Control Surfaces?

Count Bassie · 03-04-2007, 07:21 PM

So, how about you people who use a MIDI control surface with Reaper, etc? What controllers are compatible with Reaper? I am jonesing for faders, and will be interested in what I can use with this app- which is working very well for me, by the way.

What you got- besides a wireless mouse...?

Art Evans · 03-04-2007, 07:40 PM

Alphatrack now, previously Behringer BCF2000. The Alphatrack is touch sensitive which is pretty vital - the Behringer had more faders than I could think in terms of at one time with my pea sized brain, and wasn't touch sensitive.

drew · 03-04-2007, 08:09 PM

No-one managed to get a Yamaha 01V96 or equivalent working?

Count Bassie · 03-04-2007, 08:09 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Art Evans

Alphatrack now, previously Behringer BCF2000. The Alphatrack is touch sensitive which is pretty vital - the Behringer had more faders than I could think in terms of at one time with my pea sized brain, and wasn't touch sensitive.

Touch-sensitive meaning it's 'ready to run' when you give it any pressure at all? Why is touch-sensitive vital?

I had a US-428 a while back, and at this point, faders are faders- even 45 mm throws! I'd rather have the 100's, though...

Art Evans · 03-04-2007, 08:12 PM

The Tascam 3200 at the radio studio seems to be working fine with Reaper in control surface mode but I haven't had time fully to check it out yet - the next few days should reveal all.

Touch sensitivity is vital to ensure that if you make a change to existing automation (eg in touch or latch mode) that the fader doesn't "fight back" but realises you are taking over.

Count Bassie · 03-04-2007, 08:20 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Art Evans

The Tascam 3200 at the radio studio seems to be working fine with Reaper in control surface mode but I haven't had time fully to check it out yet - the next few days should reveal all.

Touch sensitivity is vital to ensure that if you make a change to existing automation (eg in touch or latch mode) that the fader doesn't "fight back" but realises you are taking over.

Ok. Me, I'm used to taking the long way 'round... so with the Behri you have to stop and re-write. I can see this touch-sensitive thing as a real asset to that 'Wait a minute!' sudden creative dodge to the left. Good enough.

Who makes a touch-sensitive thingy with 8 faders? For those of us who tend to bite off more than they can chew! See, I'm not smart, or a good multi-tasker- I just get bored with what I can handle.

Art Evans · 03-04-2007, 08:45 PM

Mackie - Mackie Control Universal. Not cheap. Not sure if there is anything cheaper though with 8 channel touch sensitivity.

Count Bassie · 03-04-2007, 09:15 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Art Evans

Mackie - Mackie Control Universal. Not cheap. Not sure if there is anything cheaper though with 8 channel touch sensitivity.

Well, newwww, I've seen that price in one of those catalogues I foolishly get, that my wife hates... This is all about a healthy compromise here, so I'll stick to the basics I guess. I kind of like the idea of "live mixing" with a handful of faders, as it were, so I may find myself with one of theose BCF boxes- or some other ebay bargain ('long as it works in Reaper)! I've been told I need to be a little less sensitive anyway...

Thanks for the communication, Art.

GreyBeard · 03-05-2007, 04:59 AM

Anybody using a FaderPort with Reaper? Are they any good?

NU-TRA · 03-07-2007, 10:42 AM

[QUOTE=Art Evans;56101]Mackie - Mackie Control Universal. Not cheap. Not sure if there is anything cheaper though with 8 channel touch sensitivity.[/QUOTE

Does the mackie control set it up automatically or do you have to manual go in and assign buttons?

V

Highwayman2300 · 03-07-2007, 09:19 PM

I need it to be compatible with Tascam US-428

mahasandi · 03-22-2007, 02:17 PM

I think this is a great thread.

What else are people using?

i'am interested in getting one but only if it works /plays nice with the Reaper
!

any have experiences with the functionality of models below:

so what is out there with touch sensitive moving faders:

mackie mcu & mcu pro

project mix

yamaha 01v?

about $800 used to $1100 new

in between is the 4 fader touch sensitive JL Cooper Fadermaster 4/100

then there are the sub $500

JL Cooper FadermasterPro

Evolution UC-33e

CME Bitstream 3x

and the Novation ReMOTE ZeRO SL

anyone try the Novation its seems small and feature packed for how cheap it is.....

