Bcf2000

[demensia]

I just bought the behringer bcf2000.. Its probably my first real introduction to midi.. I did try a while back to get into using a keyboard as a midi trigger, but I gave up.... I bought it to control Adobe Audition 1.5 and when I set it up, I was pretty dissapointed... I guess its just not what I thought it was.
It was pretty confusing to set up... It wasn't plug and play.. I just expected it to work when I plugged it in.

To work with audition I have to use it in Sonar mode... so when I turn it on, I have to hold button under the 4th rotary encoder... That emulates mackie for sonar.... and allows it to work with audition.

Thats cool, the faders work, and the panning works.. the transport works.. But its just not complete. I have to play around with the buttons to trigger a record... to arm tracks and such..

Maybe I'll get used to it... maybe it works better with other multitrack software.. Has anyone had better experience?

Also.. since theres buttons for the transport control and preset button mappings... could I use it as a drum machine? I mean.. tap the transport buttons for snare, bass.. etc? That would be kind of cool, and would be one less thing I would have to obsess about buying.

It looks like it does alot of crap, and its limited by audition.

[ssscientist]

I have the BCR2000 --- the one with the rotary encoders instead of the automated faders --- and I picked it because it has more raw control surface.

As far as controlling everything and never needing to touch the mouse, you could spend 5 times more than you probably spent on the BCF and pop for the Mackie Control or 8 times more and get the 24 channel Tascam control surface. Or just buy another BCF or BCR --- Behringer designed them to be cascadable.

Midi control surfaces as a species are relatively new, even though JL Cooper, Peavey and Midiman (now MAudio) have been making configurable midi fader boxes of one size or another for two decades, almost back to the dawn of midi.

If it's basically doing what you want it to do but you still need to do some things with a mouse, my advice would be to get used to it.

[demensia]

The thing that annoys me the most is the encoders for panning...

I can't pan two channels together at the same time.. Audition flips out...
If I'm trying to pan 60/40 or 20/80 or what not to hear what it sounds like... Audition jumps back and fourth between the selected tracks... I just goes nuts... they work fine one at a time though..

If I can't do that... I might as well just use the mouse for everything... if all it does is move the faders up and down and look cool, its not really useful... I can hit play.. but play only plays to the end of the screen.. I'd have to map a midi trigger and rob from something else to play the whole file..
Eh.

[ssscientist]

Those sound like Audition problems to me.

If you have to go thru the routine of pretending it's a Mackie through the Sonar protocol you've probably confused Audition somewhere down the line, but I couldn't tell you where.

If you're not happy with it and you can still return it do so. You're probably distracting yourself from what's really important --- making music.

[mixmkr]

If I am not mistaken AA2.0 allows you to set external devices for "mackie control" and you don't have to go thru the extra steps each time. Potentially the AA update might work better too. I thought the BCF2000 came with templates for the different software programs...or is that the Mackie?

[demensia]

Originally Posted by mixmkr

If I am not mistaken AA2.0 allows you to set external devices for "mackie control" and you don't have to go thru the extra steps each time. Potentially the AA update might work better too. I thought the BCF2000 came with templates for the different software programs...or is that the Mackie?

The BCF2000 came with some templates, but the templates are for logic, sonar, and cubase... No mention of Audition.. 1.5 has the same deal.. I set the external device to Mackie control... and it works.. but certainly not well.

Thanks for the replies.
I wish I could pan channels together. that would be cool as hell.

[mixmkr]

well...unless I hear some other "happy" reports...you may just be saving me 200 bananas

the mackie is too much $$ for my uses... actually probably just a glorified toy for me.

[Carter]

Originally Posted by mixmkr

I thought the BCF2000 came with templates for the different software programs...or is that the Mackie?

Nope thats the Mackie Control Universal, and It can never be a glorfied toy! with it you never have to touch the mouse again, far more options than the BFC, (I owned one) plug-in control and much more. If you had one Im sure that you would use all the optoins that come with it.