MIDI controllers (for orchestral libraries)

Mark, I know exactly the kind of keyboard you're talking about here, and it is frustratingly difficult to find the right one. It seems like it should be simple to do, but I've yet to find the "perfect" one. I went through this a year or two ago, so I can tell you my findings.

I love Spitfire libraries and also have quite a few Kontakt-based libraries not by Spitfire.

I've had a Nord Electro 5HP (so "hammer action" rather than "synth action") for years, and that's been my primary input for a long time. But it doesn't have any knobs or faders that send MIDI to control orchestral libraries. So when I started really thinking through this a couple years back, my initial thought was to add an augmenting device with faders and maybe some knobs.

So I tried a Sparrow 4x100. I really can't recommend one of those, unfortunately. I knew it was going to be 3D-printed, but I was still surprised by just how cheap and rough it felt. The faders aren't entirely smooth, and they don't go all the way down to zero at the bottom of the throw. The plastic actually bends on the top when you press on it. Very poorly made, IMO. I tried to return it and sent probably a half dozen messages to Sparrow about a return, and they never even responded back. So ordering and receiving a unit wasn't a problem, but they never replied once they had my money. It will work, especially in a pinch, but it's not great.

So then I tried the NI S-Kontrol route. Got an S61 for cheap on Amazon. I absolutely LOVED the integration with Kontakt instruments, and it was easy to reassign knobs for Spitfire's own native shell for their libraries that don't use Kontakt. I would've preferred having some faders, but knobs were generally OK. But I play true keyboard instruments (pianos, electric pianos) more than anything else, so I ended up returning the S61 and getting a refurb S88 directly from NI for cheap on Reverb for the better "piano" feel. Ended up hating the particular feel of its keyed, though - vastly prefer my Nord keybed. But it was too late to return the S88 by the time I discovered all that, so the S88 is still in a closet.

So I went back to the drawing board of adding an "augmenting" device to my Nord, and ended up with a Studiologic SL Mixface. It's not perfect, but it's pretty cool, and can fairly easily be programmed to do a number of things, like I can put it in a mode that mimics what the S-Kontrol keyboards do when controlling NI Kontakt stuff. You can program the different faders to send whatever MIDI message your VI expects to see for the parameters you want to have kontrol control over. It's magnetic on the bottom, so if your keyboard is made of metal on top (and has enough space to one side), it can attach to your keyboard top securely with no adhesive or anything. It pairs particularly well with Studiologic keyboards, of course, but also works just fine with my Nord (though my Nord doesn't have enough room on the left side for it to attach, so it either sits on the desktop or it can attach on the right side of the keyboard. Oh, and it also can easily control the mixer layer of my Metric Halo DSP mixer, so that's a bonus.

OK, that's a very long description of options that work pretty well, but are decidedly not perfect.

To someone considering a similar path, I would suggest looking carefully at the Arturia Keylab series (only problem is the faders are on the right side instead of the left side) and the Novation controllers (faders are closer to the middle of the keyboard). If you already had a keyboard you loved the feel of (like my Nord situation), the Studiologic Mixface is a more-than-decent option, but there are other similar options out there that might be an even better fit.

What I wish is that the NI S-Kontrol series had faders in addition to all the knobs, and I wish they had different hammer action options to the one they currently use, which is slow and mushy as hell, IMO.

Whew. Hope that's helpful, man. The struggle is real. 

Thanks for the mini-reviews...I'm in this same boat for both keys and faders. 😩

I’m not in a great spot to answer at this exact moment, M57, but I can definitely answer those and any other questions over the next day or two.

I should finally have some time tonight to answer more fully. If you’ve got any specific Mixface questions (besides just general impressions on workflow and build quality) ask away.

All right, so sorry for the delay, Mark!

In terms of overall quality of construction, I'd give the Studiologic Mixface like maybe a B or B-. Totally subjective, of course. The faders aren't 100mm. They are fairly solid, but the caps on the faders wobble just a bit. They're easy to remove, which I did so that I could flip them upside down, making them easier to grab hold of for me at my angle. I also put a little strip of electrical tape on the face of the faders - white for the "channels" and yellow for the "master" fader. Makes them easier to see in a dark studio for me. Even though the faders aren't spectacular, they're definitely more robust than the Sparrow - no contest there except that the Sparrow, being more limited, is easier to grab one of the three or four parameters you're looking for.

