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All We Need Is KNOBS!
What are you using for your only knobs controllers?
The Novation Launch Control XL is sold out everywhere.
FaderFox is expensive.
Behringer BCR32 is perfect, but still not on sale. April 2046 is my guess knowing Behringer.
Akai MidiMix is too cheap
These are great but built with 1 synth in mind:
Others?
Comments
Akai midimix does its job
I really dont like the feeling of the smalls wobbly knobs unfortunatly.
Korg Nanokontrol2. Cheap and great. Use it with Koala
Sliders FTW!!!
I’ve heard positive things about these
https://intech.studio/
The whole knob thing is an unsatisfying experience imo. You really need rotary encoded for a good experience but very few apps support that. So sliders are OK for say, live mixing in aum, but as far as setting up aum sessions where various synth or fx parameters are linked to various knobs or sliders on your average controller, prepare to be disappointed
Behringer X-Touch mini. Fairly cheap and has both encoders and buttons with LED feedback.
I can recommend Midi Fighter Twister. Good quality and solid build. Second hand prices are reasonable.
Arturia Beatstep. 16 rotary encoders and velocity plus pressure sensitive pads.
I actually use my Novation Launchkey, and my DJ2GO2 controller. It pretty much covered all my needs purposes.
Especially since DJ controllers have a headphone jack. Man, that is so useful. Plus, it’s super compact. Take a look at this…
Plus, it makes me look cool. If I’m fiddling around with knobs on a controller, I look like a nerd, but on a DJ Controller, I become the sound doctor, even though it’s literally the same thing 😂
Generally controllers are a problem in our cute little iOS niche. When Cubasis 3 added Mackie/HUI support it totally changed the game and suddenly a cheap nanoKontrol 2 became a mighty DAW controller. Adding or reordering tracks is automatically reflected on the controller. While potentiometers and faders are great for controlling mixers and tracks of a DAW, it’s not so good for controlling synths.
As @Gavinski said, then it would be best to have rotary knobs with LED gauges but how to map that to synths and getting visual feedback? On desktop some DAWs like Ableton or Bitwig are doing that for the 8 macro buttons of a device. And there is also Komplete Kontrol. So, I think on iOS we would need similar solutions or controller like the BCR32 or the beautiful Yaeltex controllers would be useless without the visual feedback.
There are really cool controller integrations for Bitwig or Ableton but these DAWs provide an API for that and this enabled controller hackers in the community to develop controller scripts. In my opinion this would be the best solution. AUM, Drambo etc. should provide such an API and I think the iPad community would pick it up.
Yes. Too few users are asking for it, and then it's a niche
It's a lot of work to implement and then it still wouldn't work with all AUv3 plugins. But users would expect it.
+1 for the X-Touch mini. Works fantastically with Turnado (which does provide feedback). Editor is PC only though.
+2 for X-Touch mini.
I meant that music production on iOS is a niche compared to desktop. Don't you think so?
This is solely a host feature and the plugins don't have to do anything to support that. In Bitwig or Ableton you can map plugin parameters to the remote control knobs of the enclosing plugin wrapper device and then these knobs are available to the controller scripts. This is a quite generic solution.
Currently I’ve got a Beatstep Pro, Keystep 37, and Akai MPD18, and am looking for more Knobs. Considering Midi Fighter Twist, Faderfox UC4, or even a Circuit Tracks/Rhythm as they seem like v capable controllers/sequencers. BSP is fantastic, but when doing sound design I run out of knobs pretty quickly. Those Behringer BCR2000s look pretty capable too, although a large form factor.
If I were to order a new controller for knobs this one would be a top contender
https://nakedboards.org/mc-24
I’ve a pair of Roli Lightpad block Ms, which I hardly use as note-entry devices any more, but can use as fader banks (there’s a set of different ‘apps’ for them that you can load in on the software thingy for it)
I’m no longer convinced I’d like actual knobs on an outboard controller. The obvious thing is to desire knobs sliders switches to emulate a physical synth. However, knobs and sliders have shortcomings just as touch surfaces have other shortcomings.
I suggest that the music community thinks, er, as they say “outside the box” and tries to pursue other control interface methods altogether. Multidimensional stuff. Theremin-like stuff. Physical twisty-slidey-squeezy stuff. Steering columns. Helicopter cyclic + collective pitch. Squishy malleable putty. Abacus. Foreskin. Handlebars, brake levers and gear change. Peeling an orange or banana. Bayonet. Pendulum. Corkscrew, coils, interlocking loops. Crank handles. Knife switches (big ones). Etc
Korg NanoKontrolstudio? How come
I don’t see it mentioned anymore ?
https://www.korg.com/us/products/computergear/nanokontrol_studio/
Of course! That's what I was talking about. Whenever I'm talking to pro musicians, their knowledge about iOS music apps is usually close to zero and if at all, they're using the iPad for chatting, surfing and watching porn videos.
We have a wineeeeer 🥇. 😂👏👏👏
Like your thinking @u0421793 … getting 3D Touch on the Foreskin might be problematic and I think too much vibrato might lead to some very short creations but happy to give it a try…
I have 5 midi controllers but I rarely use them. Touch is like muscle memory now plus no wires or USB hubs etc to mess with it.
Unless something needs wires like a modular, I'm fine not needing knobs.
I suppose there could be some drawbacks
Ew
@Frank303 : I think you’ve just negated much of this thread w that entry right there. It looks like the answer and thanks for that!!
The Novation Circuit Tracks looks like a nice option.
Anyone here is using it?
Not to mention by the way that with midi cc control you get - often undesirable - stepping that you won't get when manipulating a knob inside its app directly on your touchscreen - another disadvantage of midi cc.
I’ve seen some really cool akai midimix setups online that have way better replacement knobs than the default shorties, and they’re found for cheap. And really cool wooden stands to compliment it. That’s kinda on my wishlist