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Old 04-20-2018, 08:13 PM   #1
themixtape
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Default Any small MIDI controllers like Launchpad Mini but smaller (for assignable actions)?

Looking for a tiny thing that lets me change Reaper tracks/midi channels on the fly, from a little 25-key midi controller. Change a LOT of sounds? Need it for a show.

Something like Launchpad Mini, but smaller, maybe even rectangular... kind of like Korg's NanoKontrol2, but even smaller, and no sliders... literally just buttons. Assigned to Reaper's Actions.... like, say these buttons could do MIDI CCs or notes but have custom channels (not assigned to generic Channel 1, which can be a bit of a pain).

I am searching my brain and google, but can't seem to find anything that can work. Closest thing I can see is a Launchpad Mini (but you can't change the MIDI channel, nor make it send CCs, as they send MIDI notes)... or the Nanokontrol 2.

Literally, something ideally like 10" wide, with 4 rows of like 25 buttons... with an assignable MIDI channel and/or software that lets me configure it for CC/note.

Anything? Thanks, everyone!
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Old 04-20-2018, 11:36 PM   #2
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May be something like https://www.midifighter.com/ ?

Alternatively there is MIDIToReaControlPath plug-in. You route any MIDI controller (f.e. keys) to Reaper, apply any JS FXes (f.e. map keys to CC, change MIDI channel) and at the end route the result to Control Path (for learning actions).
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Old 04-21-2018, 12:05 AM   #3
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I'm very curious... these plugins... sound like they might do what I want. I would be ok with the 32-key mini midi keyboard... these 32 keys as 32 tracks.... just don't know enough about these cool plugins (yet) but very curious.

I found another thread on google where someone suggested one of those button strips, or computer-keyboard strips (4, 8, 16 in a row)... sadly, these things are literally $100. Would make more sense if these things were not a penny over $30, but if I could find something like that, but just... affordable... that would be awesome.

Thoughts? Thank you so much for your reply!
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Old 04-21-2018, 12:35 AM   #4
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What about using a foot controller to save desktop real estate ?

What about using a smart phone or a mini tablet ?

-Michael
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Old 04-21-2018, 08:56 AM   #5
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Quote:
Originally Posted by mschnell View Post
What about using a foot controller to save desktop real estate ?

What about using a smart phone or a mini tablet ?

-Michael
Totally considered. But it would be more practical changing stuff between songs/ideas using hands. As far as tablets go, I'm not big on the phone/ipad thing in a studio (yet).... thx!
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Old 04-21-2018, 08:58 AM   #6
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http://www.fentek-ind.com/xks16.htm#xks16

Can't believe a simple thing like this is $97....
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Old 04-21-2018, 09:03 AM   #7
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a cheap android tabled or old phone using TouchOSC would ....

not be a good solution. there's something tactile that's lacking with touchscreens that i can't get down with

you could buy a raspberry pi and a extra tiny keyboard and NodeRed to convert key strokes to midi?

or,

in the past i've used an old windows laptop and GlovePie + another keyboard to do something like you're trying to do but it's more gear than needed

or,

an arduino + multiplex chip + a bunch of tact switches would do the job
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Old 04-21-2018, 09:55 AM   #8
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Same. I need real buttons.

The closest thing I found is the Icon I-Stage:

http://s3-us-west-2.amazonaws.com/ic...11/istage1.jpg



The problem is.... it's crap, from the reviews. Absolute garbage. If Korg could do something like this, they'd have a winner on their hands.

The search continues....
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Old 04-21-2018, 01:57 PM   #9
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Maybe Roli Block Touch ?

-Michael
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Old 04-21-2018, 07:52 PM   #10
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Hmm. Could work, but aren't those Roli things all pressure-sensitive and not just simple buttons? I just want simple buttons. I wish the Icon I-Stage wasn't such a piece of crap, haha.
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Old 04-21-2018, 08:15 PM   #11
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https://www.sweetwater.com/store/det...SABEgLh5fD_BwE

Could this be the winner? Might be.... every button and knob can be assigned to a specific MIDI channel, note, or CC. 2 banks of 16 buttons. And 8 encoders and a slider if I need them. Might be what I'm lookin for.
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Old 04-21-2018, 09:27 PM   #12
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I do have it's big brother "Compact". Works very well. Comes with software to assign any midi message individually to any button / rotary / slider.

-Michael
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Old 04-21-2018, 09:33 PM   #13
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Quote:
Originally Posted by mschnell View Post
I do have it's big brother "Compact". Works very well. Comes with software to assign any midi message individually to any button / rotary / slider.

-Michael
Yeah, that looks AWESOME especially the motorized faders. It's like a Mackie Control Universal... more compact/useful... good stuff, great price.
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Old 04-21-2018, 09:37 PM   #14
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Right now I use it for live performance with my Reaper based keyboard setup. Looking forward to additionally using it for mixing enabled by the very versatile bidirectional controller surface Reaper plugin that is in the works right now.

-Michael
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Old 04-21-2018, 09:49 PM   #15
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Quote:
Originally Posted by mschnell View Post
Right now I use it for live performance with my Reaper based keyboard setup. Looking forward to additionally using it for mixing enabled by the very versatile bidirectional controller surface Reaper plugin that is in the works right now.

-Michael
Details! I am somewhat experienced with all these midi plugins... but I am constantly blown away by Reaper's power and versatility, especially when it comes to the Actions list, and all the MIDI stuff you can do. Blows me away.

Basically, I'm looking at this X-Touch Mini for a couple reasons: 1, when I have a lot of plugin instruments (and multitimbral at that-- 8 or 16-channel, like Kontakt), I absolutely HATE using the mouse to mute what I was playing before, then arming another track.

