Q. Can I use multiple controllers with my software? : December 2008
In this article:
Photos too small? Click on photos, screenshots and diagrams in articles to open a Larger View gallery.
| Q. Can I use multiple controllers with my software?Sound Advice I'm a Propellerhead Reason user and I plan to
Rewire the software to Steinberg's Cubase DAW. My plan leads me to ask
two questions about using MIDI keyboard controllers and control
surfaces. First of all, is it possible to use
two, three or four MIDI keyboards simultaneously in Cubase and/or in
Reason without using Reason's Combinator device? A lot of the time I
will want to use both my hands on two different keyboards, or route
three or four keyboards to trigger different sound modules so that I
don't have to use the mouse to change patches, especially during a live
performance.  A transformer-isolating DI box such as the ART Cleanbox II can be a cost-effective solution to ground-loop hum. Secondly, I'd like to buy a fader-equipped control
surface, to control the mixers in Reason and Cubase. I'm impressed with
the price of Behringer's BCF2000, but then I found out that its
motorised faders are not 'touch-sensitive'. How important is this
feature for a control surface? Considering that I'm on a tight budget
right now, do you think I should wait — say, a year — until I can
afford something like Mackie Control Universal Pro? Kamaul SOS
contributor Derek Johnson replies: The answer to your first question is
yes, but you will need to have a MIDI interface that can handle three
or four keyboards, with a MIDI In and Out port for each instrument if
you plan to use the sounds generated by those instruments. In addition,
more MIDI interfacing will be required for the sound modules you
mention. Be aware that two or more keyboards playing simultaneously can
potentially generate a lot of MIDI data, and some simple, USB 1.1-based
interfaces may struggle. In Cubase, you'll have
to set up the MIDI Input for each track — new tracks default to 'All
MIDI Inputs,' which is not what you're after. Obviously, you'll need to
assign a track to a particular MIDI Out and MIDI channel. Note that it
is possible to record on multiple MIDI channels generated by an
external device (a multiple-zone controller keyboard, for example) but
the data will be recorded on one track. It's simple to extract
individual MIDI channels to their own separate tracks using the
'Dissolve Part' function, however. If you're
Rewiring Reason to Cubase, there's nothing else to worry about. The
Rewire link routes audio to Cubase, provides bi-directional MIDI
communication and full synchronisation, and (of particular interest
here) allows Reason to be treated as a sound module by Cubase. From the
Cubase track list, any device in Reason's rack will be available as a
target to any of your controllers. Should you
want to work with Reason alone, Reason's Hardware Interface device
(below) provides access to four MIDI buses — your controller keyboards
are assigned to these — which can then be routed to devices in the
Reason rack. The limit here is 64 devices (16 MIDI channels for each
external control bus input). Now to your second
query: touch-sensitive motorised faders are a very useful tool, and
it's fantastic that the option is available in the price range offered
by Mackie's MCU. With touch-sensitive faders, the host software
immediately goes into record mode (for fader automation) as soon as you
touch a fader — even if automation is currently being played back.
Recording stops when you let go of the fader, and any pre-existing
automation data continues as originally recorded. Changing existing
automation data without touch sensitivity is a little less spontaneous. However,
let's put this into context: motorised faders are a good thing in any
shape, and Behringer's BCF2000 offers the facility at an exceedingly
favourable price point (well under £150 in the UK if you know where to
shop). Not many years ago, motors on your faders wouldn't have been an
option at anything approaching this price. Though coming down generally
in favour of touch-sensitive faders, Hugh Robjohns made a some useful
points against them (or at least against leaving the touch sensitivity
on all the time) in a 'Sound Advice' response back in the November 2004
issue of SOS. If I was on a tight budget, I'd
probably go for what I could afford now and enjoy a year of having
hardware control over my virtual studio. Anything that takes the focus
away from the mouse is going to enhance the fun and creativity in
anyone's studio. Besides, you could wait forever for each new jump in
technology to become affordable, or to fall within reach of your saving
ability. However, no-one would blame you for wanting the MCU and being
prepared to wait for it. In fact, your patience is admirable!  Published in SOS December 2008 |
Print article