Highwayman2300 · 03-24-2007, 07:56 AM

Ive got Tascams us-428 but I cant get it to work with reaper

airon · 03-26-2007, 06:45 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mahasandi

I think this is a great thread.

and the Novation ReMOTE ZeRO SL

anyone try the Novation its seems small and feature packed for how cheap it is.....

Friend of mine does professional work for labels, producing stuff, so he's constantly twiddling his synths for sounds.

He absolutly loves his Novation Remote Zero SL. It has a small VST wrapper. When you pick the wrapped plugin all the plugin parameters are mapped to the unit, and it's all configurable with the editor. It has a parameter display and loads of nice button features. Sequencers can also support the thing nativly.

I'm going to try out the keyboard version (61 keys) just because of his recommendation, because I need a keyboard and a fast plugin controller.

Hired Goon · 03-27-2007, 07:57 PM

I want to get either a used digital mixer like the Tascam TDM-1000, or perhaps a unit like the Tascam US-2400, but I'm a little worried about plunking down and not having it work. I just want more than 8 channels.

norbury brook · 03-28-2007, 03:26 AM

Airon, Does it work with reaper though? I've been looking at one of these recently and it looked great. Sonar's 'ACT' does a similar thing.

MC

mahasandi · 03-28-2007, 07:56 AM

yeah the novation looks great

i eagerly await anyone saying "it works with Reaper!"

cause its small enough where it could slip behind my keyboard

on the slide tray, and the plug-in support would be dope.

airon · 03-28-2007, 10:56 AM

I'm using the 61 key version here, and it works.

Of course, Reaper does not support it natively, so you need to use the plugin wrapper until it does.

Should Reaper support 'Automap' which is about the same thing as ACT in Sonar, it should indeed be an even better deal than it is now. Cubase/Nuendo/Protools(viaHUI)/Reason3/Live already support it .

norbury brook · 03-29-2007, 03:08 AM

yes, that's what i meant the 'automap' feature.How does the wrapper work compared to the automap?

MC

airon · 03-29-2007, 09:33 PM

Works well. I haven't yet wrapped any Reaper plugs. It only works on VST plugins btw, not DX or JS.

The downside is portability and extra plugin entries, appearing in what usually is a crowded list.

In Automap, I certainly like the preference to position comon elements (filter frequency, resonance and ADSR controls for synths) on the same knobs and buttons.

I hope Reaper gets this and integrates it in to its own ACT solution.

todd24 · 03-30-2007, 07:44 AM

I am using most of the functions on an Ez Bus. It works Ok.

I am planing to get an 01x.

cbenci · 04-01-2007, 08:14 PM

I have a BCF2000 and it works with Reaper, but I find the fader action very stepped.

Using the unit with cubase was a different story, very smooth action. Reaper makes the faders 'jump'.

The other thing Cubase did was to allow quick changing of fader banks. As far as I can see, Reaper only allows the first eight channels and if I want access to any more, I have to physically move tracks up to control them.

If I'm wrong, I hope somebody can tell me as I would love Reaper to be as good as Cubase in this area.

Count Bassie · 04-01-2007, 08:20 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by GreyBeard

Anybody using a FaderPort with Reaper? Are they any good?

I've seen that- and it looks like a great idea. There's this Alphatrack thing too- like the Presonus one, but it has a 'scribble strip' that you can run your finger on to scroll the timeline in a Track View.

Both have 100mm faders, and I think both are touch-sensitive. Both are also $200, which I think is a touch steep for one fader. Call me 'Touch-Sensitive'...

Art Evans · 04-01-2007, 10:31 PM

Alphatrack does what it's supposed to in Reaper but causes some instability if you open a second instance or unplug it and reconnect it. Top five buttons still don't do anything - it would be handy if they could be programmable like the F keys on the row below. Touch sensitivity is soooo good after the non-sensitive BCF, which really only works in write mode.

Finnish · 04-02-2007, 04:17 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by cbenci

I have a BCF2000 and it works with Reaper, but I find the fader action very stepped.

Using the unit with cubase was a different story, very smooth action. Reaper makes the faders 'jump'.

The other thing Cubase did was to allow quick changing of fader banks. As far as I can see, Reaper only allows the first eight channels and if I want access to any more, I have to physically move tracks up to control them.

If I'm wrong, I hope somebody can tell me as I would love Reaper to be as good as Cubase in this area.

