I am wondering what control surfaces are compatable with splat?

@ Chuck and Walt. Your quite welcome, sometimes we all just need a reminder of things we already know, as well as stuff we aren't aware of.
 Mackie's MC protocol has become the world wide #1 industry standard for DAW controllers, HUI protocol due to certain slight limitations is #2 and both are strictly transmitted thru basic MIDI commands no matter what type interface is used to get MIDI I/O from the device to the computer. Neither require special drivers for Windows or Mac computer.
 Most users new to world of DAW controllers typically complain about and blame the hardware from problems they have using MC or HUI controllers with their favorite DAW of choice.
 Over the years, I've found the opposite to be true, it's actually how well the DAW is written and coded to support controller protocols.
 SONAR is very good, powerful and stable with MC, PBBBTZZzz with HUI in my experience.
 
 Logic Pro, obviously the very DAW used in creating the MC protocol, doesn't even need any overlay for the control section for the MCU or X T. It's the only DAW where everything is labeled correctly.
 Plug it in, play, and have a nice day.
 I always really, really liked Logic and was a solid user/fan up until the time EMagic sold out to Apple who immediately dropped support for Windows, and so I became to start to become a fan of Cakewalk Pro Audio.
 Certainly NOT because of the way it handled audio, because of the way it handled MIDI.
 I had then, and still do use Pro Tools on a Mac, but never as a first choice, out of necessity. Back then it was the ONLY way to get audio in and out of my computer with an 8 channel MOTU interface.
 Today, being the hands down defacto industry standard, it's the only way to say in business. People get really excited when they hear I have a Pro Tools based recording studio, and yawn when I try to talk about SONAR, LoL.
 But only for the first time, which upon their insistence, I record them in Pro Tools 8 with Digi O3 Pro mixer interface, they just seem to glow and beam, and many times it just ends there.
 But other times, the truly adventurous let me try mixing their Pro Tools projects in SPLAT thru Focusrite Scarlett 18i20 using the Focusrite Red 2 EQ, Red 3 Comp, Prochannel running thru N Type (obviously code for Neve) channel module and then the atypical glowing and beaming experience turns into a wide eyed jaw dropping epiphany of "Holy Mother of Rupert" Pro Tools sounds as flat and stale as yesterday's pancake during an A/B test... 
 BTW I do not simply transfer and open a Pro Tools project in SPLAT, which can be done, but will of course lose all EQ, FX, and automation settings and config's which will of course flatten out any mix.
 The project simply gets recorded and remixed in real-time to SPLAT from an 8 buss mix from the Digi 03, joined at the hip and (slaved) to the Focusrite system thru Word clock and ADAT.
 And THIS is where the all the real FUN and true APPREACATION of having a surface controller come into play as you can ride all of the faders and pan pots of the X Touch at the same time, and record it all in automation to capture utterly bone chilling dynamics you couldn't possibly conceive of or even dream or think of doing with a mouse. 
 All of a sudden your home studio virtually becomes a much larger and ultimately much more powerful studio with a virtual large format console at your finger tips. It's very easy to imagine your studio, even if it's in your bedroom has been transformed into "Oceanway", or perhaps "The Power Station", or even "Abby Roads" if you prefer.
 
  One thing is for sure, I've always found new and improved toys always bring on new and improved inspirations and once you get your hands on an X Touch, Mackie, or what ever suits your DAW best, you'll wonder how you ever lived without one.
 And the X- Touch line of DAW controllers comes in various price ranges starting at $50 for the Mini, $300 for the compact, and $450 for the flagship.
 And that exactly why I had to try the X Touch, being the Mackie always seemed to be just out of my reach financially.. 
 I'd get close, then a birthday would come around, the "engine light" in the car would start glowing, the dog is puking all over the place and needs to go to the vet, and on and on or whatever the reason is 1 or 3 students or clients are missing lessons and sessions, **** never seems to stop..... And of course if I really need to mix multiple tracks I can go from SPLAT into Pro Tools, and then of course back again, blah, blah, blah, just more time and steps is all
 
 Pro Tools doesn't even support MC and will only understand HUI. Running the X Touch in HUI mode for Pro Tools, only the channel strips 1-8 and transport controls work out of the box.
HUI doesn't recognize the difference between channels and busses so the 9th Master (or buss fader) on the X T doesn't work
 
 Presonus Studio ONE is OK with MC, but shines brightly with HUI and life is of course great with their HUI based Faderport line, and they are the first to come out with a decent priced 16 channel DAW controller.
 
