Ideal ground controller of my dreams for A-FX...

jojo said:
Um.... sounds like we're trying to turn the axe into a Vetta (at least in terms of controls).
I had a vetta laying around for awhile as a backup rig to my main rack, not a bad piece of equipment really. I didn't like the lack of spillover and of course the axe has much better modeling and effects... but the line6 longboard foot controller was actually pretty cool. And they had a good idea using ethernet cable rather than midi to run the floorboard.
Click to expand...

Personally, I come from a GT-Pro Boss to Axe-FX Ultra.
This is the same problem as Vetta.
On GT-Pro, we have a full amp front panel controllers.

I think it's an important think for an amp simulator to keep a "real", or physical control of sound.

I love my Ultra so much, but I regret the amp controls...
 
If someone would build a 1U interface to control amp settings, I'd buy it. I designed something like I want a few weeks back:
l_5848cd3173f54511a589116fb27bcd26.gif


Maybe have a row of buttons. The buttons are essentially a bank of the misc knobs as to what functions they control.

I'd also buy something that sat near the FCB with some knobs like that & was phantom powered.

[knobs interface]
|
[FCB1010]
|
[Axe-FX]
 
LAYGO said:
If someone would build a 1U interface to control amp settings, I'd buy it. I designed something like I want a few weeks back:
l_5848cd3173f54511a589116fb27bcd26.gif


Maybe have a row of buttons. The buttons are essentially a bank of the misc knobs as to what functions they control.

I'd also buy something that sat near the FCB with some knobs like that & was phantom powered.

[knobs interface]
|
[FCB1010]
|
[Axe-FX]
Click to expand...


+1 for that. I'd buy that for sure!
 
jojo said:
the line6 longboard foot controller was actually pretty cool. And they had a good idea using ethernet cable rather than midi to run the floorboard.
Click to expand...

i agree! i am still using my Vetta II since I am nowhere near ready to debut my Ultra - especially since I haven't decided on a foot controller - and I like the functionality and layout of the longboard. I really like the dual pedal integration as well.
 
Am I missing something here?

How does the ability to address virtual 'knobs' with sysex, cut the processing 'cost' when the controls cant/wont be done with CC?
 
Matman said:
There are a world of realtime midi control products out there. Lighter weight units can easily be mounted to fly on TOP of your rack using aluminum hardware made to mount cell phones in a car.

http://www.synthzone.com/ctrlr.htm
Click to expand...

HEY! they do make something for 8 knobs & relatively cheap!!! $99:
http://www.encoreelectronics.com/cont_knob1.html

I can totally see dismantling it & mounting it in a 1U face plate/shelf! That'd be cool! I'd really like to see one up close!

This one looks bad asser, has LEDs & a joystick, except it's USB ONLY (bah). Killamix, $325:
http://www.kentonuk.com/kenton/killamix/killamix.html
http://www.audiomidi.com/Killamix-Mini-P9019.aspx
 
before I made the Liquid-Foot, it was this very 1U type of editor I wanted to originally make. Problem was that there are too many things that would have made this ineffective, plus there are certain things not available in Midi combined with a lack of information on many of the parameters that one would control. So I scrapped that editor project, but still wanted to control the AXE- so the Liquid-Foot was born. I wish I was able originally to have built that 1U type control editor unit...

We all move on!
 
U2JustMe said:
before I made the Liquid-Foot, it was this very 1U type of editor I wanted to originally make. Problem was that there are too many things that would have made this ineffective, plus there are certain things not available in Midi combined with a lack of information on many of the parameters that one would control. So I scrapped that editor project, but still wanted to control the AXE- so the Liquid-Foot was born. I wish I was able originally to have built that 1U type control editor unit...

We all move on!
Click to expand...

Well that Knobby I think fits the bill, except for the fact that it doesn't sit in a 1U form factor, but I think that's probably doable with some minor modification.

If I get some spare change (unemployed), I might try it.
 
The best thing about having a custom job rather than an off-the-shelf (though rare) SysEx-sending MIDI unit is that a ground-up custom unit would be able to respond to the state of the Axe-Fx.

The Knobby could work for creating patches, or if you're just careful about checking the settings before you tweak on the Knobby, but otherwise know that the Knobby has no idea what's going on on the Axe-Fx. In other words: if you're tweaking on one patch and you get it dialed in exactly how you want, then you move on to tweak another patch, all of the settings that you tweaked on the first patch are where you'll be starting from on the new patch, regardless of the current settings in the new patch.

Code: 
Controller   Axe-Fx Patch 1   Axe-Fx Patch 2
Drive 0      Drive 5          Drive 10

~Tweak to 5
Drive 1      Drive 1          Drive 10
Drive 2      Drive 2          Drive 10
Drive 3      Drive 3          Drive 10
Drive 4      Drive 4          Drive 10
Drive 5      Drive 5          Drive 10

~Tweak to 4
Drive 4      Drive 4          Drive 10

~Switch patches
Drive 4      Drive 4          Drive 10

~Tweak to 7
Drive 5      Drive 4          Drive 5
Drive 6      Drive 4          Drive 6
Drive 7      Drive 4          Drive 7
Something like that... but for every parameter and every patch, unless you duplicate all of your patches on and only tweak from the controller.
If you're cool with that limitation though, then cool. :)
 
godprobe said:
The best thing about having a custom job rather than an off-the-shelf (though rare) SysEx-sending MIDI unit is that a ground-up custom unit would be able to respond to the state of the Axe-Fx.

