Portable Keyboard MIDI Controller for MX4

[bsantoro]

I am looking for a bus-powered MIDI controller, very portable (2 octave keyboard), that I can take with my Apple Powerbook 17 1.67GHz. I want to assign and control MIDI parameters of the MOTU MX4 softsynth with DP as a host, primarily.

Anyone have any experience with these portable, bus-powered MIDI keyboards?

I am fascinated with the Novation ReMote LE 25 (new product) because of its assignable touchpad and joystrick, along with assignable faders and knobs. It even has transport controls (play, stop, rewind, record, etc.) which would be great if it could control DP 4.x's functions.

Here are some considerations:

http://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/ReMOTEle25/

http://www.novationmusic.com/product.asp?id=2&Type=1&bArchive=False

http://www.soundonsound.com/sos/aug03/articles/novationremote25.htm

http://www.edirol.com/products/info/pcrm1.html

http://www.m-audio.net/products/en_us/MAudioO2-main.html

Any recommendations?

[rabidmuppet]

im looking for one of these too! Thanks for the suggestions and the novanation seems the way to go.

[carrythebanner]

I haven't tried the others so I can't really speak on those, but I'm a fan of the Remote25 keyboard -- just enough keys, right combination of faders & knobs, and a fairly straight forward template editor app.

Haven't really run it through the ringers with MX4 in particular, but I've got no reason to believe you couldn't make MX4 run wild entirely from the Remote with a little time spent setting it up.

The additional MIDI output on the Remote can also be addressed a separate MIDI output port from your host, so if you want to bring one rack mounted module with you, you won't need an extra MIDI interface to do it. If you do this, though, make sure to turn off the MIDI Port 2 output for all parameters (set them to "U1-"), or what you're playing on your keyboard will also be send to that port.

[aboutfaceaudio]

I am a great fan of the Rolan PCR-1 (or M1, same thing). I recently spent two month backpacking through Italy and France and that little thing is nice and light and thin and can take a hit or two.

The touch sensitivity is nice too. The keys don't have any side-to-side "give" either, which is good.

<small>[ July 16, 2005, 06:19 PM: Message edited by: About Face Audio ]</small>

[bsantoro]

I just ordered the Roland (Edirol) PCR-M1. I should get it a a couple days. I couldn't wait for the Novation ReMOTE LE 25... it might ship after the end of August 2005.

I am glad to hear that someone is using the PCR-M1, and is satisfied with it. I will report my experience with it after a week of using it.

I hope I didn't jump the gun with NAMM starting in a few days. Hopefully there will not be any announcements that I might kick myself for.

bsantoro

[mhschmieder]

I saw the Novation ReMOTE LE announcement the other day and find it interesting.

Although I prefer 88-key weighted action for serious work, unless the CME overcomes its bad press and/or a local store starts carrying it so I can try it out, I'll probably need a smaller-profile controller for the computer desktop.

I just ordered MX-4 last night so it should arrive in a few days. There's no way that I can set up my Motif ES 8 monster workstation as a convenient master controller for soft synths!

I also just won an eBay bid for a Yamaha AN1x, whose controller knobs can be assigned to any MIDI CC that you desire and which has an X-Z ribbon controller. And my Alesis Ion has two mod wheels and is set up to send MIDI CC's for all of its knobs as well.

Has anyone used a VA to control MX-4? Is it easier to use a dedicated USB controller? Are there any templates yet for MX-4 for any of the more popular USB controllers and/or VA synths?

[bsantoro]

I went ahead and ordered the Edirol PCR-M1 MIDI keyboard controller. I couldn't wait for the Novation ReMOTE 25 LE, even though I would have probably purchased the ReMOTE LE if it were available. I only wish the PCR-M1 was a silver color to match my Powerbook G4 17" 1.67GHz.

