I’m not quite sure where to put this “request”. However the CC121 thread seems the closest so…
Steinberg did an excellent job, joining forces with Yamaha, coming up with the MSR816 audio interfaces. How about applying the same thinking to control surfaces? The current “toys”, the CC121 and the CI series, aren’t on par with Cubase/Nuendo as professional tools. The Nuage system is a wee bit expensive for most users (even pros), I’m afraid.
Why not publish a survey to see what interest there is for a serious control surface that has the same level of integration with Cubase/Nuendo as the MSR816 audio interfaces does?
What would you guys like to see in such a control surface? I’ll start of with:
a) full integration with Cubase/Nuendo
b) 12 motorized faders (8 for switchable channel banks and 4 fully programmable for ques, sends, masterchannel, etc.)
c) LED scribble strip for all faders.
d) 16x16 knobs and 8x8 buttons programmable matrix for VST/VSTi plugins. (A LED screen would be nice.)
e) Pricerage €1500-2000.
Call it “Nuage Artist” if you will.
It’s no coincidence that my “wish-list” resembles the Avid Artist Control/Mix system, which I consider being one of the best out there (if they only would incorporate “normal” transport buttons). An Avid Artist-like device that is fully integrated with with Cubase/Nuendo would, I believe, be a dream come true for many Cubase/Nuendo users. Neither would it impact on sales of the Nuage system, since that is far above what the target users can afford anyway.
Yes - Cubase is one of the best DAW - we are waiting for a one of the best DAW controller too !!!
YES ----AVID-MACKIE price range is interesting from hobby to professionals !!!
SMART AV - SSL - WK Audio is more PRO only and another price range !
NUAGE is NUENDO postproduction tool product and too expensive for CUBASE users !
I think that many CUBASE users are still waiting for a SMART EXPANDABLE CONTROLL UNIT with MOTOR FADERS !!!
CC121 and CMC series are great products , but there is a LIMIT and we need a little a bit more complette controller !
just to say, the artist mc control and mc mix are already full designable to the cubendo enviroment - for me no need for a steinberg/yamaha controller just to fit this needs.
What’s more important in this regard is that all the cubendo functions are allocatable with short-cuts, which is obviously not the case at the moment.
…the rest is just “do it”
Well, that is one thing that “full integration” would bring with it.
Don’t get me wrong. I think the Euphonix/Avid Artist series are excellent control surfaces. If they only would incorporate “normal” transport buttons. One thing that has me concerned, though, is that every time Cubase it upgraded (and sometimes when it’s updated), I read reports that the Eucon software stops working properly and needs to be updated aswell. This usually takes a couple of months.
Another concern is that Euphonics is now a part of Avid which also owns Digidesign. What does this mean for the long term future? Even if Cubase compatibility won’t be dropped all together, I’m sure it’s of much lower priority that compatibility with ProTools.
The Artist surfaces are a substantial investments. Having them rendered unusable, for a couple of months, is of great concern.
These are concerns/problems that a Yamaha/Steinberg made control surface would eliminate.
Yamaha/Steinberg blew most third-party audio interfaces out of the water with the MR816 series. Just imagine what they could come up with if they turned their collective attention to control surfaces.
But the usual Cubendo-only attitude from Steinberg would render every new control surface totally useless if you need to work with other DAWs too (see CC121). Eucon can be used by any application.
I’m not so sure about that. Look at the MR816 Audio interface. It highly integrated with Cubase/Nuendo, but still as usable by any other DAW as any third-party interface.
Yes it can today, but how about in two, three or four years time? As I’ve said, Euphonics is owned, today, by Avid, who also owns Digidesign. A company that has spend decades building completely closed systems. Their audio interfaces and control surfaces could only be used with Pro Tool, and Pro Tools could only be used with Digidesign interfaces. They even have their own proprietary plug-in formats.
Speaking of plug-in formats. I think there are clear signs that we are moving towards more closed systems. Just look at the 3 heavy-weight (on the Mac) DAW manufacturers:
Steinberg is VST only
Apple Logic is AU only
ProTools is RTAS only (well they have their new AAX, which is also a proprietary format)
Therefore, it is not unlikely that Avid will drop support for other DAWs sometime in the future. There interest in updating the Eucon software to new versions of other DAWs leaves a lot to be desired, even today
I am sure that Yamaha/Steinberg could come up with something amazing that could still be of great use to other DAWs aswell. At least, judging from how they designed the MR816.
Well, as you must notice, that the eucon is now on the market since long time and still there are updates, that work with the actual versions of cubendo
But true, some day, there won’t be updates anymore and then we have the chance to change to another device and protocol and learn something different - that’s life
I haven’t denied that. When did Avid acquire Euphonics? Was it two years ago? Both Avid and Digidesign are companies that have a track record of favoring closed systems. I fear that there is a definite risk that they will turn the Artist control surfaces into a ProTools only product in the near future.
I am not concerned with the learning curve. I am concerned with the €2,700 investment, though. That is a substantial amount of money for me and I would hate see it wasted by Avid not supporting Cubase 8 (or maybe Cubase 9).
Along with ease of use, I feel that a Yamaha/Steinberg made control surface would be a much “safer” bet. Heck, Cubase still supports the ancient Huston surface!
The best item on the market today in the affordable price range seems to be the Avid Artist series - but I also share the concerns regarding the future of Eucon and Cubase integration (I don’t like Pro Tools, because it has no VST support ).
However, a fully integrated, expandable Avid Artist series style controller for Cubase would be great.
Also, please no raster on the wheels and a FINE resolution.
If they do I want it to have integrated sound AND quality preamps plus all the other amenities of a digital mixer. It seems like a no brainer!! Yamaha already has nice mixers on the market…just build up from that, there’s no need to re-invent the wheel!
The cc121 would be loads better if they ripped out the eq section in the middle and replaced it with an avid artst style touch screen that had the ability to control a lot more than the daw’s built in eq.
