hi, this is my first blog. i just wanted to show off a pic of my newly completed USB MIDI controller.
it uses the Hale Microsystems UMC32 MIDI to USB board from here:
link
it's incredibly easy to build, you just hook a bunch of controls to the pre-built circuit board. it has a mini-USB jack, so i ordered a panel mount B-style jack and just hooked up an internal cable.
my box has 8 switches (note-on/off), 20 knobs and 2 joysticks (CCs 9 - 32).
i'm used to modifying instruments that have very little extra space in the case and on the panel, so it was a real joy to build something that was almost empty and just use nice big controls.
in the pic it's sitting in front of the thinkpad x60s that it controls (reaktor, ableton live).
thanks!
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Written April 29 2009 , Tags: umc32, usb, midi, controller
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Amazing!
Love the assorted randomness. It almost looks like component manufacturer's display... thanks!
my design scheme was to make each part of it distinct so i can recognize sections, but open in a way that any number of controls can constitute a "section." i'm assuming the assignments will be changing all the time, so i wanted a way to make it flexible, but easy to project organization onto.
Recent blogs: my new USB MIDI controller
awesome! this may be my next project, my friend and I just completed a monome kit.
oooooooh..... the x60s. I bet you're happy with that one! I've been rocking an Acer C110 since 2003 and it hasn't failed me yet. Those well made ultraportables are so nice. They fit into your life and are surprisingly good performers. You've got SATA on that bad boy!! Have you thought of adding a SSD? Max out the RAM, wait a year, get a nice SSD and that computer will be good for another five to ten years.
Oh yeah, awesome MIDI controller too! ;) i love the it! i actually just maxed the ram and put a 7200 rpm hd in it (no ssd). i actually didn't notice too much of a difference between 1gb and 4gb (effectively 3, but dual channel) of ram. i'm running a super slim nLited version of xp so it was already pretty quick. it runs ableton and reaktor as well as i could hope for. i'm not really hitting any kind of ceiling yet, even at 3ms latency. i guess maybe it's time to start performing live at 192 kHz!
Recent blogs: my new USB MIDI controller
That is one insane riot of random knobs and buttons!
The blue one in the center looks really familiar. great setup.
the price is a little more than the arduino, although after the extra midi sheild for the arduino I'm sure they're comparable in price. how do they stack up against each other. the only thing i noticed off the bat is that this board is purely midi while the arduino can do other things. this board also has dips whereas the arduino would need to be programmed to some extent. how else are they similar / different? where di you source those joysticks exactly?
i cant find good joysticks anywhere. they're all spring loaded. nifty.
thanks!
elronhubbard said: "where di you source those joysticks exactly? i cant find good joysticks anywhere. they're all spring loaded." i got the joysticks from a group buy orchestrated by flightofharmony on the muffwiggler forum: link he may have some more, i'm not sure. sometimes the springs can be easily removed from the spring loaded ones. i kind of wouldn't mind having a joystick that was spring loaded in one direction but not the other.
Recent blogs: my new USB MIDI controller
this looks really cool.
although i'm pretty sure i won't ever remember, which know i assigned to whch function. i need really simple layouts.. how long did it take to built it? i love the design of your laptop. that's a really sexy controller. congrats on the design.
 would you show the guts of the machine ?
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