THE SOFT STUDIO

The computer giveth, and the computer taketh away. I’m glad it took away hiss, tape head alignment, and limited track counts. But I don’t know about this whole “mixing with a mouse” thing. Quite a few people using computers got their start after the days of the big mixing console, so they don’t understand how useful realtime tactile control can be. Whether you feel mixing equates to arranging, live performance, or both, you want total control over all elements of a tune as you mix. Just like a big console — and not at all like a mouse.

The same is true for programming soft synths. Analog synths had a “one function, one control” paradigm that made editing easier, and even facilitated tweaking multiple parameters in rapid succession. With a mouse you can tweak only one parameter at a time. If you’re dealing with parameters that interact, that’s a real pain.

So now we have hardware controllers with lots of knobs and switches that provide hands-on, real-time control for digital audio workstation software and software synths. But do you really need one?

This month, we’ll look at hardware issues involving controllers; next month, we’ll check out the software part of the equation.

This Is Your Brain On Mixing

The two hemispheres of our brain are optimized for processing different types of information. The right brain deals with more abstract, creativity-oriented issues, while the left brain is more analytical — it follows directions, and does the math. Generally, when you’re in one mode of thought, you want to stay there.

If you do your own engineering, you don’t want to have to think while tracking or mixing: Dedicate your brainpower to the right hemisphere, so it can get creative. Which of the following is less likely to break your concentration: Scanning the screen for some button or fader, moving the mouse, grabbing the control, and then dragging it — or simply moving a physical fader? What’s worse, a mouse is a “monophonic” device. Suppose you want to bring three channel levels up a little bit. You have to group the three together, move them, then ungroup. It’s a lot faster to just move three physical channel faders.

Controller Types

There are several types of hardware controllers.

The “fits like a glove” model. These are designed for specific programs (e.g., Logic Control, Digi Pro Control). The legends are program-specific, the knobs and switches have (hopefully) been programmed in an ergonomic manner, and the integration between hardware and software is tighter than a sumo wrestler in spandex. They may even avoid using standard MIDI controllers, and instead use non-registered parameter number messages, which control the system more tightly.

General-purpose DAW controllers. While designed to be as general-purpose as possible, these usually include templates for specific programs. They control common hardware functions like tape transport-style navigation controls, channel level faders, channel pan pots, solo and mute, etc.

MIDI fader boxes. These general-purpose boxes have programmable faders and buttons, which can transmit almost any kind of MIDI message. Peavey, Doepfer, Kenton, Alesis, M-Audio, Behringer, and several other companies make fader boxes, or combine MIDI faders with MIDI keyboards.

Synthesizers/master keyboards. Some synthesizers, like the Yamaha Motif models, build in control surface support. But even those without explicit control functions can sometimes serve as useful controllers, thanks to the wheels, data slider(s), footswitch, sustain switch, note number, and so on.

Digital mixers. This doesn’t involve continuous controllers, but works directly on the audio. If a digital mixer has a multichannel digital audio interface, you can route signals out digitally from the DAW, into the mixer, then back into two DAW tracks (or to something like a stand-alone CD recorder) for recording the stereo mix. Rather than using the digital mixer to control functions within the program, it replaces some of those functions (e.g., panning, fader-riding, EQ, etc.).

Total Control

Once you’ve set up a controller and optimized the control arrangements, leave things alone and learn the functions so they become second nature. Soon you’ll find yourself flying around the controls instead of moving a mouse around and pointing to things on a screen.

And how do you set up a controller with your software? Come back next issue to find out.