New York, New York, USA
About me
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I'm a singer and composer living in Manhattan. You might like my music. Come check some of it out at my site. My Gear
Logic Pro
Dual 2 ghz G5
1.67 now antiquated G4 Powerbook
2 Soundelux u195 microphones
1 Rode NTK microphone
1 AKG 4033 microphone
1 Focusrite Sessions Pack Pre
1 RME Fireface800
1 Motu 828
1 Unitor8 MKII
1 Alesis Masterlink
1 Roland A-33
1 AKG-k240DF Headphones
2 Sennheisser HD280 Pro HeadphonesMackie HR824 Moniters
1 Mackie Micro 1202 Mixer
2 Mackie HR824 Studio Monitors
other apps:
Trilogy
a bunch of sample collections
AfterEffects
Photoshop
Illustrator
Flash
Final Cut Pro
DVD Studio Pro
Mac OS X
tons of percussion instruments, vibratone and vibraslap being among my favorites... of course the jew's harp... lots of different shakers.
A violin with two unbroken strings.
My sister's guitar.
an upright piano. !!!
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Electronic Music other: Midi... Need Advice!!!
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Written April 05 2009
Hello emers all,
So I'm back in Woodstock, feeling so happy and encouraged by my first little trip to Europe performing. Anyway, while I was over there I had a little pocket midi controller which basically has 16 knobs. I was going to use this in conjunction with Logic. Well... a bad power converter might have destroyed it.  So I may be in the market for a new one... So I'm writing looking for expert suggestions!
I'd actually like more than 16 knobs, if possible. And it would be great if there were also some switches or buttons that would be programable as well. Reliability and durability are important factors, as it will be on the road. Also it's gotta run smoothly with a Mac using Leopard, Logic and Live. I suppose it shouldn't be too heavy either...
So any suggestions?
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04/05/09
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yghartsyrt
I only have a cheap solution at the moment:
Behringer BCR
32 Knobs and 20 Buttons. Downside is, that the Software for programming the device doesn't really work on a mac, but it is really easy to program on the device itself. it's quite big though.
04/05/09
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Fredo
Yes, that has been recommended to me before. I should look into it. Anyone know what Juana Molina uses?
04/05/09
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Fredo
BTW, the software problem is a real problem for me. I'm not good at setting up devices, so this is a real down for me...
04/05/09
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yghartsyrt
believe me setting this thing up is extremely simple. but i can see your point
04/05/09
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Fredo
Is it very durable/well-made? Actually the doepfer pocket controller wasn't destroyed, thank god, but I would like more than 16 pods and at least 8 buttons. So would the behringer bcr work as easily as the doepfer? In Logic you just touch the thing you want to control, hit a keystroke, turn the pod and it's done! If it's that easy with the behringer I might go for it!
Apr 05*
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eyesnine
Fredo said: "So would the behringer bcr work as easily as the doepfer? In Logic you just touch the thing you want to control, hit a keystroke, turn the pod and it's done! If it's that easy with the behringer I might go for it!"
I think that basically all midi controllers are easily programmable by using the MIDI learn function you describe in this quote.
I'm picking up a Korg nanoKontrol soon. I wouldn't recommend it for durability, but it is cheap and easy to find, so if it breaks while on tour it should be easy to find a replacement on short notice. Think of it as a disposable MIDI controller. It has 9 knobs, 9 faders, 18 switches and 6 transport controls, for $60. Need more? Buy two.
The Novation SL Zero (or the newer mk II) seems to be the ultimate controller for my purposes. I don't think it's very durable either, but I could be wrong.
Other controllers you might want to look at that I wish I could vouch for:
- CME Bitstream (seems a little weird for me, don't know about build quality)
- Livid Ohm (looks incredible for features and build quality, but it should be for $750 edit: nevermind $600/$700 - not so sure if they just look good or are built well.)
- Kenton link (they all look good, but it seems that most of them are discontinued)
- Mackie MC C4 link looks good! Much like the Behringer BCR2000
It looks like if you're in the market for a durable MIDI controller you have to be willing to part with a large sum of money.
04/05/09
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Fredo
Wow, thanks man. Yes, that Novation controller looks awesome! Why do you think it's not durable? I just want something that isn't kludgee. Jesus, how do you spell that? Something that works consistently. The Livid Ohm thang does look gorgeous, but that's about the most I want to spend. Maestro hecanjog has been using the nanoKontrol and it does look pretty awesome. I just watched a video review of it though and apparently some of the buttons stick...
04/05/09
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eyesnine
I don't know, the Zero just seems a little too plastic to be well made. That could just be the appearance though... There are definitely people on this site that use it, I'm sure someone will chime in and give you their (informed) opinion.
04/05/09
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eyesnine
Ugh, sticky buttons... but it's the only set of faders out there for $60. I guess I'll have to get used to it or try to fix it if I can. I much prefer faders over knobs/rotaries, I find them much easier to play with, since I can move several accurately with one hand. I also find it much easier to see what's going on with just a glance.
04/05/09
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dkarma
i have the bcr2000 and love it.
it has automaps for reason
and the learn function is super simple
dunno about logic, but it has roughly the form factor of a large lappy
and weighs about 5lbs
perfect for a lap.
pretty solid
04/05/09
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eyesnine
I don't know if you checked the forums, but there were a couple of threads recently on this very topic (it's a popular one): link
04/05/09
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dkarma
the novation remote zero looked bad as hell IMO, but the price tag of around 250.00 was teh deal killer for me.
sure it has tons of knobs, but you can get more for less $$.
04/05/09
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dkarma
hey fredo do you need it to have USB?
04/05/09
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quip
i travel alot with my novation remote and it works still. it not brilliantly made, but its tough enough for me.
interestingly i loved by doepfer pocket dial but it did die. you wanna sell me yours?
04/05/09
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bagger288
I have a remote zero and think it's great. unless you're in a death metal band or something, I think it will hold up just fine. I honestly don't see why everyone thinks the build quality on them is so bad--I think it's decent. and what else would you expect at that price?
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