# X/Y Controller Pad Options?



## Quasar (May 31, 2017)

I already have Embertone's Intimate Solo Strings, and one day hope to have the new Thrill, both of which benefit from being able to operate an X and a Y axis simultaneously, and I currently cannot do this.

TouchOSC is a possibility, and I do have an iPad Mini. But this means creating a wifi network for my offline DAW computer and apparently installing iTunes (yikes!). I'd prefer not to get involved with all of that.

I tried a NanoKontrol2, and while it's easy to set up in Reaper as a transport controller (which I couldn't care less about), I haven't had much luck using it in CC mode. The MIDI learn on the various VSTis doesn't seem to respond to it, even after I adjust the Korg editor, and I'm not sure why. And the little faders wouldn't be all that great for this anyway.

Would it be possible to just get a gamer's joystick thingy, plug it in USB and use some sort of a MIDI driver to convert the joystick motions into customizable CC info? Or other similar options for simple but effective X/Y control?


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## Thorsten Meyer (May 31, 2017)

I use the iPad running TouchOSC, connected through WiFi. It may work through an USB cable I never tried it.

You can also use the Leap Motion with the App call Geco MIDI to control the pad. I use TouchOSC with Thrill and would not use my NanoKontrol2 instead. The Leap Motion would be a easy to use alternative.


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## sostenuto (May 31, 2017)

Thorsten Meyer said:


> I use the iPad running TouchOSC, connected through WiFi. It may work through an USB cable I never tried it.
> 
> You can also use the Leap Motion with the App call Geco MIDI to control the pad. I use TouchOSC with Thrill and would not use my NanoKontrol2 instead. The Leap Motion would be a easy to use alternative.




Horrors !!! Hoping maybe there is some obscure solution (Thrill) with aging MS Surface tablet .....  Ain't good for much else today ____ Does have USB connection tho ....


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## Quasar (Jun 1, 2017)

Thorsten Meyer said:


> I use the iPad running TouchOSC, connected through WiFi. It may work through an USB cable I never tried it.
> 
> You can also use the Leap Motion with the App call Geco MIDI to control the pad. I use TouchOSC with Thrill and would not use my NanoKontrol2 instead. The Leap Motion would be a easy to use alternative.



Thanks. Given the cost diff (TouchOSC is only $5 from the App Store) I decided to give it a shot.

After slogging through and getting it to work in Reaper with the Embertone Strings layout templates using a local-only WiFi network created for this purpose, I was most pleasantly surprised to learn that if you enable USB for the MIDI bridge and put the iPad in Airplane Mode, it works perfectly via simple Lightning/USB cable. No wireless networking is necessary to use TouchOSC at all. YAY!

Apparently this functionality only became possible with Hexler's 1.9.8 update last September, but I'm not sure about that. I had to install 64b Java to use the TouchOSC Editor for syncing templates, and also installed iTunes on the DAW computer because it was recommended. Not sure if or why I need it, so I'll likely nuke it and see if I lose anything.

TouchOSC works great for the Embertone Solo Strings, and I'll be very interested in exploring what other cool things can be done with it now that I know it can be deployed with a minimum of fuss.


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## Thorsten Meyer (Jun 1, 2017)

TouchOSC is really good, I wondered myself after I got it why I did wait so long to get it.


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## Quasar (Jun 1, 2017)

Thorsten Meyer said:


> TouchOSC is really good, I wondered myself after I got it why I did wait so long to get it.



Yeah, I get that I am very late to the party... I'd like to find or create layouts for the KS articulations in the Albions etc., and I imagine that templates can be customized so that one is using virtually the same buttons/faders/ for the same or similar commands across a gamut of libraries, so you could get habituated to a more or less universal workflow for triggering CCs. Yes, it's really good.


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## JenG (Nov 26, 2017)

Would someone please tell me how to setup TouchOSC with an android tablet and Native Instruments, 'Thrill'? Or send a link with step-by-step instructions (I've seen youtube vids of many NI/OSC connections to DAWS, but not these two exact ones. MUCH APPRECIATED!


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