Block is a compact and programmable MIDI control surface designed for interactive audio performance. Built on the same bi-directional and adaptable platform as the Ohm64, Block provides a powerful interface for creating and interacting with sound in a small easy-to-transport body. Sixty four backlight led buttons provide endless possibilities for visual feedback with the instrument by connecting it to Ableton Live, Max/Msp, our open source sounds apps, or any other software that supports MIDI. The open source blockEditor application lets you reprogram any of the controller's sixty four clip buttons, eight knobs, two faders, and seven function buttons. Block is hand crafted from lightweight wood and aluminum for easy portability.

Block has bi-directional talkback communication allowing the controller to talk to your software, and software to your device. MIDI messages can be sent to the Block to light up the buttons for an interactive performance. Completely programable and mappable, block provides a flexible control surface that be used with any software or setup. Completely USB powered means you don’t have to worry about adapters and and power strips, and it is plug and play so no drivers are required.

Features

	Portability A compact and lightweight design lets you slip this controller into your backpack. Plug it into your computer's USB, and you are powered to play. more>
	Design Block is completely plug and play and USB powered. This means you don’t need drivers to use it and it works with a single USB cable. more>
	TalkBack Reprogrammable buttons with LED talkback provides visual feedback by sending MIDI commands back to the controller. more>
	Software A growing collection of open source sound applications and utilities provide a wide range of uses and endless customization. more>
	Home Grown All of our controllers are handcrafted by artists with care in our Austin, Texas shop. more>
	Specs Technical specifications and details of the of the block controller. more>

Sourced via Synthopia

This post has been a long time coming. My sincere apologies to Vilhelm to whom I promised this post and then got delayed two weeks over what I said. Anyway, better late than than never I guess!

So the idea for this post and inspiration was given to me by a reader called Vilhelm. He brought up the topic saying that there really wasn't that much info on the internet about which audio interfaces/sound cards can be used with MIDI Controllers that lack built-in sound.

Now theoretically, you can actually go ahead and use any damn audio interface you want. Anything that floats your boat that gets the job done is the right one to use. But there are some that work better than others and in this post I am going to focus on the the controllers I would choose for working live.

The reason why I am choosing live situations is because – a)That's what got me in to MIDI Controllers in the first place and b)It is often the situation where people want to know which ones are the most suitable.

If you are solo performer things will be that much simpler. However, if you decide to hook up for some live PA action – that is where problems begin. DJs do not have this problem though. They will just plug in to the same Mixer and be done with. But if you are a modern DJ who uses a laptop and a controller, hooking up might be confusing. For this, I find the best solution is to either hook up to the same analogue mixer and output from their or use an audio interface that has robust I/O and routing capabilities.

For now, here are some of the smaller audio interfaces that can used in Live situations (i.e. with laptops). Most of them are meant for recording situations but they have the requisite I/Os and dedicated monitoring capabilities to work for live situations. All of the images link to their product pages where you can get more detailed information about them and also find some user reviews and ratings.




My first option would be the Apogee Duet for simple and high quality audio interface. Although it is meant for recording, it can be translated in to live performance. It has balanced and unbalanced inputs. Two outputs for powered speakers and also headphone monitoring. You will be losing out on the functionality of the knob but you have your MIDI Controller for those works. This is a FireWire 400 audio interface and should be used with a Mac. For new MacBooks, Apogee has a FW800 to FW400 adapter.



Next are the purpose built audio 8 and audio 4 Dj audio interfaces from Native Instruments. These are made for DJs and performers who want pro quality sound. With switchable inputs and cool number of outputs, you will have all your bases covered.




This here is the Presonus Inspire 1394 FireWire audio interface. I am deliberately choosing smaller interfaces so that they are easier to carry (and okay to keep in public view). Presonus has a name for making good quality audio interfaces and this one is a favorite for small start up home and project studios. It has separate headphone and line outs. Works on both OS X and Windows. It has balanced mic inputs as well so you can have someone MC-ing along. This boxes can be daisy-chained, so you can have up to 16 inputs and proportionate outputs with multiple Presonus Inspire boxes.




If you want a USB interface for REALLY cheap, you have the Behnringer UControl UCA202 USB audio interface at your disposal. At only $30, you cannot be asking for more than what it already provides. It gives you a pair in and a pair out with separate headphone monitoring (1/4") and it even has digital audio out via the optical S/PDIF out.




