Configuring a Generic Control Surface

If you have a MIDI controller that includes buttons and knobs or faders, you can use the device as an external control surface.

For more information, see Using a control surface

For example, let's assume that you have a MIDI keyboard that has 8 knobs. This topic will show you how you can use those knobs to control the volume on the tracks in your project.

NOTE

You can use this same process to assign a controller to any configurable parameter. To adjust track volume, we're selecting Channel x Fader in the Host Command list in step 9 below. However, if you wanted to adjust panning, you could choose Channel x Pan, or if you wanted to adjust the bus send level, you could choose Channel x Send.
Effect parameters cannot be controlled with a generic controller.

IMPORTANT A generic control surface can control either trim or automation settings. In order to control automation settings, you must assign a button to place the control surface in automation mode, and the Automation Settings button on the track or bus you want to edit must be set to Automation Write (Touch) or Automation Write (Latch).

From the Options menu, choose Preferences to display the Preferences dialog.
Select the MIDI tab, and verify that the port where your controller is connected is selected in the Make these devices available for MIDI input list.
Select the External Control & Automation tab.
From the Available devices drop-down list, choose Generic Control, and then click the Add button. The Generic Control is added to the Active control devices list.
Double-click the Generic Control entry in the Active control devices list to display the Configure Generic Control dialog.
Because the MIDI keyboard in our example has 8 knobs, type 8 in the Number of channels box.
Now, let's assign buttons to shift the channel banks up and down so you can control all the tracks in your project.

For example, when you start using the controller, the knobs will adjust tracks 1-8. When you shift the banks down, you can control tracks 9-16, and so on.
1. From the View function group drop-down list, choose Channels.
2. Select the Learn check box.
3. Select Channel Bank Down from the Host Command list.
4. Press the button or key you want to use to switch to the next group of 8 tracks.
5. Select Channel Bank Up from the Host Command list.
6. Press the button or key you want to use to switch to the previous group of 8 tracks.
Choose Audio Channels from the View function group drop-down list.
Program each knob:
1. Verify that the Learn checkbox is still selected.
2. Select Channel 1 Fader from the Host Command list.
3. Turn knob 1 on your MIDI keyboard. You'll notice that the Channel, MIDI Message, and MIDI Data columns are updated.
4. Repeat steps 9a and 9b to program knobs 2 through 8 on your keyboard.
Now, let's assign a button to toggle the controller in and out of automation mode so we can use the knobs to adjust the track's volume (trim) or record volume automation:
1. From the View function group drop-down list, choose Assign.
2. Select Toggle Automation Mode from the Host Command list.
3. Verify that the Learn checkbox is still selected, and then press the button or key you want to use to switch your control surface in and out of automation mode.
  
  You'll notice that the Channel, MIDI Message, and MIDI Data columns are updated.
Click OK to close the Configure Generic Control dialog, and then click OK to close the Preferences dialog.
From the Options menu, choose External Control to enable your controller.

You're ready to start using your controller.
- Turn each knob on your controller and notice that turning knob 1 adjusts the volume (trim) of track 1, turning knob 2 adjusts the volume of track 2, and so on.
- Press the button that you assigned to scroll the channel bank down in step 7.
  
  Turn each knob on your controller and notice that turning knob 1 now adjusts the volume (trim) of track 9, turning knob 2 adjusts the volume of track 10, and so on.
- Press the button that you assigned to scroll the channel bank up in step 7 so you can control tracks 1-8 again.
- Press the button that you assigned to toggle automation mode in step 10.
  
  Select the Automation Settings button on each track to enable automation recording.
  
  Start playback, and turn each knob on your controller, and notice that turning knob 1 records volume automation on track 1, turning knob 2 records automation on track 2, and so on.
- Press the automation mode toggle button once more, and you can use the knobs to adjust track trim levels again.