How can I use 128 midi CC's using encoders with pick-up?

#1

I'm making a synth that uses an audio and "CV" patching matrix to make it a bit like a modular synth. I have an 8x8 audio matrix of sources and destinations and 8x8 CV matrix. I like to use knobs to control each of these patch points so I need about 128 virtual knobs.

Having 128 hardware knobs is too big and bulky for my application. I want to have 8 or 16 encoders with "pick-up" with some kind of page selection so I can access all 128 virtual knobs.

I've been looking for a suitable controller that would work with the axoloti but haven't been able to find one yet.

The MidiFighter Twister is the closest but can only do 64 controllers.

The Kenton KillaMix can do 144 controllers (16 pages of 9 encoders) but each page is a different midi channel and as far as I can tell the axoloti only supports 1 midi channel.

The Livid Instruments Code v2 looks like it would work, it's a bigger than I'd ideally like, but it's not available.

The Novation SL mk2 doesn't have encoder pick-up between templates ("pages").

Does anyone know of a suitable controller? Alternatively there's the option of making something from scratch but that's a bunch of work that could be too much for me.

Any ideas gratefully received!

#2

8 of these on the i2c bus:

I have some on order that I intend to write a driver for.

#3

ahem, axoloti supports 16 midi channels...

#4

You can receive midi input on any of the 16 channels like this and on all at the same time if you want it :wink:

#5

I have the twister too and I did my own layer switching system in axoloti. You could use always the same CCs on the twister and then switch layers in axoloti, sending midi values back to the twister for feedback.

#6

Sorry, what I meant was when I try mapping the controls of a mixer module to midi CC's by right clicking on a knob I can only select CC's from a single midi channel (as far as I can tell), but I'm looking at jaffasplaffa's answer using patchers.

#7

Ok, I'm mapping my midi controller to the 8 "knobs" on a mix 8 object and I have 16 of those mixer objects. So if I put each one of those mixers in its own patcher I could get each one to respond to a different midi channel? Brilliant.

axoloti-matrix.png769x482 150 KB

#8

How easy was it to implement the layer switching and sending midi feedback back to the twister?

#9

SPAGHETTI! :slight_smile: make sure all red connections go from left to right and from top to bottom to save sram and to decrease latency! (every signal that goes upward or backwards will cost you 16samples of delay on that signal)

#10

Thank you! Excellent advice, I'll do that.

#11

The short answer is yes.

The long answer is also yes :wink:

#12

@AlanMJackson

If you are familiar with working tables and you are a bit code savy, you can make this ALOT simpler and save tons of DSP/memory for the actual patch:

If you send the values from the midi controller first through a table, you can probably remove ALL knobs and just use inputs instead.... and you can also delete ALL the messy cc setup and have a way cleaner patch.

And it WILL also save alot of memory/dsp. But you need to be familiar with working with tables :slight_smile:

Another good thing about using tabe for this is, that you can also save presets and stuff like that. So I think you should look into that instead.

#13

Super easy Imho. This is how I do it. I use a table and objects by rbrt.
You would only need extra buttons for the layer switching.

Or you do like 2 buttons to select audio/cv layer
and then the other four of the twister for the 4 respective layers.

Bildschirmfoto 2018-10-26 um 18.10.04.png1688x682 74.2 KB

The thing I like about this is also you can place the multiple tableread 8 freely in your patch which makes patching a bit tidier imho.

P.S. I use 2 tableread 8 but you could make one with 16 outs. And the integer coming from select layer to tableread should be multiplied by 16 in that case, but atm I only use the first layer.