MIDI Controllers... the final solution...

2kilo · Post by **2kilo** » Tue Aug 09, 2005 7:05 am

yeah, I even ordered all the electronics needed for the MIDI box project...
I wanted to build my own, but the biggest problem [weird] was finding quality push buttons [at a good price]...

best option so far, buy a dj mixer and carve up a x-sessions....?

raapie · Post by **raapie** » Tue Aug 09, 2005 7:12 am

Lemor is too slow for a good feel about controlling. You need hardware controls to do this imo.

I think that creating a controller would be the thing to do for Ableton. Robert already has made some custom versions for his own use. I can imagine that if Live offers a real hardware-with-computer solution, this will make a few things easier for a lot of people!

One major mistake of most controllers is that they are made out of plastic. I need wood and metal, something which is solid enough and doesn't break.

Btw, some of the pictures show here are good, but it NEEDS a part to securely put your laptop in. I still can't believe why no company has created a keyboard yet with a space to put your laptop in and secure it.

Machinate · Post by **Machinate** » Tue Aug 09, 2005 8:03 am

2kilo, how about using the buttons that you can find on a faderfox? Those are nice.
http://www.farnell.com/datasheets/14142.pdf

Living_Fiction · Post by **Living_Fiction** » Tue Aug 09, 2005 8:08 am

2kilo wrote:yeah, I even ordered all the electronics needed for the MIDI box project...
I wanted to build my own, but the biggest problem [weird] was finding quality push buttons [at a good price]...

best option so far, buy a dj mixer and carve up a x-sessions....?

I thought about tearing the knobs, and sliders off of this since it's about the cheapest mixer with so much on it.

Using this hefty arcade button (They are very durable) for Tap Tempo, and lastly...

Tearing off of the crossfader from this. Probably even use the knobs for something. I'm not sure what to use for buttons, yet. I want some of those durable light up ones, though. Put it all in a custom case, and add some of those Ableton Live features like Mute, Solo, Kill Switches, Effects Send & Return, Effects Depth, and Level for each channel, etc.

Komplex · Post by **Komplex** » Tue Aug 09, 2005 8:09 am

2kilo wrote:yeah, I even ordered all the electronics needed for the MIDI box project...
I wanted to build my own, but the biggest problem [weird] was finding quality push buttons [at a good price]...

best option so far, buy a dj mixer and carve up a x-sessions....?

You'll find that most buttons in fancy music gear use regular tact switches with a fancy button cap or membrane over them to make them feel nice...

My midibox uses the same butons as used on the fader foxes. They feel povo but they do the job

2kilo · Post by **2kilo** » Tue Aug 09, 2005 8:39 am

@Living_Fiction
As I remember it [long time ago] if you carve up a current audio mixer the faders are [usually] Log where MIDI needs Linear....?

I was mis-guided in hoping that push buttons with a clear plastic top [so you can put your own label inside] would be cheap. I think quality ones were about £5 each so x 64 = £320 already aaahhhhhhh....

________________________________

@Komplex
even looked at silicon rubber moulding to create nice punch button pads to use over tact switches...

I really, really wanted to do this but the real problem is time.... Working full time... etc, etc... [I even have a bloody lathe and mill!!!]]

The second problem is I'm mental, can't do it by half, gotta build the dogs b*ll*cks nutter controller that could fly the shuttle....

__________________________________

@raapie
yeah I know what you mean about laptop space, the way I've been looking at it you would place whatever controller, audio box, etc in a custom flightcase with space for a laptop....

vip32 · Post by **vip32** » Tue Aug 09, 2005 8:43 am

bassgi wrote:buy some "pocket electronics" from doepfer and make your own controller! very easy!

how easy is that really? i have no experience with this stuff, but want to build a controller. It seems the only option available (mawzer is bull i think). have you build one?

2kilo · Post by **2kilo** » Tue Aug 09, 2005 9:12 am

yeah pocket electronics seems easy, but as I remember the cost went stratospheric with the amount of buttons/faders/etc on my designs...

£80 for 16 pots x4 = £320
thats even before anything else....

robin · Post by **robin** » Tue Aug 09, 2005 9:26 am

Machinate wrote:2kilo, how about using the buttons that you can find on a faderfox? Those are nice.
http://www.farnell.com/datasheets/14142.pdf

are you really sure they are the same buttons as the faderfox?

---

i've been helping a mate with a doepfer based controller and the cost of the switches/buttons is the killer in terms of budget.

Machinate · Post by **Machinate** » Tue Aug 09, 2005 9:36 am

100% mate - heard it straight from the horses mouth

vip32 · Post by **vip32** » Tue Aug 09, 2005 9:53 am

2kilo wrote:yeah pocket electronics seems easy, but as I remember the cost went stratospheric with the amount of buttons/faders/etc on my designs...

£80 for 16 pots x4 = £320
thats even before anything else....

the price of knob pots is high i see (www.conrad.de), faders are much cheaper though. what about this button thing http://www.doepfer.de/ctm64_example.gif. i cannot find anything about that on the web. looks cool.

2kilo · Post by **2kilo** » Tue Aug 09, 2005 10:09 am

I think it's single buttons laid out next to each other [very close] on a PCB board....?

Machinate · Post by **Machinate** » Tue Aug 09, 2005 10:11 am

Those are just 64 of doepfers own buttons, they're really good, and I believe the cost about .8 euro if you buy them from the right dealer - my friend had gotten a hold on a lot of them for a sequencer.

-btw, my schaltwerk has 216 of them

2kilo · Post by **2kilo** » Tue Aug 09, 2005 1:01 pm

best so far...?

Living_Fiction · Post by **Living_Fiction** » Tue Aug 09, 2005 1:07 pm

You know what, you are right. The faders would be ass for a MIDI device...I could always use the knobs, though. In fact, that top mixer even has the right ammount. It has multi colored ones, too! Easy way to tell the difference, but I still say the arcade button rocks, it's not light up, but would own for Tap Tempo. You know where I can find MIDI faders? I'll just replace the faders with the cappy things with the cappy ones from the nice Audio ones, and I forgot to mention...I want to put a Pitch Slider on my mixer, with one of those Technics looking kind of cappy things.