Markusone,
I did a similar one for the UAD Neve 1073 a while back (see below), and one for their Precision EQ a few months back, but never decided on a panel label design. The topic also came up a few days ago in the UAD forum after the release of the 88RS channel strip (very similar layout to what you want).
Now for the downside. :-\
The DAW ālinkā David Banner mentioned really screwed the whole thing up for me. I guess it depends on what SW you end up running, but the Berg stuff didnāt cut it (ironically, as theyāre the VST kings). Nuendo, or Cubase, only outputs the assigned generic remote messages when the parameters are changed from within the software. For instance, if I flipped the phase button on the 1073 controller, the plug would change phase, the onscreen GUI button would change state (if it was open), but the LED on my controller would stay off. However, if I activated the switch in the plug interface using the mouse (after wasting all that time building a controller), the LED would come on. Big-ass mess as you might imagine. I think there was someone here or in the Nuendo forum who claimed it worked OK, but Iām afraid that he had a different configuration somehow (maybe his box lights were linked to the switches). I tried just about every Nuendo parameter I could find. If thereās anyone here who could come up with a solution, Iād love to hear it. I havenāt let it stop me from trying (or pry me away from Nuendo), and I bump the topic up in the Berg forums every so often. Unfortunately, not many there are into DIY controllers, and the generic users arenāt expecting outgoing messages for their lights. Also, if any Cubase 4 users should read this, it would be great to know if *anything* at all has changed with the new VST stuff (remote wise).
BTW- switching from channel to channel is one of the positive sides of the plug link youāre looking for (at least with Nuendo/Cubase). If I slapped a 1073 across the same insert point of each channel and assigned a remote map to the āselectedā channel, I could arrow from one channel to the next, and the MIDI messages or notes I had assigned would be thrown out for the corresponding channelās EQ settings each time I changed channels ⦠perfect! This sort of prompted me to change my goals with the next (PEQ) controller. You may be able to get a more efficient control surface if you redesign the interface a bit, rather than trying to clone the actual plugās GUI. On the PEQ board, I switched a bunch of the controls from āsteppedā knobs, to up/down pushbuttons with a row of labelled LEDs to indicate the current setting (works like an encoder/LED ring). I also went with as few knobs and faders as I could, but there are a few with too many steps to do the LED thing. The āregularā pots youāre dealing with will be one of the biggest handicaps to the controller. In the PEQ, Iām hoping to incorporate a āsetā mode, where it will store the most recent incoming knob messages (values) and I can tweak the knobs to match. However, the PEQ is more of a mastering EQ than the SSL or Neve channel strip. For something youāll constantly be inserting, or have multiple instances of, you may try to come up with an easier method as mentioned.
Never ever found an answer to the question of whether or not the VST spec included any virtual meter data. - not that weād be able to do anything with it from a generic link though. ;D
Take Care (and please post if you start working on anything related)
George