Re: [LAU] 'Modular' midi controller for keyboard

Does anybody know what Linux apps are able to interact with a MIDI
remote control, assumed the MIDI control is able to interact with apps?

Review, a little bit too long.

The nanoKONTROL has one serious disadvantage. You can't expect motorized
sliders for that price, but at least the "pan pots" could be dialing
wheels, able to receive the value from the software and to continue from
that value, but even if the software should be able to interact with the
control, AFAIK the nanoKONTROL is unable to handle this.

It's very good workmanship for that price, a much better quality than my
Behringer products provide (ADA 8000, Modulizer Pro and UB24442-FX2-PRO)
compared by price-performance ratio. 4 cm faders, very short, but a
better slide than e.g. the allegedly Alps of my Behringer mixer. The
plastic case isn't as bad as you might think, but of course, it's
plastic.

The python app for Linux (have forgotten the name and need to download
it again :S) to save scenes works very good, you can assign all kinds of
functionality to the faders, pots and knobs, but unfortunately saving
and loading settings doesn't work. The nanoKONTROL does hold the
assignments, but you perhaps want to change them by loading other
assignments. The original Korg app doesn't run under wine and I didn't
test it with VBox until now. The Linux app might not work for the new
nanoKONTROL.

I like it very much and I'm willing to buy additional nanoKONTROLs.
Since it's not expensive you should buy one to test it.

I don't know the device you mentioned, but this devices seems to be more
advanced. Until now I only used the nanoKONTROL to manipulate Yoshimi
filters in real-time and this does work perfectly, the only drawback is
the issue regarding to the values. As long as you keep the fader and app
in sync, e.g. by not switching the scene and only continuing from the
last position of fader control, IOW no rewind by the sequencer etc. it's
not an issue, but assumed you want to readjust some values by real-time
recording, than you can forget the nanoKONTROL, it's easier to record
the controllers again, instead of readjusting just some values in the
timeline.

For my needs it's good, but it's not perfect, even mouse control by
Atari's Cubase real-time SysEx editor is better regarding to some
aspects.

It isn't a toy, but it can't replace a mixing console or the control
panel of an old analog synth. It's a compromise.

Latency isn't an issue and you can use it with an extension cable, but I
didn't test how long the cable can be, before it stops working.

I don't use a converter cable, I use USB connected to the computer.

I can't speak for a converter cable, but for serious work you can only
use one MIDI thru, if you make a chain by two MIDI thru, than MIDI can't
be used for serious work anymore. But it's always better to avoid even
one MIDI thru.

While the opto-couplers in the 80s were slower, but still fast enough
for MIDI, there were no level issues in the past. Today they often use
opto-couplers that are much faster than needed, but the level often is
to low to work properly. So I won't trust a cheap converter cable. Btw.
faster opto-couplers don't make the latency shorter. Important is a
clean slew rate and good level, that also won't reduce the latency, but
will avoid errors.

As for low budget, buy a KORG nanoKONTROL, it will satisfy you for that
price.

Btw. IMO MIDI jitter is less important for control data, but it could be
important, if so you indeed should get a real MIDI IO device, instead of
an USB MIDI device, assumed you use MIDI for the computer by PCI/PCIe
instead of USB.

I can't use my iPad as remote for Linux, hopefully it's possible in the
future, since it does provide very nice MIDI controller apps. But an
iPad for sure isn't stable enough (regarding to the display) for stage,
much to expensive already without MIDI equipment, didn't get WiFi
working until now and it's Apple :(.

Perhaps it's possible to use cheap tablet PCs as MIDI remote too.

Sorry, English isn't my strong point.

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Received on Fri Mar 22 04:15:03 2013