MIDI Controllers

MIDI guitars have been around for years, but systems catering to bassists are far less common. Derek Johnson sets his sequencer's controls for the heart of the bass...

Derek Johnson & Debbie Poyser take a look at a new programmable control surface which allows you to set up a physical controller for almost any aspect of a MIDI device.

Paul White takes a turn on a hardware controller box which allows knobularly-challenged GS and XG synths and soundcards to join the rotary club.

Paul White, with a little help from Rachel Fletcher and Paul Farrer, gives a blow-by-blow account of a controller that allows MIDI modules to harness the power of wind.

MIDI guitar has a long and chequered history, litered with great expectations and expensive failures. Dave Lockwood investigates the latest contender to see if it really is able to bring something genuinely new to the field.

The DC16 is an assignable control surface ideal for use both with gear and software, and with digital audio systems such as Pro Tools. Mike Collins just loves being in control.

The Dimension Beam translates physical movement into MIDI data, offering theremin-style control over your keyboard rack. Dominic Hawken explores this new device.

Yamaha's MFC10 MIDI Foot Controller aims to put control right under its user's feet. Paul Ward boots it up...

Roland continue to champion the cause of the guitar synthesist, refining their respected line of guitar synths in search of the best combination of facilities, usability and price. Paul White finds out whether they've got the right balance right with the new GR30.

For over a decade, Californian company Zeta have kept the flag flying for strings players who'd like to bring their skills into the synth age. Alan McClure takes a bow..

The so-called guitarist's dream has failed to deliver on so many occasions that many guitar players now seem sceptical about the whole concept of MIDI guitars. Does the Yamaha G50 give us cause to rethink our prejudices, or does it simply reinforce them? Paul White finds out.

Emu's Launch Pad provides a hardware control surface for the Orbit sound module, but can also be used with other MIDI gear. Paul Nagle finds out whether it's destined to become a springboard for many a successful mission.

Best known for their low-cost controller keyboards, Fatar have now released a new kind of controller — the MP1 MIDI pedalboard. Paul Ward brings his lower limbs into the sonic fray...

David Mellor goes all gooey about Kenton's new MIDI guitar switcher, designed to put a stop to all the embarrassing onstage effects pedal swapping that goes on in the dark between numbers.

Paul White packs away the keyboard and plugs Roland's new guitar-MIDI interface into his sequencer.

Roland's new MCR8 hardware controller seeks to take the strain out of parameter access synth or software editing, by offering you real-time manipulation of any MIDI values from its front panel sliders and knobs. Paul Ward checks it out.

Nick Magnus concludes his exploration of MIDI controllers with a look at creative uses of SysEx, and some of the hardware MIDI devices which allow more intuitive uses of controllers. But first, how to mingle your Ooohs and Aaahs...

How do you fancy a way of playing guitar patches, like a guitar, without the expense of a guitar synth system? Impossible? Derek Johnson finds out...

Synthesized music need not lack expression; with the array of MIDI controllers at your disposal, you can add a whole new dimension to your music. In this short series, Nick Magnus explains how...

Hands On Development came into the field of MIDI-controlled lighting very early, with their sophisticated Limetime controller. Now the Starlite offers even the most fiscally challenged the opportunity to add another dimension to a live performance. Martin Russ seeks enlightenment.

This compact unit allows you to add MIDI-controlled lights to your performance for less than the cost of a modest sound module. Paul White checks it out.