I'm wondering if anyone has any experience (as I'm about to gain some and would like to avopid pitfalls) using MIDI Faders/Controllers live.

I'm talking about products like:
JL Cooper FadeMaster
Peavey PC100x
Kenton Control Freak
Behringer BCF2000
Tascam US428
Lexicon MRC
Evolution UC33.

Products that are really marketed nowadays for controlling DAWs, and soft synths, but because of their various progamability and MIDI sending capabilities, these could all be used to control racks of sound modules live.

I have, what I call a "dumb" keyboard. It's an old Fatar Studio 90 Plus. It can send on 3 channels at once for splits and layers and only has 1 mod wheel and 1 pitch bend wheel. Nothing else. I also have two sound modules; a Roland JV1080 and a Yamaha TX81Z. I do not play to use either multi-timbraly (is that a word?), but one receiving channel 1 the other recivening channel 2.

I want to use a MIDI fader/controller to send mutes, volumes changes and program changes to these two sound modules, as well as all notes and pitch bends from the keyboard. So It looks like I need one with good merge capabilities.

The way I see it, I'd run Midi out of my keyboard, to Midi In of the fader/controller. Midi out of the fader/controller to Midi in of the JV1080. Midi THRU from the JV1080 to MIDI in of the TX81Z.

Any midi message sent on channel two would be picked up by the TX81Z. Any midi message sent on channel one would be picked up by the JV1080.

In this way I could play the keyboard live, make any volume and program changes I desire from the fader/controll that would sit right on my keyboard.

This may seem like an old school style of live set up. but I can see great flexibility in this. I could always add a third synth at any time with this.

Has anyone ever used this kind of live rig before? Can anyone atest to any particular product? I understand some controllers do not merge, ie the Evolution UC-33 and therefore I would need an external merge box, but even this is not as powerful as some controllers with merge capability, because some merge function can be conditional. For example the Peavey PC1600 can merge, update or replace incoming midi messages.

I didn't read your posy word by word but I kind'o got an idea of what you're looking for.

I use the Peavey PC1600 for live gigging, it's really a great controller, it's sells used on Ebay anywhere from $150 to $250. but for what it does, it's worth every penny.

Anyway, the amount of controlling abilities of this thing is endless, and yes it has a built in Midi merger.

I hope that helped.

I won the bid on eBay for a JL Cooper FadeMaster (Not the professional model) for only 41 bucks. My main need is to control volume for 2 (later 3) rack synths. I'll set each to receive on 2 different channels and set the first two faders to the channels. Then assign volume (cc 07) to them. Should work great and very cheap. It also uses midi merge

Changing patches through it though will be limited at best. But at least my keyboard can send patch change fairly easy.

Thanks again.

Bob
<><

[This message has been edited by RW (edited 02-23-2006).]

[This message has been edited by RW (edited 02-23-2006).]