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Midi CC data. How do you drive yours?

What devices do you use to transmit midi CC data?

  • Hardware faders.

    Votes: 27 52.9%
  • Midi controller keyboard. (Onboard faders, pots, mod wheel etc.)

    Votes: 28 54.9%
  • Tablet or other touch screen device.

    Votes: 13 25.5%
  • Breath controller.

    Votes: 11 21.6%
  • Foot pedals.

    Votes: 11 21.6%
  • Other hardware (eg NI Maschine Jam, Akai MPC)

    Votes: 2 3.9%

  • Total voters
    51

Alex Fraser

Requires ☕️
Hey VIC collective.

As I move from old school faders to an iPad controller, I thought it might be fun to see what everyone is using in 2020.

* I haven't included the mouse/touchpad etc in the poll because I assume everyone uses them to draw or edit CC data.

Let me know if I need to add more options to the poll.
A
 
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I use a small iPad app called Ribn. And when I’m lazy (or in a hurry) I would draw them directly in Cubase (but I’m using a Wacom tablet instead of a mouse)
 
I use three main ways to record MIDI CC data:

1) Ableton Push (with the PXT General utility)
2) Akai EWI 5000 (going more musical for leads)
3) Gordius Little Giant midi control pedalboard (ten switches and up to four expression pedals)

The order I listed them reflects how much I rely on each method. I'm especially happy for the EWI as it allows me to do things that I couldn't possibly pull off any other way (thanks to having played sax a bit in the past). When playing "piano notes" I either run left hands pinky on the Push CC#1 ribbon or work a floor pedal assigned to CC#1, or keep the EWI hanging on my chest as a "poor man's breath control" :) . I also keep my EWI set up to work breath/lip/bite embouchure as CC#1, for compatibility of methods.
 
This reminds me, that I wanted to get a foot pedal. I imagine getting one for CC1 will be great, because it frees up both hands for playing.
What single pedals are you guys using?
 
I use the FaderControl a forum member built for me and sold for a while. Too bad he stopped making them and has since disappeared.
 
Kenton Control Freak Studio Edition, I love it although I'm thinking about getting something a bit smaller like the Nakedboards MC-8 which has the same length faders but a more compact box.
 
I used to use just the two faders on my Pioneer DDJ-WeGo or something (don't know how to DJ, just an old gift I was trying to make use of). Recently got an Arturia Keylab Essential, so I've been using the faders on that.

Are you moving to iPad to streamline your workspace? Wondering why you'd give up the tactile loveliness of hardware...
 
I use a Komplete Kontrol S61 with an expression pedal and a Maschine Jam. Plus I draw/edit with mouse.
 
I have four different devices at hand, but don't use them all every time:

- M-Audio Keystation 88es which has a mod wheel and a cheesy (and grippy) 60mm assignable fader.

- FaderCtrl unit that was a short-run unit made by a user I found on here. Eight nice 100mm slippery faders.

- Access Virus TI which I use in front-panel CC mode as a sort of dumb synth front panel editor, mostly for EXS and simple soft synths - just so I can have knobs that are labelled ADSR and Filter Cutoff etc., arranged in a familiar layout that resembles a conventional synth front panel, and has painted-on legends for the knobs. The "TI" part of it only works with a solid-gold 3-inch diamond-plated USB cable and a version of MacOS from 1992, so that part of it is a non-starter, and anyway I don't think I've ever used a single sound from the thing.

- Sensel Morph. This thing is a super-high-resolution USB touch pad, similar to the touch pad on a Mac laptop, that you can use with rubber overlays to simulate a Maschine type layout, an MPE music keyboard, a set of faders, an authorized Buchla Thunder emulation, etc., but can also be used without any overlay as a big X-Y pad. In that mode it's perfect for things like NI's Thrill instrument for Kontakt. That's how I most often use it. Build quality and industrial design is absolutely top-shelf - it's about 3mm thick, completely featureless and absolutely solid, and the overlays snap into place with magnets and automatically tell the unit which overlay is in place so that it can call up the correct preset. It's pretty great.
 
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