Poll: What types of controllers do you use on a regular basis?

[foosnark]

- Tesseract Sweet Sixteen mk2 (Eurorack module with 16 faders that does analog CV, i2c, and MIDI CC over USB)
- other analog CV controllers (0-Ctrl, Planar 2, Press, Ears)
- Launchpad Pro mk3
- Line6 FHV Express foot controller
- Jam Origin MIDI Bass (not specifically a MIDI bass, just the software audio-to-MIDI)

If I remember right I don't even have MIDI plugged in on my Minibrute 2S.

[Funkybot's Evil Twin]

For the "hardware synth" voters, what are you using? I honestly don't use my System-8 much as a synth these days, and I hate it's velocity response on the black keys and lack of a proper modwheel, but I love all the knobs and faders and how well it maps to many virtual analogs. I could never go back to an 8-knob, 8-fader, 8-drum pad style controller.

[Funkybot's Evil Twin]

- Jam Origin MIDI Bass (not specifically a MIDI bass, just the software audio-to-MIDI)

Are you tracking with it controlling VSTi's or recording direct then doing the MIDI-fication afterwards? How's the latency? I keep meaning to check out their MIDI guitar, but I hear a new version is on the way, so I'm just kind of waiting it out.

[cryophonik]

For the "hardware synth" voters, what are you using?

I actually need to revise mine already because I just sold my beloved PC3X, which was my main "piano" and also served as a secondary controller for my plugins and hardware synths for nearly a decade. It was just too big and not ergonomic for the smaller studio in our new home and we're going to replace it with a digital piano for the living room. So, I'm currently not using a hardware synth as a controller for other synths, although I do have my Access Virus Indigo and Moog Sub37, which I guess both get used *occasionally* as a MIDI controller for other synths. All of my other synths are modules/desktop versions.

[vurt]

For the "hardware synth" voters, what are you using? I honestly don't use my System-8 much as a synth these days, and I hate it's velocity response on the black keys and lack of a proper modwheel, but I love all the knobs and faders and how well it maps to many virtual analogs. I could never go back to an 8-knob, 8-fader, 8-drum pad style controller.

korg ms2k.

[rod_zero]

Push 2 and a Privia PX150 as master controller, I don't use my system 8 much these days because of the lack of aftertouch.

I am actually thinking of bringing in a 61 keys controller with aftertouch and mod wheel.

[ReleaseCandidate]

For the "hardware synth" voters, what are you using?

Hydrasynth Explorer.

[foosnark]

- Jam Origin MIDI Bass (not specifically a MIDI bass, just the software audio-to-MIDI)

Are you tracking with it controlling VSTi's or recording direct then doing the MIDI-fication afterwards? How's the latency? I keep meaning to check out their MIDI guitar, but I hear a new version is on the way, so I'm just kind of waiting it out.

I'm using it live. Either using the internal plugin host, letting the MIDI control VSTs, or converting pitch to parameter control/CV for Bitwig or Eurorack.

Latency feels pretty decent to me, but keep in mind I'm using this for ambient noodling rather than holding down a rhythm so my standards are not super tight here. I haven't measured it.

Tracking is the best I've experienced with bass. (The guitar version is polyphonic and works extremely well, but the lowest it goes is drop D in guitar range.) I'm hoping the updated version will handle bass range polyphonically but that might be a big ask.

[kritikon]

For the "hardware synth" voters, what are you using?

Pretty well any keyboard in the studio, as I have a midi patchbay, so if I've been programming a specific synth I'll tend to use that as the controller.
Often Opsix, more recently MonoPoly (just because I've been spending more time on that one) but TBH the one I use most is an old Yamaha DX100. It's small, I can sit it on my lap if I want, doesn't take up much desk space and it's probably the worst, smallest, crappiest, actionless keypad ever made...but I quite like diddling around on it. It's handy for rhythm stuff as there's absolutely no velocity on it, so I don't even have to think about that and just hit keys in something vaguely resembling a rhythm.

The DX is generally the one that's patched in.

[pixel85]

Hardware synth. Because it has a nice Fatar keybed and it failed me as a synth module

First world problems.

Totally

[iPlogger]

For the "hardware synth" voters, what are you using?

Yamaha MOXF6. I've thought about upgrading to the MODX6, but I mostly use a Native Instruments S61 Mk2 since it has such a good connection with Ableton Live. And as such, I am mostly using VSTs these days. I use the Yamaha when I need two keyboards live, or the Yamaha has the sounds on it I want to use.

[pixel85]

For the "hardware synth" voters, what are you using?

Modal Cobalt8X.
I don't use softsynths that much these days so I'm not using knobs, just the keyboard. In Cubase 12 assigning knobs is a bit better and I even did it just for OSC and Filter section to match plugins but I don't really bother with automation recording. My main softsynth, Massive X is "resistant" to knob assignation anyway.