external controllers?

Don't know if this is in the right forum, but asking you experts anyway. Exposing my abysmal ignorance in this area, but there came up a need and I'm clueless how to go forward with a fix.
 
In the good ol days and everything was hardware, you had physical knobs to control parameters in real time.
 
Software got knobs, but way more difficult to turn them precisely with a mouse. Automation cool but complex, and doesn't have the live feel of turning a physical knob or a slider.
 
Do they make a hardware controller that can be harnessed to several of the vst or vsti parameters so that you can manage them in real time, with real knobs and sliders. Does this even exist in our current science?
 
Thanks for any advice. Hope all of you are well.
 
John
 
 

Thank you Ol Pal for getting me directed.
 
Search from my end is now to wrap what few of my brain cells are left to undesstand the interface.
 
Appreciate your leads.
 
Best,
John
 

Ol Pal,
 
One of my recording techniques used to be to process a track through a flanger using the "manual" knob. The automatic sweep turned off.
 
This makes for an effect that uses the flange notch as a note. The note can tune up and down to follow the track tone. Very useful but almost impossible to do with a mouse.
 
Was looking for a controller with several knobs that could be assigned to the parameters on a vst effect.
 
Another use would be getting better control of the manual sweep for a wah peddle.
 
Thanks for any info.
 
John

Yup, if you don't need a full sized keyboard and just want some sliders and knobs the Korg nano series works a treat...and cheap too!  The Quneo also looks interesting.
 
I just got a Novation Impulse 49 for my new home laptop setup.  Tres fab.
 

JohnKenn
Thanks guys, Appreciate these leads.
 
I guess the question I have is if the hardware knobs can be assigned to specific virtual knobs on a vst effect. My gap in understanding is if the knobs on virtual vst's are controlled by midi CC's. If so, this would work well.
 
John

Yes, absolutley!!
Here's some reading that should interest you.
http://www.soundonsound.com/sos/mar09/articles/korgnanoseries.htm

JohnKenn
Thanks Mesh, Ol Pal
 
Diving into this to get myself semi educated.
 
John

You're most welcome.
Good thing you posted this......now, I have to get my older version of nanokontrol out of storage and start using it again.