ChrisCummins

Hi, I'm entirely new to the MIDIbox, so take care of me. :angel: A quick introduction - I'm 18, finished school this summer, I run an amateur recording studio as well as drumming in several bands and I'm going to study Electronic Engineering here in the UK next year. To business: an idea has been building up inside of me for a while now - why not build a full scale control surface to emulate the workings of a large format desk? It seems to me that the one argument that console users have over click-and-drag DAW operators is that with a desk, you can just stand up and 'survey' an entire row of settings to quickly trouble shoot or make alterations simultaneously across a large number of different settings/channels. As a born-and-raised 'digital' head, I have been thinking why shouldn't I build a full size control surface, emulating these consoles, but tailored to my own use? A little bit of doodling on InDesign made me realise that if it's worth doing, it's worth going the whole 9 yards. This means 24 or more full channel strips with motorized faders (touch sensitive preferably), full dynamics section, eq, aux sends and bussing etc etc. This is obviously going to be a terrific amount of work, but I am more than willing to put the time in and think it would be a really satisfying experience. Here's a mock-layout of one channel strip: Now that's 30 buttons, 29 encoders and a motorised fader. Not at all an easy undertaking, when you times that by 24 and add on a master section. How would you recommend even planning this? I was thinking that daisy chaining lots of smaller modules together would be the key, such as say assigning all of the rotary encs and buttons of one channel to one project, then all of the motor faders to another? To be honest, I find this website a little daunting. I can see theirs a lot of enthusiasm and passion, but I find it hard to see how I should make the connection between having an abstract idea like I do now, and actually putting pen to paper with a construction project. The casing should be easy, I will make a large wooden frame and I should be able to buy access to the Laser cutter CNC machine at my old school to cut proper aluminium panels for the controls, so it is the electronics that are the difficulties. Any help in this undertaking would be greatly appreciated! Regards