 
 The important thing to know here is that the Mackie MCU and X-Touch are virtually identical in functionality and integration with just a slightly different layout with the X Touch winning out with connectivity options.
 That was my main objective in choosing the X T, not actually the difference price.
 Conventional wisdom often dictates that "You get what you pay for", but once again Behringer has shattered that glass ceiling.
 As they also did with digital mixers such as the Behringer X32, the XR18 XAIR Digital Mixer is a perfect companion and up grade for the X Touch and vise versa, whether in the studio where it can be used not only as a high quality digital mixer, but also as an 18 input audio interface with 16 Midas preamps with onboard near zero latency HQ pro grade FX plugins, and added remote control via WiFi from either Android or iPhones smartphones or tablets or Windows or Mac laptops.
 It also has a standard 5 pin MIDI interface so it can perfectly integrate "plug and Play" with a Mackie MCU or any control surface running Mackie's MC protocol.
 
For live sound reinforcement, 'tis the BOMB and earns a solid "Cup of Drool" award from me. It can be placed anywhere on the stage like a traditional snake and  hooked up to the X Touch via a standard CAT 5 Internet cable. Anyone who ever had to lug around a 100', 50-60 lbs 16 channel audio snake will LOVE that! 100' of Internet cable might not even weigh in at 1 pound, lol. You need NO snake, and NO external rack of FX, the XR18 XAIR Digital Mixer has 4 onboard FX engines and can run 4 stereo or 8 mono full blown instant parameter control from an X Touch or Mackie (or smartphone, ect) of high quality VST FX plugins per track!
 As far as I'm concerened, that going directly from "never enough" from the crappy and very limited control of digital FX on analog mixers, to way too much over the top FX. (Just because you can, doesn't mean you should.) I don't care how great and pristine sounding your FX plugins are, use too many at once, especially vintage analog, tube, and tape simulators, thing will get quite muddy..
 Other benefits are.
 
 1) It remembers channel setups and mix scenes same as a DAW. set it up and forget about it, you and or your band sounds the same EVERYTIME without ever having to do an extensive time consuming sound check again.
 
2) You aren't tethered to one spot sitting in front of the X Touch mixing FOH, which is typically in an undesirable spot for optimal hearing the band in small venues, like up against a wall or stuffed in a corner of the room out of the way of the dancers and crowd.
 You can instantly tweak your mix from anywhere in the room via smartphone, etc, away from the mothership control consul.
 
 3) The XR18 XAIR Digital Mixer has 8 external outputs, 2 for FOH and 6 extra Aux sends and not only support Ethernet, but also supports Ultranet creating a tri band WiFi network, which basically means that everybody in the band can hear what they want and have concise control over their personal monitor mix via their own smartphone or tablet without screwing anything or anybody else up, that is except themselves of course..
 
 4) You can hook it up to a laptop via USB and record your show directly into your DAW and mix to perfection later in the comfort of your home or studio.
 
 
You can get more detailed info and see a great video for the various flavors of the XAIR line here.
http://www.zzounds.com/item--BEHXR18   

With big X-Touch please use original Mackie Control plug-in (or my mod of it).
 
 
AZ Controller has no good ready to use preset for it, at least not yet. Such preset is in plans, with colors on display and network connection. But everything takes time (especially for devices I have seen on pictures only). Existing "Mack..." preset mimics "Mackie Control" but it was never good testes. "Startup preset" works with any device, but it is too basic for X touch, even as a starting point.