Can you get a device that has knobs and faders on it as well as possibly mod wheel and pitch bend all in one small single box?

basically a midi controller unit where you can assign it to control 1-16 of the midi channels in a sequence.

An example of putting it to use would be connecting it via Midi- IN to an arranger keyboard and using it as a realtime control unit for cutoff, harmonics, reverb, chorus, eq, mod, pitch bend etc. and you have the ability to switch which midi channel it is targeting...

does such a device exist?

Nick

Hi Nick,

Peavy used to make a device similar to what you are looking for, but this was made way back in 1996 or so.

It's called the PC-1600.

You may find one on ebay or tucked away on a back shelf in a music store.

Info: http://www.sonicstate.com/synth/peavey_pc1600/

Ian

Hi Nick,
yes there are,
Behringer: http://www.behringer.com/EN/Products/BCR2000.aspx
M-Audio: http://www.m-audio.com/products/en_us/ProjectMixIO.html

Also the M-Audio Evolution UC33e. One on Ebay now: http://cgi.ebay.com.au/M-Audio-Evolution...#ht_1354wt_1139

Akai: http://www.akaipro.com/mpd24 plsue they make different models eg MPD 32 MPD16 etc

Thats just a few, there are still more. Best place, especially for older discontinued models is on Ebay, Instruments, Midi Controllers...
Hope that helps a bit. I'm sure other Zoners will ahve different brands and models they can suggest but there are quite a few.

Cheers
Dennis

[This message has been edited by miden (edited 12-07-2010).]

Oh and Nick if you want the pitch and mod wheels, you would probably have to go for a small keyboard controller. Although the fully featured ones can be a little expensive, the new range of products from Icon are pretty decent I hear, and are well priced.

You can get the info on them from Innovative Music. www.innovativemusic.com.au

Dennis

Also try searching for a used Yamaha MCS2 MIDI Control Station. Haven't been made for years but I see these on sale every once in a while.

This is the one I like... http://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/SLmk2zero/

VERY programmable!
No Mod or pitch...you may have to get the 25 note one for that.
Lee S.

[This message has been edited by leeboy (edited 12-07-2010).]

Hi Nick

I use a kenton Control Freak 16 sliders and 16 buttons. Works well with my Pa2x. I use the onboard keyboard sliders (8) to control the mic functions, the control freak for volume of the accompaniment 8 tracks, the lower voice the 3 right hand voices and 4 pads. I picked mine up on eBay for 105.00 GBP. They appear quite often. Kenton also make a unit with 8 sliders. The initial set up is 16 volume sliders band 16 mute buttons.

Kind Regards

Colin

PS just looked on eBay under kenton control there are 3 for sale.

[This message has been edited by Saswick (edited 12-07-2010).]

Most if not all of the above, also this Behringer with sliders: http://www.behringer.com/EN/Products/BCF2000.aspx

Novation makes some very interesting controllers:
the SL MkII http://www.novationmusic.com/products/midi_controllers/sl_mkii
and the same thing without keyboard and X/Z pad, the Zero: http://www.novationmusic.com/products/midi_controllers/zero_sl_mk_ii

Novation support can help you if you ask specific questions via e-mail, I have done so and they were very helpful and straightforward.

Keep in mind that all of the above (as well as what others posted) are geared towards controlling computer based DAWs, synths etc. Verify that they can do what you want beforehand. Also make sure that the arranger or whatever you want to control with them CAN accept those kind of messages via midi coming from one of these controllers.

On the cheap side, if there is a PC available, maybe the Korg Nanocontrol can do it http://www.korg.com/product.aspx?&pd=415 (Pc is needed because this has only USB midi). you can use more than one of them if you want, for double the controllers.

edit: didn't see that Lee had already listed the Novation controllers. Anyway that makes two of us.

What exactly are you thinking of controlling? is it an arranger?

[This message has been edited by trident (edited 12-07-2010).]

Nick, realizing you've got an iPhone , and that the iPad/iPhone4 support midi, there are quite a few iPhone Midi Controller apps available for your iPhone too.

Here are just a few of the many available for download via iTunes:
http://www.macworld.com/appguide/article.html?article=135437
http://www.crimsontech.jp/eng/m16/index.html

to discover others, do a google search

Yeah good call Scott, I had forgotten about those..

Dennis

Thanks for all the replies everyone, looks like I have plenty of options after all.