With Reaper's "auto arm track when selected" thing... it's perfect for a multitimbral plugin... especially if I had a controller like that X-Touch Mini... those 16 buttons could be the 16 Kontakt channels. So when I'm done tracking say, a piano part... I just literally "select" the next track in line (again, Reaper's actions make this happen easily)... and now I'm recording the strings part, or whatever.

I teach as my day job, and I work for an after-school lessons school... we put on tribute shows to big bands and sometimes our stage boards don't cut it... so I bring my 61-key MIDI controller, laptop... and, if everything's set right, I can have these kids hit one of those buttons and change the sound as needed... (Kontakt/Komplete 11 works exceptionally well for all these "classic song" sounds)... and then, Reaper to the rescue yet again.... the Project Tabs, and being able to assign a MIDI button to "next project tab" or "previous project tab" - say I need like, 36 total sounds for the show (max!)...

Project 1 - Kontakt, and 12 channels of sounds for the first few songs (last few buttons on the Behringer can be assigned to Previous/Next Tab)
Project 2 - another Kontakt instance, with 12 new sounds
Project 3 - another Kontakt instance, with the last 12 sounds we need.

Boom. Saves an insane amount of time and headache... and sounds better than the hardware keyboard equivalents.

I love MIDI.

It's almost like Mainstage, but more simple.... the laptop literally doesn't even need to have its screen propped up... it can be closed, and just act as a sound module.
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Old 04-21-2018, 11:28 PM   #16
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Quote:
Originally Posted by themixtape View Post
Details! I am somewhat experienced with all these midi plugins...
-> https://forum.cockos.com/showthread.php?t=183143
Not a Midi plugin, but the "Control Surface Integrator Solution" is a Reaper extension plugin done in C++. It is supposed to be versatile by reading control files that define which activity on the Control surface is mapped to what kind of Reaper actions.

-Michael
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Old 04-21-2018, 11:42 PM   #17
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Thanks! But also curious about the details on how you use Reaper with your keyboard rig!
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Old 04-22-2018, 01:07 AM   #18
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I use SWS LiveConfigs and I did a lot Midi JSFXes.

With that I can use the buttons and Rotary push actions to select 32 patches for either of my two Master keyboards.

Each of these 64 patches stores up to 17 parameters that in realtime can be tweaked by the motor faders and 8 of the rotaries (which jump to the appropriate position when changing a patch). The parameters are re-applied to the VSTs when a patch is re-selected, as another patch might use the same VST(s).

9 buttons are dedicatedly used for transpose to any key.

Some other rotaries are used for central settings (like main EQ), and to remote-control an X18 rack mixer to set the Monitor- and Main- Volume for the keyboard rig (Reaper -> Midi -> OSCII-Bot -> WLAN -> XR18).

The "B" Layer is dedicated to control the Rack Mixer in a bidirectional way (currently just a MainMix Volume Fader, and some of the Buttons, Faders and rotaries as restricted channel strips <Mute, Main- and Monitor- Volume> ) for the other band members (while the Guitarist has his own OSC-WLAN enabled Foot Control board to use the XR18 as an effect rack).

-Michael

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Old 04-22-2018, 09:48 AM   #19
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https://www.numark.com/product/orbit

I use it with PlayTime, paid $50 CDN.
It can trigger up to 64 actions.
No longer in prodcution but maybe eBay or kijiji.
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Old 04-22-2018, 02:10 PM   #20
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That Numark thing looks awesome!

Michael-- I'm unable to fully follow how your setup is, haha. A lot of this terminology is over my head, at least presently.... what particular plugins are you running that the rotaries can control the parameters? If you could post a video of how you do what you do, that would be incredibly awesome.. I'd love to see how you're having the Behringer X-Touch Compact control your live rig.
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Old 04-22-2018, 09:48 PM   #21
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Besides SWS LiveConfigs, all other Midi controlling plugins used are JSFXes I did for that purpose.

E.g. one is the "core" that e.g. handles the buttons, sending their actions e.g. to LiveConfigs and the other JSFXes and provides Midi feedback to the Controller Surface to have the buttons and LED rings light up and blink appropriately.

Another one receives, stores and sends (to the sound VSTs, and to the Control Surface for displaying) the 17 parameters for a patch. This one is instantiated 64 times - for any possible patch.

Other JSFX plugin (Midi filters) handle transposing and dedicated needs of certain sound VSTs.

I don't think a Screenshot video show much, and in fact "on stage" no monitor is connected to the PC; and nobody is doing videos of myself acting on stage . If you are interested here is a kind of preliminary documentation -> http://schnellphoto.de/X%20Touch%20Patch.pdf

-Michael
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Old 04-24-2018, 11:49 AM   #22
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Quote:
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Besides SWS LiveConfigs, all other Midi controlling plugins used are JSFXes I did for that purpose.

E.g. one is the "core" that e.g. handles the buttons, sending their actions e.g. to LiveConfigs and the other JSFXes and provides Midi feedback to the Controller Surface to have the buttons and LED rings light up and blink appropriately.

Another one receives, stores and sends (to the sound VSTs, and to the Control Surface for displaying) the 17 parameters for a patch. This one is instantiated 64 times - for any possible patch.

Other JSFX plugin (Midi filters) handle transposing and dedicated needs of certain sound VSTs.

I don't think a Screenshot video show much, and in fact "on stage" no monitor is connected to the PC; and nobody is doing videos of myself acting on stage . If you are interested here is a kind of preliminary documentation -> http://schnellphoto.de/X%20Touch%20Patch.pdf

-Michael
Gotta look more into this. I somewhat follow you but am still very much ignorant to advanced MIDI use. Thanks!
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