to hardware control or not to hardware control

thebookofbob

Hi all, I wondered if I could get a few opinions on using Control surfaces with DAWs ( this mail applies to Cubase/Nuendo really. I've heard some people say they increase their productivity and they get to parameters deep in their VSTis that they'd never played with before. I've also heard that if your fast enough with a PC mouse/keyboard & are doing a lot of stuff in the editor window , like painting in controller data there's no point & if you know your keyboard keys well , why bother?


I don't want to spend money on something I don't need but if I can increase my work efficiency I'd be interested.

cornbb

Hardware control makes an awful lot of sense from an ergonomic point of view. The keyboard/mouse combo is a classic interaction scenario, one which you could not live without, but it is a generic one and has many limitations for musical purposes, eg you can only have one mouse pointer on screen at once whereas with a hardware controller you can simultaneously move as many faders as you have fingers. Similarly, turning a knob with a mouse pointer is very fiddly compared to twisting one with your fingers.

frobisher

I want to pick one up myself. The basic options of transport control while recording yourself make them very useful in my opinion.

thebookofbob

Hi Frobisher, yeh, I agree it def makes sense if I'm tweaking controller parameters at realtime which I sometimes do, but ever increasingly I will open up the edit window in cubase & use the line or paint tool & the drop down box to pick the controller parameter I want & paint it in. I suppose in which case the whole thing then becomes a glorified transport bar if I'm not using the faders much.
What other uses can I put it too?. I suppose if the faders can be used to mimic the faders in the master mixer then it's very useful as I will generally be setting levels with the mouse & it's a pain having to scroll through the channels to find the right one whilst listening to the track.
& I notice there's a good few of them out there.. What should I be looking for in a control surface?

TelePaul

A controil surface is basically a big mouse. It's useful when you need to look a bit professional, when 4 or 5 musicians are clustered around you watching you work with a mouse you realise a control surface would make things alot smoother.

teamdresch

The reason I'm hoping to pick one up very soon is that it lets you stop making decisions with your eyes, and rely on your ears all the time.
I hate having to look at a plugin or fader to move it.

The Faderport and Alphatrack both look great for compact, one-fader solutions. Both have strengths and weaknesses.

thebookofbob

teamdresch wrote:

The reason I'm hoping to pick one up very soon is that it lets you stop making decisions with your eyes, and rely on your ears all the time.
I hate having to look at a plugin or fader to move it.

The Faderport and Alphatrack both look great for compact, one-fader solutions. Both have strengths and weaknesses.

now I didn't think of that one.. I spend 8-10 hours in front of a screen before I even switch the home PC on.. probably not good for my eyes so that's a hell of a good reason.. might even get that one past the mrs ;-)

teamdresch

I'd love to be able to turn the screen off altogether, but I'd probably need at least a command 8 or similar sized control surface to do so.
Even then, not all plugins are gonna map to the surface, and obviously editing and some transport stuff you're gonna need the screen for.
I'd be happy if I can get at least part of the way there.

Mind you, I wish I could just use a proper analog desk and outboard and throw the PC out the window.

eddyc

I wish I could afford a lemur

http://www.jazzmutant.com/lemur_overview.php

thebookofbob

ok concluding then it's probably a good idea to get one. Maybe the pro could suggest? cornb , frobisher et all what would you look for in a decent surface?