Non-Keyboard Controllers

This is one of those videos that may perpetually come back to haunt Eric Singer -- friend of Gearwire (you might know him for his work with LEMUR) and obviously very close friend of unusual MIDI controllers. The Sonic Banana was developed by Singer way back in 2000, but these videos are timeless.  

Ryan Maeker is a sound designer in NYC, and though he may come off as a somewhat threatening figure in this interview -- all talking about cuttin' fools, hitting people with cars and even threatening the life of yours truly -- he's actually a total teddy bear with a soft spot for Speilberg movies!  

The Korg PadKONTROL comes packed with Ultra Analog Session software so that right out of the box, you've got some swanky stuff to work with. DJ Puzzle Jason Donnelly has everything connected, and here, he explains what the controls can do.  

This video is definitive evidence that DJ Puzzle Jason Donnelly is a vampire. Remember that scene in Interview With The Vampire where Brad Pitt and Christian Slater begin the interview and Brad Pitt flicks the lightswitch and before the lights turn on, he's already sitting at the table? That's how fast DJ Puzzle sets up the Korg PadKONTROL.  

Tanager AudioWorks plans on ruining your productivity with the introduction of Chirp. This program turns your computer keyboard into a MIDI controller, so forget about getting anything else done on your computer.  

Steinberg's focus this Musikmesse seems to be on hardware that makes using their popular Cubase software easier. First, we saw the MR816 FireWire interfaces that work specifically well with Steinberg DAWs. Now the CC121 brings a whole new level of control to Cubase.  

Let's face it. Using your mouse to control your DAW software is like walking up to your TV and changing the channels manually. Bill Holland shows how the PreSonus FaderPort can keep the dust off of your mouse ball.  

Percussa has announced that their Midi Bridge software that works with the AudioCubes hardware will undergo some improvements for MusikMesse. These improvements will be available after the trade show as a free download.  

Belgium is known now for two things: waffles and the Percussa AudioCubes. DJ Puzzle opens up his just-delivered package from Belgium, wondering which of the two he has received.  

In the running for "music gear the most looks like a Star Trek prop" [see the Focusrite ISA One for it's fiercest competition] is the Axis-64 Pro MIDI controller from C-Thru music. Though it may look like a novelty, we promise, more thought was put into it than the entire series run of "Voyager."  

The Percussa AudioCubes were one of the most interesting products at Winter NAMM 2008, but how easy is it to make music by positioning cubes? Bill Holland takes a shot at the AudioCubes. Can he handle it?  

You don't see too many MIDI controllers made out of wood, but the hexagonally arranged design of the Zendrum ZAP poses the question that maybe there should be more. It also provides an opportunity for a Raymond Calitri wood fetish joke that I will purposely pass.  

IK Multimedia's StompIO gives you all you need to control your Powered by Amplitube software from outside your normal computer setup. Shipping with handy extras like X-Gear software and an expression pedal, StompIO is sure to convert some curious guitarists away from their massive stompbox collection.  

With so many Macs being used to make music, Logic grows in popularity and features at a pretty healthy rate. It makes sense, then, that Frontier Design Group's AlphaTrack support Apple Logic. It would've been insane, and I mean "telling your C/S you'd rather not go to OT this lifetime" insane, to ignore Logic.  

DigiTech wanted a convenient way to bring the GSP1101 into a live setting, and that's where their new Control 2 foot controller pedal comes into play. With a nice set of useful features, the GSP1101 is now a breeze to operate on stage.  

The Percussa AudioCubes were something that we were heavily anticipating at Winter NAMM 2008. We're attracted to shiny, colorful things, and these interesting controllers did not disappoint.  

Puddle of Mudd once wrote a lackluster song about "Control," and then Moog made a much better pedal about it. The MP-201 Multi-Pedal can control analog, MIDI, and software devices with four momentary footswitches and an optical "Gas Pedal" style foot controller  

Michael Una wraps up this Dorkbot session by talking a little more about what he just did using Audio To MIDI, JoyToKey, Auto Hot Key, a few simple controllers, and an African Thumb Piano. Aside from the laptop, he set this up for $15. This is great, because most musicians can't afford boutique gear.  

In this video from Dorkbot's Michael Una, Michael puts his mad methods to the test with a little demonstration. If you ever wanted to see one man perform on African Thumb Flute, a stripped down computer keyboard, and a gaming joystick at once, this is the spot.  

Dorkbot's Michael Una breaks out the old school joystick and uses it to control Ableton Live. Check out this video to hear about how using JoyToKey, Michael is able to trigger multiple events with just a joystick.  

We continue sitting in on Dorkbot's meetings where Michael Una talks about alternative MIDI control methods. This clip features Mike talking about using Auto Hot Key with Ableton Live.  

We attend another Dorkbot meeting where Michael Una of Beat-Bike fame demonstrates alternate MIDI controller methods. Why buy a key controller when you can modify a computer keyboard into a pedal controller?  

Mike Levine recalls previous studio experiences working with large boards in comparison to his work at Gunpoint Studios where all the gear is prosumer level with quality results thanks to smart gear decisions and recording knowhow.  

The Percussa AudioCubes will make you nearly forget the Yamaha TENORI-ON when you see them on display at Winter NAMM 2008. These MIDI and audio control devices for live performance and recording shape your sound through a series of wireless cubes and their placement in regards to each other. Careful -- they might just blow your mind.  

Gearwire caught up with Brian Crabtree of Monome who showed us a grid controller that's almost as fun to watch as it is to use. Almost like a sonic etch-a-sketch, the Monome grid controller communicates with your computer...  

LEMUR's Slink-o-tron provides makes playing with a slinky fun again - revitalizing a toy that lost its excitement after the first couple of times it slunk down the stairs. At Lemurplex, the slinky is used as a controller...  

The LEMUR Chime-o-Tron adds depth to ordinary wind chimes. Adding an unexpected electronic element to ordinary wind chimes makes for a refreshingly fun sounding set of MIDI chimes that anyone can just get up and play -...  

There's a new kind of Slime-o-Tron out as if Slime-o-Trons breed like amoeba. The Slime-o-Tron II is more of an upright Slime-o-Tron where the conductive slime starts at the top and seeps down the MIDI board. Unlike its...  

LEMUR's Eric Singer has more than just a penchant for making his musical bots. In fact, he has a separate category altogether for very innovative musical controllers he creates and calls "Trons." Here, we take our first...  

Here's something you probably haven't seen before: Bili Inc's Foot Mouse. This new and innovative concept might take some foot-eye coordination training to get used to, but its implications on workflow and sonic versatility...