Butchering midi keyboards

[vjvishnu]

Has anyone got any good resource sites to reccommend on the art and science of hacking midi controllers?

I'm working with a friend who is quite good with electronics and we want to start making our own rotary midi dials on our own custom interfaces.

Can anyone reccommend any good resources, of any kind (online or offline)?

V.

[Beatroot]

Rather than butcher a controller you should take a look at the Doepfer.
site.

They sell DIY kits which are just the raw controller electronics, you are then free to add your own knobs, switches etc in any configuration to make your own custom controller.

Hope this helps.

[VGA]

midibox.org
ucapps.de

[vjvishnu]

Thanks Guys thats sweet. Any more are also welcome.

[johnnylocust]

do a search for "midi" on www.makezine.com
Their Midi Scrapyard challenge is especially..... um.... interesting.

[vjvishnu]

Sounds intreguing... thanks. Will follow leads and get back to y'all.

[napalmskatterja]

Originally Posted by VGA

midibox.org
ucapps.de

VGA knows his sh*t..
I am in the proccess (and have been for over a year now) of putting one of these bitches together and as I get parts and and do simple sh*t my mind starts planning out really wierd combanations for specific layouts in Ableton and vjapps....

forget doepfer, they break all the time and are expensive.

I have also ripped other controllers out of their original housing and added the entire component to a custom case with other keyboards/knobboxxes. You might have two or three powercords and midicables commin out the back but it is mutant as f*ck and always turns heads.. Sometimes though if you rip off a keyboard and hope that the knobs on top work and they dont.. anyway just say f*ck it and do it. get burned with a soldering iron.

[Bokonon]

Originally Posted by napalmskatterja

forget doepfer, they break all the time and are expensive.

I've not had that experience at all, I've used doepfer midi control products to power two different fairly long term installations in galleries and had no issues what so ever with them.

They do not require the level of programming or soldering that the MIDI box projects offer, and you pay for that, but I have not found the quality to be of an issue what so ever.

Also, they are soon to be offering very good USB support, which is something that the midibox project lacks.

In addition, the doepfer gear is far more reliable than any of my hacked bits and pieces (two of which are now dead), that might be my fault though.

[Donnie Darko]

can one of you make this then...



+



with midi and a proper amount of ports?

ta

[lowRes]

Originally Posted by Donnie Darko

can one of you make this then...



+



with midi and a proper amount of ports?

ta

no that..
but i made this:
loop-R

and, yep, it uses a disassembled doepfer midi controller (solid gear!!)

imho, ucapps projects are really worth it if u need something really specific and/or u have time+experience for electronics.
if u don't know eleectronics and don't have time to lose, doepfer PE is perfect or even an old pocket dial/fader (they're the best for desoldering and resoldering! thick board).

the thing u can di with ur own midi controller..
http://www.thesoundsurgery.co.uk/videoswitchboard/
http://www.vjforums.com/showthread.php?t=20039


tsc.. tsc.. a kaoss pad...

* )