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Old 11-25-2016, 03:00 AM   #21
Geoff Waddington
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Join Date: Mar 2009
Location: Dartmouth, Nova Scotia
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Quote:
Originally Posted by airon
At our disposal is stuff like
MCU controllers
which is a bunch of motorized faders, a few endless knobs, a slew of buttons and a jog wheel.

Indicators include lights on some buttons and a set of scribble strips.

Midi knob/fader boxes like the Akai Midimix, Midi Fighter Twister, with or without indicators. This also includes the Behringer X-Touch mini, which has a midi mode with two layers.
Button boxes
They all usually have indicators, like the Midi Fighter 3D or the Novation Dicer (6! colours).

OSC Touchscreens
Yes, but you can view these as simply 2 kinds of input:
Switches - binary
Encoders - range - fader, endless knobs, jog wheels, etc.

and 2 kinds of output:
Lights - binary
Displays - scribble strips, meters, endless knob position ring leds, etc.

Quote:
Originally Posted by airon
Now for some ways of using it.

Custom Zones
It's a specialized mode, that some folks are likely to spend most of their time in.

This is akin to the Custom Zones on consoles like the Avid Icon(good, older Protools-only controller).

Here is how it works:
A bunch of control resources are designated a custom zone

The user can switch this custom zone on and off. Some control resources (faders, buttons, knobs...) might still be used to select tracks and control vanilla stuff like track volume.

Zone types:
Custom plugin control
"Show Plugin 1 in custom zone" and so on. Each plugin can be given its own custom layout. Bank functions to page through plugins and parameter banks can be assigned too.

Custom Track Setup

A refined way of focusing on stuff on a track. For example:
Send 1 Volume, Send 2 Volume, Send 3 Volume, Send 1 Mute, Send 2 Mute, Send 3 Mute

Plugin Zone 1 Bank Left button
Plugin Zone 1 Start:
Plugin 1 Parameter A, Plugin 1 Parameter B, Plugin 1 Parameter C, Plugin 1 Parameter D, Plugin 1 Parameter E, Plugin 1 Parameter F
Plugin Zone 1 End.
Plugin Zone 1 Bank Right button

Plugin Zone 2 Start:
Plugin Zone 2 Bank Left button
Plugin 2 Parameter A, Plugin 2 Parameter B, Plugin 2 Parameter C, Plugin 2 Parameter D, Plugin 2 Parameter E, Plugin 2 Parameter F
Plugin Zone 2 Bank Right button

Track Mute Button, Track Solo Button, Track ARM button, Track cycle monitor modes button

Can you appreciate how big this can get yet ?

VCA Masters whose selection spill the slaves in to the zone

Group Members of group 1, 2, 3,etc.
What you're talking about could be equated to the "layers" concept on digital live boards (both audio and lighting);

It will allow cool tricks:
in PT plugins are slot based
in Reaper plugins "snug up" when you remove one, there are no blank spaces.

This software has to allow for setting up a layer that consists of any desired plugin, based on a per track choice.

An example
Track 1 EQ is in slot 1
Track 2 EQ is in slot 4
Track 3 EQ is in slot 2
Track 4 EQ is in slot 3

So, in setting up an "EQ" layer, you would assign accordingly for each track.

That gives you even more flexibility than PT, and allows for the benefits of a slot based approach in Reaper.

The cost of all of this flexibility is obvious, more setup time, because of the extra required decisions in the setup.

As I said a few posts back the tech is non-trivial, but pales in comparison to the UI work needed for a successful solution.

Lots of matrix type tools, easy graphic ways to represent numerous surfaces that make up your individual "aggregate" setup, e.g iPhone, iPad, Avid Artist Mix, Faderport, all require a LOT of UI thought.

Don't forget, some settings will be global, some local to each project, just to throw in some more spice.

Once again it is the UI that is the most critical component.

Quote:
Originally Posted by G-Sun
Not only indicators,
but text/labels.

With so much going on,
the knobs and buttons are useless unless you know what they are assigned to.
Absolutely !!
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