I am really pleased with the PCR-M1's short-throw keyboard. The keys are very tight and very well aligned; very high quality. It is great for doing drumming parts, just as I suspected. Because there is less vertical distance of the keys, doing drumming parts is more analogous to drum pads. It took me awhile to get used to the short-throw for controlling the velocities of performances for other types of voices. I am getting very used to it quickly.

I am using it for MX4 assigned MIDI controlled changes with GarageBand and Digital Performer as the host. MX4 accepts the ability to attach any MIDI control to almost any parameter in MX4. To my surprise, GarageBand passes this information very well from the PCR-M1 to MX4.

Edirol has very well documented information provided along with their driver install. It explains exactly what to do in Audio/MIDI Setup. And it has built in memory maps for both GarageBand and Digital Performer.

I wish MOTU could update Digital Performer to be able to play GarageBand Instruments, if Apple would allow this. I need the ability to play softsynth drum parts directly in Digital Performer.

I highly recommend the Edirol PCR-M1. My only complaint is the pitch bend and modulation controls. They are a little bit weak in their physical structure, being such tiny rocker arms. I am hoping someone makes a x-y touchpad/joystick MIDI controller that I can plug into the MIDI-IN provided on the PCR-M1; and control with my left hand; and hopefully very compact for portability, like the PCR-M1.

bsantoro

http://homepage.mac.com/bob_santoro/my_music.html

[mhschmieder]

Very interesting, and that brings up another question: how best to "combine" multiple controllers. Should one do this by plugging in the MIDI outs of several modules into a MOTU 4x4 MIDI patchbay? I notice you describe a different approach and that might be simpler but does it introduce latency between the different controllers?

Although the specific scenario I have in mind is a digital piano which has no mod wheel, and feeding mod wheel MIDI CC messages through a USB controller or a VA synth.

Since most on this forum aren't interested in weighted action/etc., a more pertinent example might be a dedicated ribbon controller -- one of those really long multi-zone ones. Same scenario, but possibly of more interest to the readers here.

A final scenario, still no different from an integration point of view, would be to merge ribbon controller and/or trigger pads from a Roland HandSonic with keyboard note events on a separate module (whether a synth or a USB controller).

I've never really tried this before, and since my first guess at best solution involves buying something I don't otherwise need (a MIDI patchbay -- I have owned two over the years and sold them as my needs changed to where I didn't need them), I thought I'd see how others are doing it.

[bsantoro]

My goal is to create a very portable electronic music creation package; and to keep it simple. With this portable setup, I have my Powerbook G4 17" 1.67GHz, the Edirol PCR-M1 (very compact), and at the most, a left handed MIDI controller that is compact, battery powered (not another USB bus-powered unit); and with a MIDI port out (not another USB device, although that should be an option).

I could have picked-up the Edirol PCR-1 which is silver like my Powerbook, and is $50 dollars cheaper than the PCR-M1. I decided on the PCR-M1 because it has MIDI-IN/OUT, plus sustain and expression pedal inputs. That is why I am hoping for somekind of MIDI expression controller, I can use with my left-hand, plugged directly into the PCR-M1 keyboard.

The Novation ReMOTE 25 LE has great looking controllers (x-y touchpad and joystick) and also the Alesis Photon X25, check out its controller:

http://www.alesis.com/product.php?id=15

If some company could create a stand-alone controller that could plug-into the MIDI-IN of many MIDI keyboards; it would be great.

Could someone theoretically program a MIDI controller based on Apple's new 3-button Mouse? Its center button is an x-y controller? If Apple makes a BlueTooth model, than there would be no cords at all. If Apple's new Mouse cannot be used as a MIDI controller, than could someone create a BlueTooth MIDI controller?

I already have a MOTU MIDI ExpressXT 8-IN/8-OUT rack-mounted unit and MOTU 828 FireWire audio interface that I use with my Yamaha Motif7 keyboard for music other that electronic, like jazz and classical. I cannot drag my big keyboard and rack-mounted units around as easy as the portable music creation package I outline above.