This piece from Mackie has been on my radar for quite some time now. Even though Mackie is not primarily known for making audio interfaces, this is a great little piece that will serve double purposes. The Mackie Onyx Satellite is a FireWire Interface that has two parts. The pod and the dock. The idea here is that the pod can be carried along for location work and the dock will stay attached to your studio back home. Why this appeals to me is because for under $200 I can get something that will essentially act as two separate audio interfaces. Once I am done with my live work, I can easily come back to my studio and plug the pod back in, without having to worry about rewiring the entire thing. After all, I do not have the budget to buy two audio interfaces! I am just a poor musician.




Since this is the Control MIDI blog and this post is about audio interfaces, I cannot help but mention this nifty little piece from Native Instruments. This is another purpose built audio interface meant for working with software and it incorporates MIDI functionality. So this can act as your secondary controller. It is meant to be used with a few specific apps but since there's MIDI, it is as good as a second MIDI controller waiting to be mapped to your favorite software. It is a FireWire device and works on both Mac and Windows.




Stanton brings this piece of audio interface goodie that has all the I/Os a digital DJ can ever need. The Stanton Final Scratch Scratchamp is a FireWire Interface and has 2 pairs of output and 2 pairs of input along with 1 pair of auxiliary input and one balanced mic input. That's everything you will ever need onstage. Further more, Stanton advertises this as a system meant for audio apps like Live and MixVibes.




This is the second most expensive piece that I am going to mention on this post. This is the Stanton SCS.1m Digital Mix Controller. This amazing piece that has scribble strips, infinite rotary knobs and a four channel setup for one helluva digital DJ-ing experience. It is also a great FireWire audio interface that has been designed for DJs and live performers. This one retails for about $600-800 depending on where you are buying it form.




And this is just for kicks because most of us mere mortals do not need this kind of power. This by far the most expensive piece on this post. It has amazing Allen&Heath audio quality. The name speaks for itself. It is an interface that has a lot of MIDI control, everything glows under UV and a lot of them are backlit. All in all, if you want to blow about $2800 on some fantastic audio and MIDI gear – this beast is it.

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When it comes to using audio interfaces at home with your MIDI controllers, your choice is completely your choice. It is only restricted by the laptop/desktop that you are using and the amount that you are willing to spend on it. If you any of you guys and gals have suggestions, do drop a line. I will add the thing on the list. Till next time, keep 'em fingers busy! And if you are planning to buy something in the mean time, it is a good time to head over to MusiciansFriend.com. They are are having a grand sale, look below:

Save Up to 90% on Almost Everything at MusiciansFriend.com (exp: 8/31)

The APC40 brings back the ‘Live’ part into Ableton Live. It is a MIDI Controller, true but it is more than that. It is like an instrument that let’s you do whatever you want with it. It allows the user to harness everything that is Ableton Live. And that very statement should tell you how much potential it carries.

• Every control on the damn this is customizable and that means every pot, slider and button
• The clip launch button matrix with multicolor feedback is an absolute first in a consumer product. And it completely sells the product (else it is not very different from the MPD32).
• Session overview
• Mixer Section
• Transport control
• Track Selection and Device Control Encoders
• Track Control
• Tempo control

The controller is not hard to figure out at all and is actually very intuitive. Those who have been working with Ableton for a while now will not need the Quickstart manual at all. For those have started on Live only yesterday, there’s a handy manual that familiarizes you with the major areas of the controller, but that’s where it ends.

 The APC40 is very well laid out and made to reflect the session view as much as possible. So you have the clip launching button matrix and 8 faders corresponding to the columns. There is a 9^th fader that represents the master line fader. So if you can get your head around the basics of Live, you will easily know what’s what on the APC40.

As is usual with Akai, the construction quality of the APC is really good. So it is safe to take it on several tours without needing to mollycoddle it. It has a metal chassis that instantly reminds of my own MPK49 from Akai. The side panels are rubber textured and have a solid and non-slip feel to them. With so many rubber buttons on thing you will really want to start messing around as soon as possible.

