What's your preferred midi controller when working with uhe synths?

[grandmasterbird]

Hi guys,

Software synths have come such a long way in the last 10-15 years that personally, I now find the only slightly unsatisfying aspect of using them is with regard to controlling them.

I use a mouse and an old Oxygen8 midi controller keyboard, but it's not the same as tweaking parameters in real time and recording the results as with the hardware synths I use.

I don't expect to be able to control every aspect of a plug in with a generic midi controller as software allows for the inclusion of a huge number of configurable features, but when for example I map a knob to the cutoff in Diva or Zebra, it feels cumbersome and inaccurate compared to the "real world" equivalent. (And I'm sure this would apply to other software, but I use uhe synths almost exclusively.)

Is this because with a midi controller there are 0-127 steps it can take? If so are there any settings within the above mentioned synths to smooth out the steps so to speak? Or maybe I'm just doing something wrong? A setting in my DAW (Live) perhaps?

I have to confess I know little about midi controllers and how to get the most out of them.

If that's just the way it is then all good, no worries and I'll just carry on my merry way!

But I thought I'd ask what controllers you guys use with your soft synths and are there any generic products out there that lend themselves to work particularly well with uhe synths?

Thanks

[40watt]

Native Instruments Komplete Kontrol Keyboard

[Funkybot's Evil Twin]

Native Instruments Komplete Kontrol Keyboard

I think that's likely to be the most common answer, especially since most U-he synths support those controllers out of the box and the ones that don't will soon.

My advice? Consider buying a synth for use as a controller. I prefer having more knobs and faders available at all times and being able to let muscle memory take over because the filter and amp envelopes will always be in the exact same place. Most analog or virtual analog synths will map pretty well to anything with two or three Oscs, two envelopes, an LFO and a filter. That covers a lot of ground in the U-he world and my System-8 keeps me mostly off my mouse when programming most synths in my collection.

[Echoes in the Attic]

The pproblem with Komplete Kontrol is that there are only 8 knobs and no buttons, so it's ok for using some main continuous controls, but no good for sound design. Still the best controllers are novation SL (mk1 or mk2) and most likely the Nektar Panorama (but I haven't used them so not sure of any drawbacks). These have 16 knobs and 8/9 sliders, plus lots of buttons.

I think a great set up, and one which I am planning to use soon, would be a Komplete Kontrol plus a Novation Remote SL Zero on top. The combination of separate controllers will let you have any combination of controls accessible at any given time, which can be a problem with controllers that let you got through multiple pages of controls that apply to the entire unit. In that case you can only simultaneously use controls that are on the same page. With two controllers you can use any combination. Usefull for adjusting modulation and the targets or sources for example.

[toonertik]

I have an old Midiman Radium, tbh it was never that good at controlling synth/fx parameters, part of the reason is the resolution and part coz it was cheap,, but it did ok. I am far from a MIDI tech but my understanding is to do with the 7bit resolution and that (on my device) only 128 steps/values are sent. However I recently got an Arturia Beatstep Pro, although primary a sequencer, it is also a controller and rather good. Instead of the usual "pot" type rotary it uses "Encoder" knobs. These can keep turning around many rotations and thus far more accurate. The other thing that is sometimes used is RPN and NRPN controls, yeah what... I'm going to have to dig out my 21 year old MIDI book to get my head around that. So if upgrading look for encoders but I think they are only rotary.

[lectropunk]

Th3 Roland system 8 is a great choice it's ideal for uhe diva as the layout is perfect for loads of others too.

[bhinton]

I dream of knob per function control for zebra. Better yet 14-bit fader per function! But I'm one of those stubborn narrow-minded programming-live-IS-the-patch folks.
And that would take a whole room.
So I make do with a 3 Midi Fighter Twisters and a Faderfox PC-12. They are used for other things too, depending on the piece.
Tried touchscreen solutions but can't close my eyes/look away while performing so no go.
For faders I also use faderfox UC-series controllers and a tiny JLC 32-mini-fader box, but since new patches don't send starting midi or automation values back out from zebra/bazille in my setup (I use Bidule) they are mostly used as part of a faux console for mixing.
The coarse 7bit resolution of all of these drives me nuts, but at least the MFT's have 100+ steps per turn which is unusually high for encoders and makes relative modes a bit more appealing.
Guess we'll never see a truly comprehensive hardware OSC controller, which would be amazing (you can control U-he synths with OSC if they're hosted by Bidule).

[grandmasterbird]

Thanks for your replies, going to look into all of the above

Maybe something with rotary encoders is the way to go for more accuracy. Much food for thought