I like this one: http://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/SLmk2zero/

So basically I dont want any software. its gotta be a physical device such as the above that plugs into an arranger like a PSR or a Korg PA and I can use it for a wealth realtime controls to style parts and Right1, Right2, etc etc

They all seem to be well reasonably priced too.

thanks

Don't wish to dampen your enthusiasm but "wealth realtime controls to style parts and Right1, Right2, etc etc" may prove difficult.

The midi messages you need to "remotely" control your current hardware my be quite complex, also you will only be able to control aspects of the keyboard that have been explicitly designed in by the manufacturer. Some things you can do with button presses may not actually be controllable via midi.

Also, whilst it is easy enough to specify a fixed set of SysEx data to do a particular action, if you want to get sneaky (like I would like to) and embed a variable control value inside a piece of specific sysex data (in my case Yamaha MU80 parameter changes) you may find that this is not possible.

I hope this makes some sense and wish you success in finding what you are looking for!

Don't wish to dampen your enthusiasm but "wealth realtime controls to style parts and Right1, Right2, etc etc" may prove difficult.

The midi messages you need to "remotely" control your current hardware my be quite complex, also you will only be able to control aspects of the keyboard that have been explicitly designed in by the manufacturer. Some things you can do with button presses may not actually be controllable via midi.

Also, whilst it is easy enough to specify a fixed set of SysEx data to do a particular action, if you want to get sneaky (like I would like to) and embed a variable control value inside a piece of specific sysex data (in my case Yamaha MU80 parameter changes) you may find that this is not possible.

I hope this makes some sense and wish you success in finding what you are looking for!

Nick, as Mac and I said above, check:

1) whether the parameters/functions you want to control can be controlled externally

if yes
2) if the SL Zero can actually be programmed to send those kind of messages

3) always have a computer at the ready to program the thing using the Automap software

4) you will need a separate 9v adaptor to run the SL standalone.

Also, check out this controller: http://www.thomann.de/gr/cme_bitstream_3x.htm it is older than the others, may have older drivers or reduced compatibility with win vista or win 7, but it has a ribbon controller.

Nah, it's not difficult at all. With all due respect
I have used all of the arrangers and its pretty much the same on all. All the parts have a specific midi channel, so will respond to any midi messages on that channel. All the controllers send the entire list of CC numbers on whatever channel the user designates. And the latest controllers also use the CC's for GM 2.

As for the button pushes on the actual keyboard, they all link back to either sending a CC internally to the sound generator, or a Sysex message.

If Midi-Ox is used and the keyboard transmits to a PC, all these Sysex commands can be seen. They can then be copied into a sequencer, embedded into a smf, to mimic the keypress action, but "behind the scenes" as it were.

It's not as difficult as some people think. MIDI is not an arcane science, pretty much logic and common-sense.

Don't curb your enthusiasm Nick, go for it. That is the way we all learn.

As we have discussed privately, you can see what can be achieved with the Korg OS, add a controller and you will only be limited by your imagination

Dennis

If the job can be done using the generic bits of the midi specification such as continuous controllers then I'd agree it should be easy, and the controllers out there will be OK.

However, for me this isn't enough. Here's why.

I have a Yamaha MU80 module which has some really usable sounds and a very flexible performance mode. I would be overjoyed if one of the hardware controllers out there could send real-time variable performance setting sys-ex to my Yamaha MU80. This is not done via CC messages but via Yamaha paraneter change SysEx with the variable controller value embedded in the SysEx. So far nothing I've found can do this.

I appreciate this is quite a specific issue but to control any complicated piece of equipment neccesarily requires complex control codes, and these may be outside the scope of the hardware that's out there.

Maybe I've been a bit over depressing but I don't want our friend to go out there and spend hard earned cash on something that doesn't do the job!

Sorry about the doublew post, I wasn't meaning to shout!

pity about the spelling....

THe controller I recommeded can in fact send Sysyex messages....
http://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/SLmk2zero/

I have the previous model and it can do it too...had i for 3 years.

Lee S.

The Behringer FCB 1010 alllows exactly that. The programming and storage of Sysex messages....

, the only problem is it's a footpedal. Pretty hard to sit it on the keyboard

But I do hear what you are saying...

I have to praise the manufacturers over recent years, in that they are assigning more and more of the controls to CC commands rather than Sysex. Of course GM2 with its much wider range of defined controls also made it easier.

GM 3, will be even better, if it ever sees the light of day!!

Dennis



[This message has been edited by miden (edited 12-08-2010).]

I think that for the sheer number of such devices in the market now we have to thank the computer based DAWs, soft-synths, DJ type programs and so on. After all, anything computer based lacks the "control surface" that exists in every keyboard out there. So they built control surfaces.