Midibox 16E - relative?

[TraiZor]

What's the real advantage of the 16E over a "normal" midicontroller, like MB64?

Is it the relative values?

What synthesizers do support those relative values?

Is the 16E a pocket-dial controller from doepfer with ledrings, or are those two controllers really different?

[TK.]

Hi TraiZor,

I never twiddled on a Doepfer Pocket Dial, so I'm not the right person who should give ratings for a Dial and a MIDIbox16E... based on the specs the MIDIbox16E is better  ;D (optional LCD, optional LED-Rings, higher resolution, BankStick, multiple MIDIboxes can be synchronized via Program Change, ...), however, the Dial is just a commercial product with main focus on parts and assembly costs instead of usefull features...

There are different usemodels for the MIDIbox16E, because every single encoder can be assigned to different modes.

A normal synthesizer or MIDI program can only handle with "absolute values", so just assign every encoder to the "ABS mode", and the MIDIbox16E will send the same MIDI events like known from a common MIDIbox with pots/faders. The advantage is the bankswitching: if you select another bank, the internal encoder values will be restored to the saved values of the new bank - so that you don't have to readjust the pots. Also the LED-Rings and the messages on the LCD screen will be updated, so that you see the "virtual pot positions" of the bank immediately.

If your sequencer or synthesizer provides MIDI feedback, the virtual pot positions can also be changed from external. I use this feature in conjunction with Reaktor: when I switch to another snapshot, the program sends all values; the MIDIbox16E collects all parameters which are assigned to the current encoders and updates the "virtual pot positions". Btw: it works on the same way with the MIDIbox SID when it gets a program change event - a very important feature :)

Now to the different relative modes: if a program or synth supports relative increment/decrement values, you can assign the encoders to these events. The advantage compared to absolute values: no feedback is required (if you don't use the LED-rings) and values greater than 7-bit can be handled with high precision.

Best Regards, Thorsten.

[TraiZor]

sounds really nice to me! But I have no synth which work with relative values or synths which send all their values, so it's not really suitable for me.

And those motorized faders, do they work on the same protocol as the 16E?

Maybe a nice idea: http://www.dave-berlin.com/spiders/18605.html

[TK.]

Yes, the motorized faders and also the Snap function of all MIDIboxes with common pots/fader are working on the same way.

IBK10: in my eyes one of the most innovativest MIDI controllers! :)

Best Regards, Thorsten.