Digidesign's D-Command and D-Control represent perhaps the most ambitious attempt yet to integrate recording and mixing systems. Do these Icons symbolise the future of digital audio workstations, or are they merely expensive control surfaces for Pro Tools?
Pad controllers are aimed at releasing the frustrated drummer in all of us, allowing desktop composers access to rhythm sounds without having to use sticks — and Korg's Pad Kontrol adds a couple of nice twists to the concept...
Hardware Controller & Software Host For Instruments & Effects
NI's Kore system promises to unify your library of software instruments and effects, creating the mother of all workstation synths or multi-effects units.
If you're still using pre-MIDI synths, the chances are you'll already be using a Kenton converter to interface them with your more modern MIDI gear. We check out this upgrade to the faithful Pro Solo...
Controller keyboards are fitting ever more control facilities into progressively smaller units costing less and less. Is the semi-weighted Axiom 25 M-Audio's best deal yet?
Take Blue Chip's advanced Axon MIDI guitar system, bundle it with new editing software and a Terratec soundcard, and you have the Axon AX100. We strum its sounds and test its triggering...
Mackie's C4 controller has been a long time coming, but now that it's here, it provides real-time control for a variety of supported sequencers and their plug-ins, including Apple's Logic, Cakewalk Sonar, and Mackie's own Tracktion.
Novation have an elegant solution to the tedium of configuring hardware controllers — the Remote 25SL can read your sequencer and automatically map plug-in instrument parameters to its controls. Is this the first 'intelligent' hardware control surface? We find out...
M Audio have packaged a fully featured control surface with motorised faders, an 18-input Firewire interface and eight mic preamps in one box — at a very competitive price.
I'm using a Mackie Control control surface with Cubase SX, and it works fine on audio tracks. However, whenever I select a MIDI track within Cubase, pressing buttons on the Mackie Control seems to trigger random MIDI notes...
There are dedicated (and expensive) control surfaces for Logic, Pro Tools and Cubase... so why not an affordable one for Apple's semi-free entry-level application Garage Band? M-Audio must have thought exactly the same thing...
Hardware control surfaces promise to make working with a software DAW more intuitive and 'hands on'. Tascam's new offering has more knobs and faders than most, but also keeps things deliberately simple. Is it an essential accessory, or an expensive gadget?
The Trigger Finger is clearly intended for those of us who prefer hitting to clicking when it comes to percussion, but, as we discover, there's much more to it than that...
The price of controller keyboards has fallen sharply over the past few years, but whoever thought that we would see an 88-note weighted-action keyboard with aftertouch for under £500? Enter CME's UF8...