Using a control surface to control a lot of different destinations at once

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Dream Station 1.0
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2013/06/07 06:57:22 (permalink)

Using a control surface to control a lot of different destinations at once

Hello,
 
Long time cakewalk user... hitting the forum for the first time  :-)
 
Hoping someone can help...
 
I have a buddy's BCR2000 (with a view to buy my own) and I want to know if I can set it up to use in Sonar so it can control different soft synths and mixer or Pro Channel parameters from a single BCR template.  For example, one knob to control the sample end point for a cell in Battery, one to control the HP frequency in a Pro Channel EQ on a different instrument track, one to control the amp envelope attack on an instance of Massive, maybe another to control the compressor release on a bus Pro Channel.  I want to be able to have a handful of encoders accessible at once, at my fingertips, for different destinations without changing templates on the BCR or opening and closing soft synths, or selecting different tracks, or bringing anything to the foreground.  I don't want to touch the mouse, I just grab the knobs and tweak as my project loops.  Can a control surface work like that in Sonar?  If not the BCR, is there another one?  I like the look of the Livid Code 2, for example, but want to know if I can set it up this way.  This may have been a stupid question, if so, I'm sorry... just be kind  :-)
 
Cheers!
#1

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    bitman
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    Re: Using a control surface to control a lot of different destinations at once 2013/06/07 09:15:42 (permalink)
    Generally, yes.
    The control data from a surface is a single stream with all the parameters you spin interleaved.
    To the human is *seems* simultaneous. - That said, midi trucks along as midi's rate.
     
    Our forthcoming plug supports all 32 bcr2000 knobs at once in ACT for such a task as this.
    This plug is in beta right now but you can get a look at the feature list here.
     
    http://forum.cakewalk.com/BCRMultiUnit-control-surface-plugin-for-Sonar-3-X2-in-beta-now-m2827722.aspx

    lsb
     
    https://www.reverbnation.com/ronnierocks
     
    #2
    bitman
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    Re: Using a control surface to control a lot of different destinations at once 2013/06/07 16:26:48 (permalink)
    Double Post........

    lsb
     
    https://www.reverbnation.com/ronnierocks
     
    #3
    bitman
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    Re: Using a control surface to control a lot of different destinations at once 2013/06/07 16:26:34 (permalink)
    As far as I can tell though, ACT will only control the focused device even if you learn knobs across VSTIs
    You may be able to map controls outside of act to each individual control via MIDI Learn but that can be tedious.

    lsb
     
    https://www.reverbnation.com/ronnierocks
     
    #4
    Dream Station 1.0
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    Re: Using a control surface to control a lot of different destinations at once 2013/06/07 19:35:35 (permalink)
    Thanks for your help!
     
    Sounds like I might not be able to set things up quite the way I'd like, which is a shame.  Being able to work like that would improve my workflow considerably.  I wonder, can the buttons on the BCR be used to switch between softsynths, then?
    #5
    bitman
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    Re: Using a control surface to control a lot of different destinations at once 2013/06/07 22:37:56 (permalink)
    It's possible in a plugin (that you would have to write) to have a switch select the last fx / next fx - that's it there. ACT auto switches controller focus to the foreground processor which you select with a mouse or touch.

    lsb
     
    https://www.reverbnation.com/ronnierocks
     
    #6
    swamptooth
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    Re: Using a control surface to control a lot of different destinations at once 2013/06/08 01:59:01 (permalink)
    add automation lanes for each parameter you want to control, then right-click the parameter slider and click remote control.  move a knob on the controller and click learn in the dialog box.  that does the trick, though the settings are not retained from session to session.

     
    Arvid H. Peterson
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    #7
    Dream Station 1.0
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    Re: Using a control surface to control a lot of different destinations at once 2013/06/10 23:50:45 (permalink)
    Thanks guys.  That last piece of advice from swamptooth has given me a good idea.  Maybe this is easier to set-up using the FX chain modules.  I can assign those synth parameters I want to the knobs of the FX-chain, as well as EQ, compressor settings from the Pro Channel, then all I need to do is switch tracks using ACT, which I can do on the BCR without changing templates.
     
    Thanks for your help  :-)
    #8
    Dream Station 1.0
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    Re: Using a control surface to control a lot of different destinations at once 2013/06/11 00:24:54 (permalink)
    Errrr... actually, maybe not.  I guess FX chains are for... effects.  Makes sense, really  :-P
    #9
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