Everything else stays absolute.

I keep the 1st group of encoders for the clip view functions like volume, transpose, start/stop etc. The others are for inserts, where the knob-push turns the insert on, then the knob controls the most significant value-usually something like a wet/dry or threshold control. I tweak each insert to match what gets played on each channel, but there's some kind of saturator, redux, modulation, and gate for each one.

My 2 buttons and 3 fixed knobs per channel are mapped to a Utility plugin (to cut bass with the "width" control) and an EQ4 set to hi-Q HP/LP filter.

I copied my preset to the 2nd slot and only changed 8 of the horizontal buttons. I mapped them to clips that switch between 8 Impulses (a la the "Tips and Tricks" list, thanks).

Hambone1--I remember you mentioned mapping yr most-used warp commands to a controller. Is that on the LX? What are the controls you're using?

DeadlyKungFu · Post by **DeadlyKungFu** » Mon Jun 12, 2006 4:42 am

hambone1 wrote:Hmmm.... guess it's just me wanting to share BCR tips and tricks...

I don't check T&T as much as I used to.

Mine's based around 8 tracks.

Starting top to bottom:
Preset 9:
Group A
Encoders: Scene select, Scene Launch, Quantise, BPM, <not used>, X-Fader, Solo Level, Master Level
Buttons: not used

Group B:
Encoders: A/B pan for 8 channels
Buttons: FX on/off for 8 channels

Group C:
Encoders: Level for 8 channels
Buttons: Solo for 8 channels

Group D;
L/R pan for 8 channels
Buttons: Track view for 8 channels

Buttons below that are
On / Off for 8 channels
Clip launch for 8 channels this is uber fun

The main buttons are EQ3 hi end, EQ3 mid, EQ3 low end for 8 channels.
The 4 buttons in the lower left are:
Loop on/off, Metronome, scene up/down (the very bottom-most 2)

Preset 10:
Group A encoder - Send A Level for 8 channels
Group B encoder - Send B Level for 8 channels
Group C and D - Sends C and D
The main encoders are set to control the FX on the sends as I please, it changes for midi and audio tracks. I had them labeled and sorted out but I prefer it wide open assignable.

Presets 1-8 are for tracks 1-8, for all of them the top of the BCR (encoders, puch encoders fna 16 buttons) are the same 'universal controls', the same as preset 9.
The bottom of presets 1-8 are all set to different CC#s I assign on a per-project basis, I just filled up midi channel assignments.

All done by hand on the BCR, cheers to the designers, this thing is so easy to edit, just have to get into a rhythm.

One of these days I want to put together an editing preset. IMO BCR > SL25 except for USB power.

cashman · Post by **cashman** » Mon Jun 12, 2006 8:25 pm

@ DkungFu - you mentioned usign more than one preset. Can MIDI channels of each preset be altered (thereby allowing more than one to be used in the same Live set)? Sorry for the stupid Q, but I'm fairly new to MIDI and haven't found anything mentioning that in the BCR literature.

--
As for my set-up, I am currently DJing on two tracks and using four others for my own bits & pieces.

Upper encoders -
GRP1 1-6 - TURN = track volumes, PUSH = track mutes/unmutes. 7 - TURN = clip select, PUSH = unused. 8 - TURN = master vol, PUSH = clip loop toggle.
GRP2 1-6 - TURN = track pan, PUSH = track monitor toggle. 7 - TURN & PUSH = unused. 8 - TURN = tempo (with min - 109bpm and max - 135bpm set for the genres I play (electronic house, minimal techno + some other stuff).
GRP3 1-6 - TURN = Track send A vol, PUSH - unused. 7 - TURN = loop popsition, PUSH = unused. 8 - TURN = loop length. PUSH = unused.
GRP4 1-6 - TURN = Track send B vol, PUSH - unused. 7 & 8 - TURN & PUSH = unused.

Buttons -
Top row - 1 - 6 = clip fire. 7 = Send A effect 1 on/ off toggle. 7 = Send B effect 1 on/ off toggle.
Top row - 1 - 4 = bass cut (of EQ3 on tracks 1-4). 5 & 6 = unused. 7 = Send A effect 2 on/ off toggle. 7 = Send B effect 2 on/ off toggle.

Lower encoders -
First three columns (top to bottom) = EQ3 high, mid & low gains.
Encoder 48 = monitor volume,
Encoder 56 = crossfader.
All other encoders in between assigned to effects parameters or unused.

Lower four buttons (49 - 52) = trying to hook these up with MidiStroke to map to keys.

Well, that was a lot to work out, but now i have done it, I realise how many free buttons/ encoders there are!

Machinate · Post by **Machinate** » Mon Jun 12, 2006 9:17 pm

cashman wrote:@ DkungFu - you mentioned usign more than one preset. Can MIDI channels of each preset be altered (thereby allowing more than one to be used in the same Live set)?

yes - I have 16 presets for 16 different midi channels - files are available at the covert operators website; downloads section.

cashman · Post by **cashman** » Mon Jun 12, 2006 9:34 pm

Machinate wrote:
cashman wrote:@ DkungFu - you mentioned usign more than one preset. Can MIDI channels of each preset be altered (thereby allowing more than one to be used in the same Live set)?
yes - I have 16 presets for 16 different midi channels - files are available at the covert operators website; downloads section.

That's very good of you (and Andreas), thanks.

DeadlyKungFu · Post by **DeadlyKungFu** » Mon Jun 12, 2006 9:35 pm

I just started at channel 16 cc#0 and filled up presets. Once I used all the CC#s on channel 16 for presets 1 and 2 I copied those presets over so I only had to change the channel, not the channel and the cc#. I hope that makes sense.

But Machinete's already done the work for you. I did the same thing except for most of my presets the top section is exactly the same channel and presets so I always have access to the same 'universal' controls.

The cool part about multiple presets is that to change presets on the BCR you hold down a preset button and twist ANY encoder and it changes instantly. It really works great.