The Knobby could work for creating patches, or if you're just careful about checking the settings before you tweak on the Knobby, but otherwise know that the Knobby has no idea what's going on on the Axe-Fx. In other words: if you're tweaking on one patch and you get it dialed in exactly how you want, then you move on to tweak another patch, all of the settings that you tweaked on the first patch are where you'll be starting from on the new patch, regardless of the current settings in the new patch.

Something like that... but for every parameter and every patch, unless you duplicate all of your patches on and only tweak from the controller.
If you're cool with that limitation though, then cool. :)
Click to expand...

Almost not following you on that 'code', but the fact that 2 way communication would be ideal is understood.

A combination of Knobby + Killamix would be perfect. MIDI functions over MIDI ports of the Knobby, endless rotaries with LED settings that remember the state for that patch of the Killamix would be THE solution.

Do they make a USB to MIDI adapter? :)
 
Below are pics of a rig I was building a while ago. The most important thing to me is ergonomics and easy tweakability. I had a Alesis Photon X-25 keyboard controller (the one with the infared MIDI controller) on top with a number of knobs. I started building the thing and realized how crazy heavy it was - not worth it. I've since scaled down to an Ultra and have been rethinking the rack thing. I'm trying to devise a way to have the Ultra at hip level with its front panel angled towards me and with the X-25 on top for realtime control. Liquid Foot on the ground. Ultimately, I would love to have a controller at hip level with assignable knobs reflecting the Axe-FX patch settings. I hate turning a knob and having a parameter jump. It would be great to have an LCD up top like the Novation pic below that labels the parameter and value w/a LED ring around the knobs to reflect the parameter.

Also, if only Cliff would allow MIDI control of the Ultra's synth :cry: :-(

Rackb.jpg
30.jpg
 
Dude that Novation could work for me too! We actually have a few songs that need some keys! Cool . . .

Again, my problem is USB powered. Do they make a way to make USB-to-MIDI adapters from USB at the device side vs the pc side? The only connections on the Novations/Killamix are USB B plugs. I guess it would be to say MIDI-to-USB! ;)

The point being, not needing to have a laptop to power the thing. I'd love to just go from Novation SL 25 MKII to Axe-FX & control it and or generate sounds. Maybe in conjunction with a MOTU MIDI Express XV?
 
LAYGO said:
If someone would build a 1U interface to control amp settings, I'd buy it. I designed something like I want a few weeks back:
l_5848cd3173f54511a589116fb27bcd26.gif


Maybe have a row of buttons. The buttons are essentially a bank of the misc knobs as to what functions they control.
Click to expand...


I thought of the 1u MIDI knob box extender idea too and then found this thread. Seems like a great idea.

If there was such a box (or you were able to build one) would the Axe be able to respond to dedicated tone control knobs with no problems?

I was looking at the Korg NanoKONTROL, the Kenton Spin Doctor, and the Kenton Killamix Mini. Of those I think only the Spin Doctor has actual MIDI ports and it's not exactly 1u sized.
 
jimiyves said:
What do you think about this ?

Click to expand...
Lovely! On 2U it's really cool, but I'm not sur that the 19" format permit to take up to 16 pots.
But, I think we can get this concept higher and do a bigger controller, for example 4 units high or more and mount it on the top of a flight case like this one:

[attachment=0:2u6qppg7]TopRack.jpg[/attachment:2u6qppg7]

You know what I mean?
Axe and some other gears on the bottom, and the controller on the top.

Désolé, je t'ai zappé lorsque tu as demandé des avis les premières fois (y compris sur Audiofanzine), mais j'ai tellement la tronche dans mon rig en ce moment...
 

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  • TopRack.jpg
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My pic is only a prototyp, or an idea. It's a controller that I would like to have, but it must be possible tu make different products.




C'est pas grave Spawn, je l'ai remis là justement parce que j'avais pas eu beaucoup de réactions ailleurs :lol:
 
The Novation controllers can be powered with a wall wart, so no USB is needed to control the Ax with it. I've been experimenting with using Ableton Live and setting up one track to control the Ax while being able to play soft synths as well. Don't have it totally set, but I have instructions for how to have one channel of Ableton mapped to my Ax external controllers. You can do some amazing things then, like draw graphs of controller movements on the Ax that can be saved and played as clips. It allows you to do some amazing things with the Ax. I know my Behringer controller will send notes, so I'm now realizing that I could actually footswitch in/out the automated parameter clips in Live which opens up a ton of whackiness.

I so wish the Ax's controllers only responded to external control when a control was moved to the value stored in the preset. What happens for me is that if I have parameters assigned to controllers, when I change presets, the values in the preset are overridden by the external controllers when the patch is shifted which can result in some crazy behavior, particularly when going from a Fenderish clean amp to an amp with more gain. What you have to do apparently is to essentially have the preset values stored in the controller and switch controller patches as well as Ax patches. If someone knows different, I'd love to hear about it.

Mike
 
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