MIDI Control Surfaces.

[Alejo]

Good evening,
Can I control the parameters of an audio track from Cubase with a MIDI control surface like the Behringer BCF2000? Are these controllers designed to control only MIDI devices and virtual instruments?
Thanks in advance for the responses,
Alejo.

[MOFO Pro]

You can control DAWs with this... but I'm not sure if it transmit MMC commands (transport). but there's ways around that...

I'm tempted myself... not a big risk at that price

[Alejo]

Txs for your message mofo.
Actually I have seen DAW's and integrated audio interface/control surface such as (Digi 002, Tascam FW1884, etc) that could make the job. But I don't need a new sound card but just a control surface, to feel the faders when mixing and retouching my audio tracks in Cubase. Except from drums, all I record is audio. The price of the BCF2000 is very attractive, but if it only works with MIDI and virtual instruments I would pay 200 euros for almost nothing.
I will keep on searching even though the answer should be very simple.
Cheers,
Alejo.

[tollbooth]

hey there

i'm guessing cost is the really attractive thing here and i have to admit to being staggered at the price of the new behringer surfaces, but they are phenomenally good at that! i'm always slightly nervous when i buy new eqmt wondering how long it will be before behringer come out with a version and make it silver! (i'm a pod user for goodness sake!)

however - that's as maybe - i have been using the Mackie Universal Control with Digital Performer for about 8 months now and it genuinely has changed my working life. everything is ten times quicker than it was. i don't know how it knits with other platforms, but it is seemless with DP and genuinely feels like it was made specifically for it (you even have a control overlay to make it feel even moreso!) . there are some really nice implementations on there, all of your day to day mouse clicks now have buttons;

rtz - rude solo - click on/off - clip clear - marker navigation - window selection - countoff - loop - bank navigation - even plug-in parameters

very cool machine - and the Penny & Giles faders are just lovely. touch sensitive and LONG!

and it's just a surface - MIDI only, so you're not paying for pre's if you already have them elsewhere like on the tascam and yamaha.

can highly recommend it.

hope this helps

paul d

[SureShotStudio]

Hello,

you can control the parameters of cubase with the BCF using generic remote altough it doesn't work very ergonomicly (uhh spell check?) , However i've heard some VERY good things about using the Mackie Control emulation of the BCF with the Mackie Control Template in Cubase SX and Nuendo on this forum www.synthforum.nl with that you can control your faders, pan and 4 sends for any channel because you can switch in banks of 8 through your project. unlike the generic remote where you have to assign the faders manualy (via mouse) in banks of 16. I'm planning on buying one once my cash flow gets rolling again.

Thomas

[Alejo]

Hi again,

Thank you both for your messages. I have to admit I was also seduced by the Mackie, but the price -let's say- doesn't fit on my budget (it costs seven times more than the BCR and 6 times more than the BCF, at least in this part of the world).

I didn't know yet about the Mackie emulation in Cubase. Thanks for the info. I hope is simpler than learning Dutch

Cheers,

Alejo.

[Michael Jones]

Hi.
I'm a Nuendo user, and I use a Yamaha O1V as a control surface for Nuendo.
It has Midi and MTC for the transport control.
I can control faders, pan, mute, solo for 14 chanels plus a master.

Now, it does come with a bank of pres and a multitude of effects, but I use it soley as a control surface. You can get these pretty cheaply right now. Since I can't afford the ID2, and the Mackie Universal Control only works with 8 channels in Nuendo (and Cubase) I'm staying away from it, for now.
What I think I'll do is pick up another O1V, chain the 2 together, and have 28 channels of control surface.

That's not really the way I want to go, but its a cheap(er) alternative.

[tollbooth]

Hi Michael

Yeah - i'd forgotten about the 8 channel limitation - for once it's something that MOTU have led the way on (don't get me wrong - i love DP, but we do seem to lag behind a little!) as DP supports unlimited extension units of the Control.

that said - i whinged to the UK marketing manager of mackie the other day that he's unlikely to sell many extenders anyhow, at merely £100 less than the complete master unit!!!!!

i know it's down to the Penny & Giles faders and boy are they good, but it's a real struggle getting the money together for the first one, and then i have to do everything all over again for the next bit - though i will upgrade eventually.

i might look at whether a yamaha desk is a cheaper second unit option (if i can figure out whether i can get the two to play nicely - as i could do with an automated desk for mobile work!

hmmmmm - thanks for that!

more money then.................... oh to hell with it - there goes another jingle!

have fun all.