#custom midi controller

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Midi Fighter X Design Contest Winners

There is one of those twisted sayings that I have never agreed with and it goes like this, “Don’t do yourself what others can do for you.”  What that means is don’t do the hard work when you can fool other idiots to do it for you.  It’s one of those quotes that try to show you how any smart person can overpower someone with stupidity.  I think many of us are wise enough to see when our hard work is being used to benefit someone else.  But what about when your hard work is used to benefit like minded people around you?  Is it ok then to be used in that same sense? I think it is an acceptable compromise.  Your hard work is will not go to waste, and you get to revel in examples of your hard work when others adopt your similar style.  This was the idea behind the Midi Fighter X competition – users were challenged to submit designs for the next midi fighter, a MIDI controller that was meant to go far beyond simple dials and knobs.  Since it gets to be voted on, it cannot be build without the community’s input and that speaks volumes.  http://www.djtechtools.com/2013/05/03/midi-fighter-x-design-contest-winners/

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New Shields For The Brain Jr

I think that MIDI control has been put to use so well, that it has transformed itself as a protocol that goes beyond simulated digital instruments, such as a keyboard.  Only a decade ago, MIDI control was still basically only used for plugging in a piano to the computer and recording.  Beyond that, what was left for MIDI?  When DJ equipment manufacturers started to realize that MIDI control could be used to control functions in DJ software rather than a note on a piano, the MIDI revolution sort of expanded to where it is today.  Now, MIDI is in demand for DJ and production tool use in ways that would have been unimaginable with only a simple MIDI piano keyboard. [embed width="656"]http://vimeo.com/67763410[/embed] It is getting to the point where even the average music maker is curious as to how it all works.  They are tired of buying MIDI controllers and hoping that it works out for their system – they want something custom that they can call their own.  The only roadblock that stops many from creating their own MIDI controller is the programming side of things.  Creating the hardware is one thing, but trying to understand a new language in order to get it to run is not what we signed up for. http://www.synthtopia.com/content/2013/06/06/new-shields-for-the-brain-jr-sneak-preview/

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Bolsa Bass: Critter and Guitari Bass

I think that manufacturers who design MIDI controllers usually have their audience in mind.  Most of them are younger, perhaps in their late teens or twenties, and they all seem to want something that looks as cool as it performs.  Disregarding functionality for the moment, what can be said about the looks of a MIDI controller?  Most of them come in the standard professional grade black, which looks the part and feels the part.  They have also learned that MIDI controllerists like to have their buttons light up when they press them, but a single color is just not as cool as multiple colors. [embed width="656"]http://youtu.be/QlRkDMnTInI[/embed] The Maschine has to go through a revision in order to get it right the second time.  They makers over at Native Instruments decided that some users preferred a smaller package to the larger Maschine, and that colors, although not the most masculine, paid off since the lighting effects became part of the performance value.  On the opposite end of the spectrum, there are designers who are into making “cute” controllers and these would definitely satisfy the crowd of DJs who like to use custom candy painted equipment or even female owners who want to let it be known. http://createdigitalmusic.com/2013/06/bolsa-bass-critter-and-guitari-bass-in-trippy-cute-animation/