A lot of people have complained about the ‘plasticky’ feel of the knobs and they are justified in saying that. Rubberized knobs would’ve been a great idea because both the stage and the booth tend to get sweaty. There have also been complaints about the faders being too close together. But there is a flipside to this one where people are saying that they like being able to control two or more faders with one hand. So this one is a matter of personal choice it seems. However, all the controls are placed firmly within the circuit board and hence feel sturdy enough to take abuse.

Below these are three rows of half buttons. From top row to bottom, these toggle track mute, Solo/cue and Arm Record respectively.

Ableton Session view is called that for a reason. It has become the default choice for those who are developing interfaces for the live. This has already been proven by the likes of Ohm from Livid and Monome from the Monome Project. But the main complaint is about the layout of the knobs on the APC. Having such crucial controls as bank select, tempo nudge, shift and tap tempo in the middle of all that knob real estate is actually a bit cramped. Most people have taken issues with the ergonomics of the APC and that is mainly where the APC loses points. Some also have pointed out that it is a right hand oriented setup.

Regardless of the different things that people have to say about the layout, one thing has hooked them all – they all love the lighting around the knobs. These LED position indicators are simply great to look.

So that covers everything that I wanted to say about the APC40. Should Akai want to bring out another version (and it really should) – they should concentrate more on the ergonomics and well – read these reviews! J

Akai APC40 Ableton Performance Controller The Akai APC40 Ableton Performance Controller is designed to be a powerful, intuitive controller for electronic-music performance artists, DJs, hip-hop producers and traditional musicians using Ableton Live on stage and in the studio. Virtual view The APC40 talks directly to Ableton Live and Live talks directly to the APC40. This exclusive bidirectional communication makes the Akai Professional APC40 an advanced controller that receives feedback from the software and displays it on its clip matrix of 40 triggers, and on LED rings surrounding each knob. The clip matrix gives you an instant view of clip status: what's loaded, what's playing, and what's being recorded. Each state displays on the matrix in a different color so you quickly get a picture of clip state. Shift your clip focus and get an overview of the clips you have loaded for your set. The Akai APC40 controller has 16 knobs, each surrounded by a ring of LEDs. These LED rings indicate the currently selected parameters' values, and make seeing your settings on dark stages a breeze. The APC40 controller's advanced visual feedback focuses your performing with focused more on the music and less on squinting at the computer screen. In fact, you might even forget that the computer is there. Premium controls Ableton selected Akai Professional as a partner because of its leadership position in great-feeling controllers that are rock solid, rugged, and precise. From the legendary MPC series that changed the way music is made to the industry-standard MPD and MPK controllers, Akai Professional is revered by musicians, DJs, and producers everywhere for creating the feel that powers their creativity. The APC40 is built with a rugged, metal chassis and slip-proof rubber detailing. Knobs and faders are solid and precise for pinpoint performance. It even features a high quality, replaceable crossfader.Creative control The Akai APC40 controller comes with a special edition of Ableton Live Lite so you can use it out of the box even if you're new to Live. There's also a free patch that upgrades full versions of Live so if you're already a Live user, you can take full advantage of the APC40. The APC40 has two banks of eight knobs. The first set controls Global parameters so you'll always have instant access to your main sends, pans, and other essentials. The second bank of eight knobs is dynamically reassigned to the Track you select. You can control eight track parameters at a time, and as you switch channels, the Track knobs follow your focus. You also get special clip-status views and feedback that only the APC40's matrix can display. The matrix is not limited to only 40 clips: you can scroll and shift, enabling access to an unlimited number of cells. The APC40 has a wide range of controllers. The eight Global knobs can access four banks of controls; the eight Track knobs control nine different track parameters each. This gives you a massive total of 72 controller

Here's a super user (uberuser) on Ableton Live using the APC40 with a Max/MSP Patch to make Live even more powerful. For those of you who don't know, Max/MSP is a powerful tool that is used by many musicians and A/V artists to create custom programs for themselves to make absolutely anything you can think of. Ableton recently decided to 'Extend' their Live software and added support for Max/MSP patches, making Live almost infinitely potent to do anything a user can imagine.

The user of course has to know how to use Max/MSP. To know more about Max/MSP, head over to the Cycnling '74 website. Cycling '74 (other than being a company with a cool geeky name) are the makers of Max/MSP.