C & G Midi controller for the Organelle

I think a class compliant Critter & Guitari MIDI controller with 16 knobs and 16 buttons, some or all that can also work as toggles (with status LEDs) would be awesome. It should obviously have the same form factor as the Organelle. A joystick would make it even tastier (or even an XY Pad). No screen necessary, but bi-directional communication with the Organelle would make it the tastiest. Additional mini-jack or 5-DIN MIDI in/outs would make it the most awesome device in the history of humanity. I cannot find words powerful enough to describe what this controller if it also has simple Wi-Fi for connecting iPads as MIDI controllers wirelessly.

:slight_smile:

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@oweno would C&G actually consider building a controller that would increase the potential of their devices? Something that has the C&G look, has knobs, buttons and other control components, has USB out, MIDI in/out, etc.

Now that you have the ETC, this would somehow make sense. Not using faders would mean it could have the same form factor as the Organelle.

To make it even more attractive, CV ins and/or outs could also be added. These can also control guitar pedals that have expression pedal inputs.

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That could be cool! The joystick is a must have I think, especially for ETC. maybe 2…

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Support this to the power of a billion. CV and XY control holy holy. How could the issue of visually identifying that many knobs/buttons be solved though? It might require c&g to break from their aesthetic.

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@oweno

This one really looks tempting to me:

https://store.believotron.com/collections/beta-synth-sale/products/believotron-wanderlust-midi-usb-midi-synthesizer-byoaxoloti-upgrade-kit

4 joysticks, 4 oleds, 8 knobs. The 4 oleds are placed so there each display actually covers 2 knobs, so you got FULL view over everything you do.

But you need an Axoloti to use it, though. I wouldnt mind using one of my Axos as midicontroller if I get full parameter feedback.

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I think this Believotron is not that usable in live situations. The joysticks are too small. They’re good for gaming, but for live use, at least for the way I use electronics live (fast response, versatility), I’d need joysticks that are larger and easier to grip, twist and bend. The knobs are completely useless, unless the changes that need to be made live are slow. And personally I wouldn’t need one or more screens. I am used to bulding instruments, practicing them and learning by heart what each control elements does for each instrument.

I think 8 knobs, 1 large joystick, 8 or more buttons would be good. Some buttons should be toggle buttons, so that we can physically turn things on/off. A led indicator for these buttons would also be nice.

There should be a way of programming this controller, so that we can change the midi message sent by each control element. Personally I’d be fine with CC and program change, but other MIDI message types are also welcome additions.

I would also love to see this controller acting as a hub for other controllers. I would like to be able to connect a Keith McMillen QuNeo (USB) to this for example and have both recognized by the Organelle as an aggregate MIDI device. A proper 5-pin (or minijack) MIDI in/out would also be awesome.

There should of course be receive symbols for the elements of this controller in Organelle’s PD.

A dream would be bluetooth connectivity, for both MIDI over bluetooth (which I’ve never used) and for connecting Nintendo Wii controllers. The only aspect I miss from my laptop performance days are the Nintendo Wii and Nunchuk.

Agree, they are a lttle bit small.

You have to supply your own knob shafts. They made it that way to keep costs down. When shaft added, the knobs are just as good as any other imo.

Yeah could definetaly use some toggle buttons.

Since the Believotron is dependant on an Axoloti(which can act like a USB hos for other devices) this is possible. Axolotis has got midi in/out and also got the USB host port.

I don’t know any midi controllers that accepts PD symbols. Maybe some OSC-based devices?

But I would really like to have a C&G controller that’s customized for the Organelle. I am not really interested in this Axolotl controller. There is always the Faderfox PC4 which has USB and MIDI outs/ins, has MIDI merge functionality and has 24 knobs. And they also have the UC4 with faders, small display, etc. I use an older model by them, the LV2, quite successfully with the Organelle.

By symbols, I mean something similar to |r knob1| that’s used for the Organelle knobs. All control elements on this controller could have corresponding receives on the Organelle itself. These control elements should also send their data out of the MIDI outputs to control other equipment. I assume changing their controller assignments could easily be done on the mother patch.

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Its possible to connect any number of controllers to the Organelle, but what I want is aesthetic and functional appeal. If a companion box came out, it would be an insta-buy…

this cant be done with the current approach to patching on the organelle for a number of (boring technical) reasons. also given only a (small) percentage of Organelle owners would have it, specific support for it in patches would be sporadic ( = disappointing)

(I for one, have little interest in yet another controller on my desk :wink: )

Ive a solution which is in-progress, now called ‘kontrol’, its a massive step up from the preview i showed before (called okontrol), the more i developed it, the more ambitious i got… this would help with a C&G controller, but also in some ways will make it unnecessary … since it will make setting up users existing midi controllers pretty trivial.

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Yeah a C&G midi controller would be great. The way the Believotron I posted link to above use the display is nice. Every display covers 2 dials, so you have full feedback. And then add a couple of toggles(with LED’s inside), then we are getting somewhere :slight_smile:

@thetechnobear
This is a topic allowing people to share what they would like to see in a product they care about. I know you only have the best intentions but you shouldn’t presume to speak for them man. I’m sure there is a significant enough amount of people interested in more control to make it a decent idea for C&G to pursue - especially in relation to the ETC.
Having said that - I’m incredibly excited for Kontrol and for me at least - yeah that would probably be just as elegant a solution as new midi controller to buy - if not moreso! :slight_smile:

i presume to speak for no one other than myself… (how can anyone do otherwise!)

I expressed only my opinion, which i thought is what discussion forums were for… even if that opinion does not happen to gel with yours… but, if thats not the case, then I’ll happily leave.

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You said only a small number of people would be interested - seems to be quite a few people who are. No offense intended!

Personally, I do not require a formal integration of this controller in existing or future Organelle patches. A controller can be a very personal tool and it is best to leave how it’s going to be used to the end user. Then, this shouldn’t obviosuly stop patch developers to integrate this controller in their patches, which can be as simple as assigning MIDI CCs to their patch parameters. This way, people with other controllers can also use this patch by matching the required MIDI CC numbers on their controllers.

THe receive symbols are just utilities. I would be also quite happy to simply use the relevant MIDI CCs. In fact, I have PD contraptions for my controllers that define each control elements as a symbol. I just include those in my patches and assign parameters to control elements by name and not by MIDI CC numbers. The same approach could be used for this too: make the controller customizable and let the users deal with the rest. As long as the USB / MIDI interfaces are on the side of the unit, it’s fine.

I think he meant that even if this device is built and marketed, the number of people who’d actually buy this will be a lot less than total number of Organelle/ETC owners. That makes sense in a way, but then, Ableton Push owners also constitute probably 10-20% of total Ableton Live users.

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Please happily stay :slight_smile:

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I am still not totally clear how that’s possible. I think some stuff need to be changed in the OS, right? At the moment, Organelle recognizes only one MIDI input and one MIDI output. If you mean it’s possible to connect many controllers by using MIDI mergers or USB Hosts, those are not very elegant soltions. I’d rather spend money on a dedicated controller than paying 200 Euros for a Kenton USB host.

and thank you for fixing that typo in the thread title. I couldn’t figure out how to do that myself.

In reference to the Kenton dilemma I use this thingamajigger with some of my gear instead, works a charm performing the same function as the kenton model - but on the cheap
http://www.hobbytronics.co.uk/audio-midi/usb-midi-converter

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