How hard would this be?

[markusone]

Hi i am new here :D

I have been thinking about designing a midi box for a while now but i know nothing of how to go about it or what it is likely to cost

Here is what i would like to do,

build a controller for my ssl channel strip plugin, link below

http://www.solid-state-logic.com/images/music/EQ_large.jpg

The main thing would be the knobs and if i can do some buttons too then all well and good :)

Any thoughts or suggestion would be much appriciated

cheers

[DavidBanner]

if you can control all the knobs and buttons via midi it's going to be a pretty easy project in midibox terms.

if you want more of a challenge -

the only thing which might be difficult/impossible is the led UV meters.

The leds could be done via the C interface, but you'll need midi feedback from the VST plugin/the SSL box if they are to be in sync properly.

This bit will mean some programming, both for the LED feed back as well as the UV meters if it's possible

[DrBunsen]

if you can control all the knobs and buttons via midi it's going to be a pretty easy project in midibox terms.

Is that a VST or a hardware input channel salvaged from an old desk?  If it's the latter, you should post a query in the MIDIfication forum, and check out the MIDIbox FX Wiki page

[seppoman]

Is that a VST or a hardware input channel salvaged from an old desk?

build a controller for my ssl channel strip plugin, link below

It would be a good idea to just sometimes read the original posts you´re answering a bit closer in order to reduce the number of irrelevant posts...

S

[Jidis]

Markusone,

I did a similar one for the UAD Neve 1073 a while back (see below), and one for their Precision EQ a few months back, but never decided on a panel label design. The topic also came up a few days ago in the UAD forum after the release of the 88RS channel strip (very similar layout to what you want).

Now for the downside. :-\

The DAW "link" David Banner mentioned really screwed the whole thing up for me. I guess it depends on what SW you end up running, but the Berg stuff didn't cut it (ironically, as they're the VST kings). Nuendo, or Cubase, only outputs the assigned generic remote messages when the parameters are changed from within the software. For instance, if I flipped the phase button on the 1073 controller, the plug would change phase, the onscreen GUI button would change state (if it was open), but the LED on my controller would stay off. However, if I activated the switch in the plug interface using the mouse (after wasting all that time building a controller), the LED would come on. Big-ass mess as you might imagine. I think there was someone here or in the Nuendo forum who claimed it worked OK, but I'm afraid that he had a different configuration somehow (maybe his box lights were linked to the switches). I tried just about every Nuendo parameter I could find. If there's anyone here who could come up with a solution, I'd love to hear it. I haven't let it stop me from trying (or pry me away from Nuendo), and I bump the topic up in the Berg forums every so often. Unfortunately, not many there are into DIY controllers, and the generic users aren't expecting outgoing messages for their lights. Also, if any Cubase 4 users should read this, it would be great to know if *anything* at all has changed with the new VST stuff (remote wise).

BTW- switching from channel to channel is one of the positive sides of the plug link you're looking for (at least with Nuendo/Cubase). If I slapped a 1073 across the same insert point of each channel and assigned a remote map to the "selected" channel, I could arrow from one channel to the next, and the MIDI messages or notes I had assigned would be thrown out for the corresponding channel's EQ settings each time I changed channels ... perfect! This sort of prompted me to change my goals with the next (PEQ) controller. You may be able to get a more efficient control surface if you redesign the interface a bit, rather than trying to clone the actual plug's GUI. On the PEQ board, I switched a bunch of the controls from "stepped" knobs, to up/down pushbuttons with a row of labelled LEDs to indicate the current setting (works like an encoder/LED ring). I also went with as few knobs and faders as I could, but there are a few with too many steps to do the LED thing. The "regular" pots you're dealing with will be one of the biggest handicaps to the controller. In the PEQ, I'm hoping to incorporate a "set" mode, where it will store the most recent incoming knob messages (values) and I can tweak the knobs to match. However, the PEQ is more of a mastering EQ than the SSL or Neve channel strip. For something you'll constantly be inserting, or have multiple instances of, you may try to come up with an easier method as mentioned.

Never ever found an answer to the question of whether or not the VST spec included any virtual meter data. - not that we'd be able to do anything with it from a generic link though. ;D 

Take Care (and please post if you start working on anything related)

George

[DrBunsen]

It would be a good idea to just sometimes read the original posts

You know, hardware plugs in too ...

[seppoman]

You know, hardware plugs in too ...

ok, my microwave plugs in too, I´ll call it a plugin from now on ;)

[stryd_one]

"Plus your girl's sex technology/ I wanna plug in" (Can Ox)