If any Steinberg staff member is reading this, I really would like to know IF/WHEN a new Steinberg control surface will be released. I wouldn’t want to purchase the CC121 only to then find out that a new DAW controller will be released shortly after my purchase.
I called Steinberg USA and the rep told me they are not told up until a week before a hardware product is announced publicly. I was going to get the Houston, but the thing is massive. I wish they would integrate the CC121, Houston, and add LCD screens all into a small form factor Faderport of sorts, and hopefully somewhere around $1K. CC121 is awesome but it’s already too old. If nothing is announced, I will get the CC121 but I will also need to get a separate 8/16 fader DAW controller since one fader is very limited, and even then, the separate DAW controller won’t be as intuitive and fully integrated as the CC121.
I prefer to wait. I also want to buy cc121, but decide to wait. Because it’s really too old and don’t support some functions in Cubase like pregain etc…
I would actually love to be able to control pre-gain on the cc-121. Actually just remapping the metronome volume to control pre-gain would be absolutely perfect! I’m not sure if that’s possible but I’m going to go and look into it.
As for how old it is, that doesn’t really mean much in itself. The hardware is solid and to be honest, probably one of the most durable pieces of equipment I own. I’ll get back to you and let you know if I find a way to remap the metronome volume knob to pre-gain.
So after some experimentation, it can be done, just not with the VALUE knob.
You can map a quick control to pre-gain. Each track has 8 quick controls, and on the cc121 if you hold down ‘EQ TYPE’ and ‘ALL BYPASS’ one of the buttons will start flashing orange, and the top 2 rows of EQ knobs now control your 8 quick controls.
So you could setup a quick control pre-set or a track template so that when you create a new track, QC1 automatically maps to pre-gain, and then you can adjust the pre gain on your tracks using the cc121.
Looks good then. Thanks. Maybe will purchase it then. But probably will wait Cubase 12 first. Who knows… Maybe Steinberg will give us the new controller as well
But there’s a big change happening in C11.5 in regards to a new MIDI API which, and if it’s MIDI 2.0 compliant as expected, then control surfaces should enter a new era in the coming years. So, you may forever be holding on!
Regarding this MIDI API change, is there anywhere that I can read up on that? Or is it more like insider info? And what does it actually mean for control surfaces?
Where can you actually buy the Cubase controller? No one anywhere has them in stock. I ended up buying the faderport but I dislike having no click control…
There was a lot of information leaked last year (i.e. Like here), but the only official word is here:-
It will allow specific programming (via the API) for devices to interface better with Cubase. It should be a game changer - but who knows until it’s released.
Shame they didn’t put it out to a public beta test really, as the scope is so wide when it comes to controllers, and Steinberg generally lose focus on new features very quickly after the first year of development.
I’m also going to wait and see if Steinberg and Yamaha develop an 8-fader daw controller. I do not know how long I can endure mixing with one fader , but I think that if they finally get something out, it will have been worth the wait.
If you only need to do some mixing/mastering - for around $2K, I’ve had pretty good experiences running CC121 along side a Softube console and Monogram Console devices. And, the Monogram’s are infinitely configurable for all kinds of audio/video/photo workflows!
You may as well go for the CC121 . It is great and as Steinburg say , no plans for a new one.
It is built like a tank, very good German quality as usual.
Still waiting for the Windows 11 green light though.
