Hello all, This is my first post as i have just registered on to MIDIbox.org. Looking forward to sharing and even getting ideas from many people here. Ok, intro done. Since i am a new registered user, that means i don't know what i am doing with the MIDIbox equipment. I only have a few questions, of which can easily be answered by many people on this forum, so bare with my questions and maybe, inexperience. First of all, i want to build my own open-ended controller (great place to ask :)), but, i don't know where to start. As in, what parts i need to make it happen. But i will give you a background of myself as to then make it a bit easier to explain later on about what i need to know. Simply, i am a music maker, i have and do still make many different styles of music for many years now. I have built little controller from previous built and worn down controllers, I do know how to solder and pretty much am a Max/MSP/Jitter user. I also work in Logic 8, plus Kontakt 3 and Battery 3 and that is about it. But primarily keep Max/MSP/Jitter for live/studio work, also to obviously build my own software, but keep Logic for my main earning-a-living work *Background Info Over* The concept for my controller is very simple. Take my hands and eyes away from my computer (Mac OS X 10.5.6, just so you know i don't work on PC's anymore, used too, but got sick of them 8-9 years ago). I have built a lot of nice Max/MSP/Jitter patches which i plan to use in a live sense but also still as a creative sense in the studio, but hate the fact of having to use the mouse and keyboard, as good as they are for what they are, it annoys me after a while. But, the controller can not just be used for Max, but also for anything else i wish to use it with. My plan is to have quite a few rotary knobs, some endless some not, but do actually go up to a big number in total (around 100), also to go on top, buttons, and plenty of them (around 100). These number are obviously not the final numbers of the components that will go on, it is just an idea that i want a controller that has plenty of options on that can be assigned to different tasks when need be. Plus considering i am a Max/MSP/Jitter, do have to have enough options to play with both audio and video at the same time. And also, since i update and even re-work Max patches to be bigger and bigger as time goes by, would need extra options, just in case. Plus as well, LED's are a must, but not 16 going round one knob and so on. Anyhow, the main part of this question is this. What MIDIbox kit, or components do i need to at least get started in to what i want?. Would it be worth buying one of the pre-soldered kits from www.Mikes-Elektronikseite.de, or the other one www.avishowtech.com/mbhp/buy.html? Should i be using a MIDIbox 64, or a MIDIbox 64E? Should i just do the the whole soldering myself? Should i buy a MIDIbox-set or a MIDI-PCB-set, or both? There are many other questions, but hopefully these can help in my enlightenment to building a really good controller to the specs i need. These are really simple questions for you to answer, but for myself, i find the ucapps.de site a bit confusing when trying to figure out what i actually need to start building my own open-ended controller. Thanks for your time, and hopefully you will be able to help me with my dilemma...