Mackie Control <-> Behringer X-Touch

Just got the brand new Behringer X-Touch.
I run it in Mackie Control mode with Cubase 8 Pro. Some features do work but there’s a couple of issues that I tend to blame Cubase 8 Pro for (some work in Mackie HUI mode but not in MC mode).

  1. No Timecode / Beats display at all

  2. Channel select doesn’t work (Fader Bank switch works)

  3. Click on/off won’t work

I have the x-touch too. Same problems. Mackie Hui makes Cubase crash. In control-Mode the same problems…

Some more info about these issues:

  1. Time display works in Presonus Studio One so I can rule out a hardware problem. But it will not work in Cubase 8 Pro (8.0.20). I checked on both, Windows and Mac.

  2. Channel select actually works but not to select channels but to select pages for the rotary encoder assignment. So forget about this “issue”.

  3. Click on/off won’t work on Win/Mac with Cubase 8 Pro (8.0.20) but it works in Presonus Studio One.

Looks like Cubase isn’t strictly following the MCU specifications and that’s why the time display on the X-Touch doesn’t work with Cubase.

Hi - since I did the update to the x-touch firmware most issues seem to be resolved. Do you know how to get the master fader working?

Well - testing the x-touch yesterday I found that none of the send second, third or fourth pages were working - I had not previously tested these. In fact, none of the page functions work, or the flip function.
How am I supposed to map this? Mackie HUI? Or Mackie HUI2?

So . . .
Any updates?
Looking for an inexpensive controller for a friend (I have the MCU Pros which work perfectly).

Wondering if things have improved?
Cubase 8.5?

Let me know!

Hugh

All functions work pretty well when the controller is Mackie Control - sorry to reply so belatedly!!
I am now attempting to get my second X-Touch daisy-chaned - no luck so far - as you may see from my posts elsewhere…
Just some of the buttons need re-labelling…

I have Cubase LE8 (8.0.40) running on a Windows 10 64bit PC and am thinking to getting a Behringer X-Touch compact.
Do you think that I stand any change of getting automated fader, pan, EQ control, transport controls and scribble strip functions to work?
Thanks
Brian

As I understand it the compact and non-compact are fundamentally different devices and not just different versions of the same basic device (i.e. it’s not like Cubase Elements vs. Pro).

They are different, but yes, you can do all that easily.

The difference (which for me was wonderful) is that although the X-Touch is a dedicated Mackie Control unit, the Compact has a little utility with it that allows you to set each and every control on it to transmit, essentially, any MIDI command you want it to.
Which was great for me because I already have an MCU Pro and 2 extenders.
What I wanted was to bring a million other functions (Editing, Click, CC’s, etc) out onto dedicated hardware controls.
And it does that wonderfully. You can even save different assignments and load them when needed, if you like.

However, for your use, it has a dedicated Mackie Control Emulation mode. No programming needed.
Not sure how it stacks up because it doesn’t have enough controls to do everything a full MCU will do.
But I would think that basic stuff like faders, EQ, Transport, are handled nicely.

Hope this helps.

Hugh

EDIT: It doesn’t have scribble strips

I bought the big X-Touch and thinking I might need the Compact version.

Do you know if it’s possible to split the 8 faders into the first 1 being a normal channel strip for the selected track, the next 3 for assignable midi cc and the last 4 for fixed dedicated audio tracks/busses? So only the first 1 fader is dynamic and everything else fixed. And a bonus if it can be switched with the click of a button to turn it into the normal MC mode when needed.

Thank you!

I don’t think the big one is programmable like that.
I have the Compact and it is COMPLETELY programmable.
I use it as a Generic Remote for CCs, Edit commands, Control Room Volume, Click on/off/volume, Tempo, etc.
Works like a charm.

Haven’t programmed “Selected Channel Fader” for it, thought, since I have 3 MCUs.
Just need to make sure it’s available as a Generic Remote Command.

Hugh