puffer3
New Member
I play synthesizers and drums mostly, but as I've pivoted towards learning about scoring, I found the little knobs and sliders on my MIDI controllers to be sort of inexpressive for playing with sample libraries and even more limiting when working with tricky filter combos in Zebra2.
I found this thread on gs that pointed me towards building a simple faderbox for controlling some MIDI CC's (I currently use pro tools). It is based on the Teensy microcontroller, which is like a very tiny computer that you can load code onto and make do neat things.
My day job is at an electronics recycling facility so I was able to "upcycle" many parts of this project, bringing the cost down to about the same as take out for 2. I had already hoarded some Teensy microcontrollers that came from some college lab before they were chucked into the recycler and I quite liked the look of this intercom box that I managed to rescue before it was "demanufactured." I purchased 4 bournes 100mm faders for around $20, bought a micro to panel mount USB extender for $8, some matching screws and nuts from home depot $6 and a matte black can of spray paint for $7. A friend who works at a college was kind enough to laser cut the panels for me, which was a nice favor! I designed the panels in Photoshop and they came out pretty good. My friend used mirrored plexi, which at first I was adverse to, but now I quite like.
The soldering was as easy as it gets (I skipped the LED on the original GS project) and loading the code was not too difficult as I had updated a few Teensy based eurorack modules before. Anywhoo, I am posting this here to inspire anyone who doesnt want to pay for a fadermaster to give it a go and try and build something similar. I have loved using it so far, it really makes controlling software more fun. Take a look at the initial gearsl*ts thread for more specific instructions and of course I am happy to answer any questions if I can.
Here is the intercom case I started with. Built very well! Thanks Louroe wherever you are!
Here are some of the parts. Salvaged wire and Teensy plus the 4 faders I bought.
Here are the faders installed in the faceplate. I soldered the teensy to a salvaged blank PCB to make it easier to mount. The USB cable goes to the back panel there and is mounted with mismatched screws (>_<)
I cut extra holes thinking I could use the code from the 16n fader bank to add CV outs ( i do some modular synthesis ) but that is for a later revision. This unit was first and foremost an expression controller for MIDI CC's.
Here are the panels installed for the initial testing. After laser cutting the panels my friend went back with a stepper bit to add the space for recessed screw head to keep out of the way of the faders. This was probably the most difficult part of the whole project and they came out a bit chunky.
Tests went well. I spray painted it and put it on my desk. Now i need a better weighted midi keyboard to compose my masterpiece ! Its easy to assign which CC's it controls in the code, tho later I might figure out how to add a little display and let u pick the CC's right on there but I want to compose not endlessly fiddle with electronics (oh no those are almost the same thing to me )
The soldering is as easy as soldering gets and loading the code is not too tough either. The hardest part is putting it all in a sleek box that feels sturdy. I put some rubber feet on the bottom and it really doesn't budge!
I found this thread on gs that pointed me towards building a simple faderbox for controlling some MIDI CC's (I currently use pro tools). It is based on the Teensy microcontroller, which is like a very tiny computer that you can load code onto and make do neat things.
My day job is at an electronics recycling facility so I was able to "upcycle" many parts of this project, bringing the cost down to about the same as take out for 2. I had already hoarded some Teensy microcontrollers that came from some college lab before they were chucked into the recycler and I quite liked the look of this intercom box that I managed to rescue before it was "demanufactured." I purchased 4 bournes 100mm faders for around $20, bought a micro to panel mount USB extender for $8, some matching screws and nuts from home depot $6 and a matte black can of spray paint for $7. A friend who works at a college was kind enough to laser cut the panels for me, which was a nice favor! I designed the panels in Photoshop and they came out pretty good. My friend used mirrored plexi, which at first I was adverse to, but now I quite like.
The soldering was as easy as it gets (I skipped the LED on the original GS project) and loading the code was not too difficult as I had updated a few Teensy based eurorack modules before. Anywhoo, I am posting this here to inspire anyone who doesnt want to pay for a fadermaster to give it a go and try and build something similar. I have loved using it so far, it really makes controlling software more fun. Take a look at the initial gearsl*ts thread for more specific instructions and of course I am happy to answer any questions if I can.
Here is the intercom case I started with. Built very well! Thanks Louroe wherever you are!
Here are some of the parts. Salvaged wire and Teensy plus the 4 faders I bought.
Here are the faders installed in the faceplate. I soldered the teensy to a salvaged blank PCB to make it easier to mount. The USB cable goes to the back panel there and is mounted with mismatched screws (>_<)
I cut extra holes thinking I could use the code from the 16n fader bank to add CV outs ( i do some modular synthesis ) but that is for a later revision. This unit was first and foremost an expression controller for MIDI CC's.
Here are the panels installed for the initial testing. After laser cutting the panels my friend went back with a stepper bit to add the space for recessed screw head to keep out of the way of the faders. This was probably the most difficult part of the whole project and they came out a bit chunky.
Tests went well. I spray painted it and put it on my desk. Now i need a better weighted midi keyboard to compose my masterpiece ! Its easy to assign which CC's it controls in the code, tho later I might figure out how to add a little display and let u pick the CC's right on there but I want to compose not endlessly fiddle with electronics (oh no those are almost the same thing to me )
The soldering is as easy as soldering gets and loading the code is not too tough either. The hardest part is putting it all in a sleek box that feels sturdy. I put some rubber feet on the bottom and it really doesn't budge!
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