Que nooo! Don’t let the default layouts (generic, nuage etc) throw you off.
Exactly! And that’s what you can do with the RCE, if you want them, you can change them in both plugins’ RCE so that they are parmeter number 1. So that when each plugin opens, you twist the knob that you want to control attack, and it just happens.
Edit:
Ok, let’s have a look. I will be very thorough, bordering to obnoxious. But I want to be very clear.
The Controller
First thing to do is have a favourite way of looking at the controller, and making a note of how many actions I can perform. In my case, and following the arrows.
Twisting the encoders from 1 to 16 is the first 16 actions.
Pushing the encoders from 1 to 16 is the next 16 actions.
Moving the faders 1 to 9 is another 9 actions.
Pushing the button under the master fader is another action.
Let’s sum them up. 16+16+9+1 = A total of 42 possible controls.
It is very important to always keep this layout in mind, and know which place a specific element holds. For example, if I move the first fader, on the left, this is control number 33 (the next one up after 16 encoder twists, and another 16 pushes.) The button under the master fader is control number 42. Why? There’s no reason why! Just go with the recognition pattern that makes sense to you, as long as you can quickly determine the control’s place in the list of all controls.
Mapping Assistant Assignments
Ok, the screenshot is confusing, but this is actually the easiest part. The point here is:
How many controls do we have available on our controller? How many of those do we want to be able to use with a plug-in simultaneously? All of them? Good! So, let’s see what I must do with 42 controls.
First, go here:
Click on Setup, and then set the bank size to be the same as the number of simultaneous control you need to have.
Now, 42 Parameters will be available just beneath. The last thing to do here is make the assignments. We will use the exact order we used before. So:
Twist Encoder 1 → Parameter 1
Twist Encoder 2 → Parameter 2
…
…
Twist Encoder 16 → Parameter 16
Push Encoder 1 → Parameter 17
Push Encoder 2 → Parameter 18
…
…
Push Encoder 16 → Parameter 32
Fader 1 → Parameter 33
Fader 2 → Parameter 34
…
…
Fader 9 → Parameter 41
Master Button → Parameter 42
And we’re done. Only the last part remains.
The RCE
Let’s have a look at the RCE of RoomWorks, which I haven’t bothered to map yet. Those are the default assignments. I don’t want these, but let’s analyze the picture anyway.
We see 4 pages of 8 parameters. It’s important to note that these parameters are IN ORDER. In this picture, Time is parameter no. 1, Pre delay is parameter no. 2, size is parameter no. 3, etc.etc.
Now, here is the moment that either the whole thing comes together or not.
- We decided on a way to look at our controller, and put all of its control elements in an ordered list.
- Following this order, we assigned control of parameters to our control elements, one to one, literally.
- And here in the RCE, we’re essentially just looking at our controller again, but in an “8-cell-list” form.
For example. I know that if I twist my first encoder, I’m controlling Time. Because it’s the first parameter. And parameter 1 is connected to encoder 1 in the mapping assistant. And encoder 1 is the one on the top left of my physical controller because I said so. If I push my first encoder instead (action/element 17, fiiirst all 16 encoder twists, then the first push), I will be controlling Envelope Amount. Well, that sucks. I need an encoder twist for that, or a fader, not a switch.
So let’s change things up.
First thing I’m going to do, is trash the RCE.
Then, let’s make as many pages as needed to fit my 42 available parameters 5x8 = 40, 6x8 = 48. I’ll make 6 pages.
Let's build it anew.
- I want the Input Filters section and the Damping section on my 8 faders.
Fader 1 → Filter Low Frequency
Fader 2 → Filter Low Gain
Fader 3 → Filter High Frequency
Fader 4 → Filter High Gain
Fader 5 → Damping Low Frequency
Fader 6 → Damping Low Level
Fader 7 → Damping High Frequency
Fader 8 → Damping High Level
My faders are controlling parameters 33 to 41, so these are the numbers of the cells I must populate with the parameters.
Assigning the parameters themselves is easy. Just activate learn mode, the highlighted “L” in the screenshot above, and then, with the plug-in opened just to the side, I click once on the cell I where I want a parameter to go, and then on the actual parameter of the plug-in.
After 1 minute:
Taadaa!
The controls are as they want them. Forever. Each time I have this plug-in in focus, it remembers what should be where. I don’t even have to think about it, I just reach for the controls that seem most natural, and since I already told it what feels natural with all these RCE acrobatics… it’s ready.
I wanted to do another plug-in to show that I can use the exact same one page of assignments to control any plug-in at any time, but taking all those screenshots is the hardest part. The assignment is child’s play once you get the hang of it. And this is the big advantage of this approach. You can control any plug-in, in the most natural way for you, with just one page. The disadvantage is that you need to do this for every single plug-in you wish to use. Enter the RCE, thrash, rebuild, or move things around until satisfied. The choice is yours.
TL;DR: I don’t use many pages and different assignments to conform to what the plug-in offers to me by default, but instead I use only one page with one set of assignments and change what the plug-in offers to me.
