Hi,
I’ve just finished working on the first revision of the panel design for my live controller, and here it is
It’s 5 rack units high and the faders are 100mm to give you an Idea of scale
What do you think? any suggestions. I’m going to have a play round in photshop to work out the colors
Rowan
Pretty. No idea what it does, but I know it looks good when it does it 
I guess I should explain.
4 channels all exactly the same.
The first section is the EQ, there are Low/mid and high gain controls, LED’s next to each to show if the band is in or out (I will use encoders with built in switches to switch the bands in/out). To the right of the gain controls are High and Low cutoff freq controls. At the bottom of the EQ the button lable I/O is to bypass the EQ section.
Next down is the Auto filter section, the button at the top controls the filter TYPE and the LED’s to the right show what filter is currently being used. Below the type button is the resonance control and to the right of that is the cut off freq control. Below that is the envelope controls, release on the left and depth on the right. at the botton is the Auto filter Bypass button I/O.
Lastly the section with the fader, the buttons lables A anb B will be for Xfader assingment (I’m going to add 1 more U of space at the bottom for the X fader and a few other surprises I’ve got up my sleeve). Next down are the CUE and MUTE buttons. Next is a encoder which I have yet to decide what it will be, maybe Pan or a Send level. Then clip PLAY and STOP.
Last but not least a Fader for…you guessed it…Track level
Rowan
Rowan, on the Xfader assigns - How do you get those discreet? I have only been able to map this control as a toggle between A,B, but not seperately. Kinda annoying, actually, but I just haven’t seen the setting in Live5.
Hi degel,
Yeah your right on the X fader assigns, I’m just going to map both buttons to the same note number. It’s a waste of a button at the moment, but I’m hoping this might be fixed I future revisions.
Rowan
Great thinking. I thought Ableton won’t allow one control to have multiple button assignments, though?
Are you planning on this as a production controller or as a live performance controller, a la Sasha/Van Dyk?
I assume that you’ll put your scene selector controls in the Xfader assign piece? Otherwise, I don’t see how you’ll select clips to launch.
One other thing I did on my design - I have buttons for “Track Select” and “Toggle between Track and Clip View” on each channel. I also see that you left out looping controls on this panel, and effects sends. Those might just not be important to you; much as the eq frequency controls aren’t to me. The thing is, The “Toggle” button has to be a keyboard button - because it is permanently mapped to shift-tab by the SW 
.
Performance all the way, I can’t wait!
I’ve got/ordered most of the part’s for the panel, I’m waiting on the buttons with the LED’s built to arrive. I havn’t ordered to knobs yet but I know which ones I’m getting, they are the same type as TK has on his SID. I’ve got 100mm P&G faders for this one…yumm!
The finished panel should look exactly the same, I got all the datasheets for the parts and drew them up with CAD software…now I’m starting to build up a bit of a library of parts that I can just drag and drop for a quick and easy way of getting ideas down.
Rowan
Are you planning on this as a production controller or as a live performance controller, a la Sasha/Van Dyk?
Whee this layout makes sasha’s misnamed midibox look like the wanna-be-retro-relic that it is… ;D
Love the design, hate those 1980 led having buttons. Please don’t…this is not a stage lighting controller…
Naturally I would not even say this if I were not about to demand your mailing address via PM, so I can send you a few of these:
for your abusement. They seem to backlight with high brightness LEDs quite well, but you would have to use something to block the light from one button to the next… (else one lit will light others a little).
These fit a standard tact switch (lemme know if you don’t have any around and I’ll send some omron switches too), and most importantly the clear part is removeable, so you can put whatever legend you want protected inside the cap.
Any way I can talk you into sharing the dxf (and by extension a FrontPanelDesigner file) with everyone when you are done?
PM me with your mailing address please, so I can fling a postal projectile your way.
Sorry if I offended anyone who likes the 80’s buttons…not sorry if I offended any sasha fans. ;D
Best Regards
Smash
RE Sasha, yeah,was only referring to Rowan using it as a dj tool rather than as a prod. tool. I’m interested in those switches as well, if you have any for sale. Agreed that the “Maven” is kinda passe.
At my local store, we have tact switches with tiny green LED’s in them. Unfortunately, the guys stock NO CAPS of any kind. I don’t want to do panel mount, since the PCB mounted switches look so much better.
Thanks for the props Smash 
The fact those buttons have removable caps is a bonus, I was going to have my switch caps engraved 
The other big square buttons (PLAY and STOP) are EAO 31 type (Panel mount), like the ones that are on pro consoles. I love those type of switches you could hit them with a hammer and they would still work ;D
Regards
Rowan
Rowen,
Don’t know if you need it but I found a company that makes panel faces. Check it out.
http://www.frontpanelexpress.com/
Brett
Rowen,
Don’t know if you need it but I found a company that makes panel faces. Check it out.
That’s the U.S. partner of Schaeffer in Germany. Their product is used extensively by MIDIBoxers - it’s called Front Panel Designer. SmashTV mentioned it when he asked dengel to post his dxf file…
-drin
To get a common point out of the way, It will be a Schaeffer panel. I know that it will cost an arm and a leg and a kidney, but hay do it once do it right.
Hi dengel,
I have designed this live controler to fit my way of working with live to a tea. What you see on the panel is all I need. I’m a little primitive in my way of working with live, I drag a track into a slot trigger it and that’s about it. I don’t use small loops.
The best way that you could look at it is 4 onetwo’s that stay is time
Scenes are another feature that I don’t use, I like to let the moment take me when it come to track selection.
Regards
Rowan
A nice Image about dB fader scaling for 100mm faders
I’ve got to change my scaling now
I’ll post the design in a format that every one can work with i.e. DXF once I have sorted all the the little issues out. I’ve got to fix the fader slots because they are a little short and the mounting holes aren’t 120mm a part (Standard for 100mm faders).
I still have to spent some time thinking about the “optional” panel which will be below the controller…think MIDIbox, Think Firewire ;D
Think…
MIDIFIRE
Rowan
Hi dengel,
The best way that you could look at it is 4 onetwo’s that stay is time
Scenes are another feature that I don’t use, I like to let the moment take me when it come to track selection.
I’m the same way - I plan on using my controller to essentially replace a record box and a bunch of heavy equipment. The only reason I mentioned the scenes is that by just having a scene up-down button, and then a clip start/stop on each channel, you can eliminate the dragging step completely and stay completely controller based. All it would take is 10 total buttons to free you from the mouse.
The funny thing is that until I had a Midi controller, I didn’t realize you could use live this way. This is why I have dropped my huge clip-lauch grid and rearranged my panel with some extra goodies I now have room for.
In any case - Looking great!
Hi,
I ordered the knobs this morning for my controller from www.albs.de
stock code: 863117
DK16-190V3 A.6/4,5
Price: 0,8 euro each for a quantiy of 50
Rowan
Is that opaque plastic on there? They look like they could be illuminated…
Echoing Stryd, this was my first thought. That looks translucent, not white, from the pic. Here’s hoping!
Why does it seem like no manu has seen the need for translucent, backlightable buttons? Whenever I see some product with them, they are always custom jobs!