The buttons are all solid, and I've not had any problems with them whatsoever.

The body is plastic, obviously. It would probably survive a couple falls if it came to that, but the little fold out feet might not survive if they hit the ground wrong. The little rubber mat is a nice touch, and definitely keeps the Mixface on my desk where I want it. And the magnetic bottom is brilliant - just wish my Nord had room on the left side for it. I wish it used a USB-C port instead of the Mini USB-B port.

Now, the workflow.
I haven't found anything to beat the S-Kontrol Keyboards for navigation. They're amazing, and while the Mixface can be programmed to do a lot, it doesn't automap plugins like the NI keyboards. You can fairly easily program the Mixface to send whichever MIDI messages you want it to, but I've always had trouble getting my assignments to stick in Logic. Probably user error. I LOVE how on the S-Kontrol keyboards, the knobs are just automatically lined up in order - super super easy to know what does what. Another feature I like so much with the NI keyboards is the simple ability to press a hardware button to go to the next sound. Well, you can program the Mixface to do that as long as you're using the Komplete Kontrol plugin to host everything (all the NI libraries, all the Spitfire libraries, etc.). Not quite as clean, but you can do it, and it's great, but the buttons toggle between lit and unlit, so it's a little visually odd.

You mention having dedicated transport buttons. Yes, but you do have to switch the Mixface out of "CTRL" mode and into "DAW" mode to access them. Easily done - it's just a quick button press - but you do have to switch it and then switch it back. It's instaneous, but still. I wish the transport buttons and locator buttons and cycle button would just be permanently linked to the DAW regardless of what mode you're in, and then you could leave it in "CTRL" mode. How that translates for me is that I usually find it easier to just hit the spacebar on my computer keyboard instead. But the switchover IS instaneous, so you could be pushed back from your editing desk and flip the Mixface into DAW mode and the faders would then control your DAW and you could make fader/pan moves, etc. and then switch back. So it is handy.

Hopefully that answers some stuff - happy to answer any other specific questions if you have them. I found it a little difficult to get the info I wanted on it before purchase, but found it pretty easy to set up and start programming and then working once I had it in hand.

Still shocking there aren't many (any?) good options in this space. The one you linked to looked a lot like the Sparrow, but better quality.

You're both right, there's just no great solution. I keep thinking that at the very least I'll want to be able to draw Expression and Vibrato curves while playing, and you can't do that with encoders.

And I conpletely forgot about keyswitching! Thanks for making this even more complicated DrBill. 61 keys and a Nano just became a consideration, but I'm really skeptical about rotary encoders and if I go that route there's no room for the Mixface ..or is there? I don't think I would be using both the Mixface and the Nano at the same time, and either can be moved to the side easily enough to make room for the other.

..thoughts on that?

So when you input a part in real time, and assuming you can't twirl two rotary encoders at the same time, what do you assign the encoder to?  ..Expression or Vibrato?  Do you then draw in the curve for the other parameter?  I almost always have both parameters happening when I work with orchestral instruments. To be fair, the curves can be quite different at times, but they tend to be parallel most of the time.  In my apparently unreasonable but perfect world, I envision drawing both with faders when recording and then editing as necessary.

Commonly regarded as the best action of any of them is the Doepfer, and many composer desks are made with these in mind. They don't have a lot of bells and whistles, which might appeal to you.

www2.doepfer.eu/en/category/88-keys-3

For MIDI faders, choisaucedesigns.com

NICE!!!  On both products!    

?? It's not great, but it's not horrible either. Seems to work OK for me.

It certainly IS enormous.  . A reason I'll consider a smaller keyboard next time.  <thumbsup>

I've always been jonesing to get the Komplete 14 software from Native, so this morning I pulled the trigger and purchased it along with the S61 MK3 at a package price. We'll see if the encoders and faders on the 61 make me happy enough. I suspect they will.