Hi!
 
I was posting in the software forum but could not get any feedback so far ... Looking for a customizable tool/VST just to control external MIDI gear via CCs, nothing terribly advanced, just something that would allow me to assign a label and a MIDI CC to a knob and get about 10 of them on one page ... in terms of the looks and simplicity something similar to what FX chains can do to audio tracks and plugins, I'd like to be able to do likewise with externals Synth/FX that are hooked up via MIDI.
 
I have instrument definitions for everything (INS files) and can control all MIDI parameters via automation lanes, but that would be the second step. First step would to dial in the base settings via something that has all parameters there as knobs with labels. Studioware used to do sometihng like this, but that's gone ... searching the web I haven't yet found anything that could do it ...
 
Any ideas?

I am also interested in possible approaches.
So far I am using too tricky way to control VS-20 throw MIDI: I put FX chain into ProChannel, with (arbitrary) disabled VST inside and mapped to FX chains knobs (arbitrary) parameters from that VST. Then my AZ Controller is monitoring these parameters and send MIDI when they are changed (so also initially on loading). While not without advantages (f.e. I disable direct monitoring when current track is not armed and select correct input and gain when it is), that is too tricky to setup even for me. I wish Studioware is resurrected or at least the editor for it is made public (panels still can be loaded in Sonar, but I do not own sufficiently old Cakewalk products which could edit these panels...).

Hey, Alexey, thanks for chiming in. Now I know I'm not alone in this (MIDI) world ;-)  Any idea you got I'm happy to help following up and taking further!
 
I really do wonder why there is no simple, generic, customizable VST/GUI for that out there??  I have tools like that for the Roland INTEGRA (it's even a free one) and the Waldorf Blofeld (paid), but either of them is awfully complicated because literally every single option of the hardware is represented, spread over numerous pages ... and these must take ages to program and test ...
 
If I could have flexible number of knobs (~10 of them), simply assignable as in the FX chains, I could control my external FX like native VST plugs ... ideally, if it would read the instrument definition to get parameters and CC numbers, I'd be a very happy camper
 
 
 

Have you seen this Rob?
 
http://www.bluecataudio.com/Products/Product_RemoteControl/
 

tenfoot
Have you seen this Rob?
 
http://www.bluecataudio.com/Products/Product_RemoteControl/
 

No, I hadn't seen that before, but on the first glance it looks like just the thing I was looking for. Thanks a lot. I will check it out later today and report back.
 
Another thing I stumbled across is http://ctrlr.org/
Control any MIDI enabled hardware: synthesizers, drum machines, samplers, effects. Create custom User Interfaces. Host them as VST or AU plugins in your favorite DAWs.
 
Unfortunately got other things to take care of right now ...

azslow3
I am also interested in possible approaches.
[...]
I wish Studioware is resurrected or at least the editor for it is made public (panels still can be loaded in Sonar, but I do not own sufficiently old Cakewalk products which could edit these panels...).

I had a brief test of the standalone exe from http://ctrlr.org/ - which is free BTW. It takes a bit of getting used to but I could create a prototype of a part of what intend to do. so this looks promising and I'll invest more time. This will fully replace what studioware used to do ...

I have just demoed BlueCat. Nice thing! The functionality is not endless, but everything implemented is done with care and configuring is strait forward. The only contra is the price (equal to what I have payed of VS20 on eBay). If controlling  CCs (directly/by input CCs/automation) is the only target (for me it is not) and for serious use cases (I am hobby single player) that is a good choice.
 
I was looking at CtrLr under different angle before and completely overseen such application for it. So thank you, it is most probably what I will use (or modify... till I implement exactly what I want myself... )

azslow3
I have just demoed BlueCat. Nice thing! The functionality is not endless, but everything implemented is done with care and configuring is strait forward. The only contra is the price (equal to what I have payed of VS20 on eBay). If controlling  CCs (directly/by input CCs/automation) is the only target (for me it is not) and for serious use cases (I am hobby single player) that is a good choice.
 
I was looking at CtrLr under different angle before and completely overseen such application for it. So thank you, it is most probably what I will use (or modify... till I implement exactly what I want myself... )

Thanks for your feedback on BlueCat.
 
CtrLr seem to be really powerful and the examples other people built with it are quite impressive. So I'll do some learning there but it could actually open some more doors for advanced external gear control, which I hadn't even thought of before ...

It's been a few years since I used Bluecat Remote but it certainly did everything I needed it to without too much time researching.

Cakewalk had this years ago. Called studio panels I believe. I made one to control my TriAxis.
 
Think FX chain for MIDI. I have no idea why they abandoned them. not quite a hovercar but cool anyway.