Hello, in the path of buying a new midi controller i have found out that there is this option to choose...and i don't know how to choose. I had one experience, live, with absolute pot and i see that at times the value would change dramatically causing problem , for example when changing presets. On the other hand, my collegue had endless rotary and he had problem to move th value from low to high when the parameter had a big excusrion: he nedd to turn the knob 2,3 times..
Someone told me that cheaper controller have potentiometer while good ones have rotary, but for my experience seems more realted to what you need to do..
Opinion?
thank you
endless encoder vs absolute
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- KVRist
- 76 posts since 25 Nov, 2020
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- KVRAF
- 35729 posts since 11 Apr, 2010 from Germany
You can adjust the speed of the endless encoders on most MIDI controllers. It still will probably not turn from 0 to 127 in one turn though. There's also the downside that I had with all controllers with endless encoders: The pots aren't really high quality, so, they will most likely jump in value when you turn them fast after a while. Mostly, for me, that's an issue when you didn't use them for a longer time though, and it vanished when I turned the encoders a few times.
I would still prefer endless ones to absolute (or whatever they're called) ones though. Absolute ones are not fine enough for me. Although I haven't been using absolute ones for years now. My first keyboard (Oxygen 25 2nd gen) had absolute encoders.
I would still prefer endless ones to absolute (or whatever they're called) ones though. Absolute ones are not fine enough for me. Although I haven't been using absolute ones for years now. My first keyboard (Oxygen 25 2nd gen) had absolute encoders.
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- KVRist
- Topic Starter
- 76 posts since 25 Nov, 2020
yes 0 to 127 will be not easy, but in that live, we need to move for say 0 to 2500...they were different synth parameters..so he could not change the sound live
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- KVRAF
- 9586 posts since 6 Jan, 2017 from Outer Space
Encoders if done correctly will move from 0 to 127 in one go depending on the speed you turn. In general I would go for encoders, but there are controllers which are implemented poorly like the KeyFader for example. They have to be able to send inc/dec values and the receiving host needs to be able to interpret that correctly…
The huge advantage of an encoder is, that you are not limited to a range of 0-127…
The huge advantage of an encoder is, that you are not limited to a range of 0-127…
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- KVRist
- Topic Starter
- 76 posts since 25 Nov, 2020
i would not say that encoder or pot have value 0 to 127. It is like that only for midi controlled value. But they can both have much wider range, it just depends on what you are using them with. Of course the behaviour between pot or encoder is stil different, but the fact that value isnot strictly 0-127 make the problem wider. If i need to go from 0 to 4000 with encoder it is a nightmare, while i can do it quickly with a pot. More over th epot at anytime will give me the response to where i am now in the excrusion range, i know if i am in the middle at 1/3, 2/3 and so on..without the need to looh the screen.
As we said already there is the big advantage with pot that those "retain" last value. My solution was to quicly turn to zero to output volume while adjusting the pot so to put it in th eproper value, and suddendly raaise the volume again. In this way, which is not a proper one at all, i could bypass the problem, wit the sacrifice of half second of output.In my case i could do that as i was not the only player.
I have read that pot in oxygen pro, read the value set in the vst, or the controlled sw, so when you go to move the pot, it start from the "preset" value. It seems a very good solution
As we said already there is the big advantage with pot that those "retain" last value. My solution was to quicly turn to zero to output volume while adjusting the pot so to put it in th eproper value, and suddendly raaise the volume again. In this way, which is not a proper one at all, i could bypass the problem, wit the sacrifice of half second of output.In my case i could do that as i was not the only player.
I have read that pot in oxygen pro, read the value set in the vst, or the controlled sw, so when you go to move the pot, it start from the "preset" value. It seems a very good solution