What mode are you using? I tried my BCF last saturday in a hurry, I was able to do something with it (I tried it in MCU-mode) but it wasn't very intuitive... I've been using it in Pro Tools in Baby HUI-mode, it seemed quite logical in PT.

cbenci · 04-02-2007, 04:57 PM

Finnish,

I have been using it with straight out of the box factory default mode with the BCF2000 selected as the control surface mode. Just make sure you have the factory preset 1 loaded in your unit.

If you've lost them here is the link;

http://www.behringer.com/05_support/...s.cfm?lang=ENG

Good luck with it. Interested to see what you think of the fader action in Reaper.

It would be great if we had more control over the customisation of control surfaces in Reaper ... maybe there is and I just don't know yet.

rwillson · 04-05-2007, 08:42 AM

i just recently bought an old Akai MPD16 usb/midi drum pad and a M-Audio X-Session Pro(only downer so far is i don't think it supports multiple programs, need to play with it more), admittedly i sold much of my old unused gear, a Tascam US-244 Mixer (really outdated and a pain to use), Behringer NANO (more or less a useless piece of midi gear but kinda fun, i never used it much) and last the old Evolution X-Session(still a cool item but i really wanted the new one) and an Evolution keyboard (as if i need two), haven't had time to play with them using Reaper yet(they are great in Ableton Live, gonna be testing this afternoon, wanna see what i can do with the drum pad and the X-Session Dual play buttons, see if i can both to good use...

r...

Alsion · 04-05-2007, 10:06 AM

I think a way to solve problem with various MIDI-controllers would be a "real" Generic Remote/MIDI-Learn-Implementation in Reaper. As I requested here: http://www.cockos.com/forum/showthread.php?t=5466

dminoz · 04-09-2007, 05:06 PM

I use a Tascam FW-1884 with Reaper, via Mackie Control Emulation. Overall, the relationship is pretty good, and all the basic functionality is there. The drivers seem to get confused now and again, and that requires power-cycling the desk, but I think that is an issue with the Tascam, not with Reaper. It's not a big deal, though.

All the buttons and sliders do what they should, and the touch-sensitivity aspect of the channel sliders works perfectly. Read, write, latch, etc of envelopes works fine.

The one thing that I wish was better is the fact that the EQ section on the desk is not functional, because it expects in-channel EQ to exist in the DAW, which of course is missing in Reaper. This is the reason behind my number one wish for Reaper -- either inchannel EQ (yeah, yeah, optional), or, as Justin has hinted at, some in-channel controls which can be allocated any function by the user. As long as those controls could be midi-mapped to the EQ functions on the Tascam, I'd be a happy camper.

But overall, I give the FW-1884/Reaper relationship an 8 or 9 out of ten.

schwa · 04-15-2007, 06:14 PM

I am a dope! I have spent the last 2 days looking at mini control surface options -- alpha track? tranzport? the belkin game thing?

... and the whole time there's an akai MPD16 sitting on my desk. I finally looked at the thing tonight and what else could I say? DOH!

(MPD16 is a low-budg drum pad with a slider for hi hat control and multiple banks of 16 pads)

I set up the second bank to use as a control surface, including using the slider as a fader. Magic. Nice big pads to thwack when I want to nudge the view, or whatever I've programmed them to.

You can pick these things up for $40-50 used, people hate them because the XP drivers suck and because there's other stuff out now that's better as a drum pad. But as a control surface it's pretty cool.

Orfilinn · 04-16-2007, 06:21 AM

For me, I project to buy ASAP a Behringer BCR2000? not a really good "quality " choice but:

- not expensive
- a lot of illuminated rotary encoders (with a crown of LED to show the amount of the parameter)

cheaper but in this kind of product, there is also the Mackie Control C4 , but it's not the same price ^_^

fab · 04-24-2007, 12:11 PM

BCR2000 is excellent for controlling vsts, especially synths, you can assign MANY parameters. it s big and clunky, though, wish it had faderfox format.

fab

Count Bassie · 04-24-2007, 06:23 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by fab

BCR2000 is excellent for controlling vsts, especially synths, you can assign MANY parameters. it s big and clunky, though, wish it had faderfox format.

fab

I often think of that exact controller when thinking about the VSTi thing, although I don't use 'em. Hey, remember when all synths were big and clunky? You had to be an actual geek just to program a sound. Pretty funny actually- I bet Keith Emerson would laugh at your post!

Hey, I'm not laughing.