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Tips for building a MacBook Pro based recording/live rig (Logic, Mainstage, Ableton) with MOTU Ultralite mk3 interface?

Looking for suggestions for controllers, extra interfaces, hubs (USB, thunderbolt, MIDI), etc.

Help?

I run a PC so I can't help you with the Mac and interface, but I love using Ableton as a live rig. Works amazingly well to set up chains of effects and tracks for different tones, and layering of tones.

For controllers I use a launchpad mini (more for mapping to buttons than clip launching, and it doubles as monome emulator) and a djtechtools midi twister fighter for rotaries. For a short time I used the Behringer BCR rotary box, and although it worked seamlessly with Ableton I ended up passing it along because 1. some of the pots felt a little wobbly, 2. it was huge, and 3.it was ugly.

I also used to use a Behringer FCB1010 foot controller which was AWESOME for price and features, but I wasn't that big a fan of the switches and feel/sweep of the expression pedals. Still, I think about grabbing another one to see if I can work with it now that I have more experience since it does exactly what I need a foot controller to do. That's the biggest missing piece in my current setup.

Keith McMillan and Akai are your new best friends.

After reading this and refreshing the hunt this morning, somehow I never realized you could use this thing as straight midi without other Line6 amps/pods:

http://line6.com/footcontrollers/fbvshortboardmkii.html



Real switches and intuitive GUI for programming? Looks like a much better option than the Behringer!

Here's what I've been looking into thus far...


13" Macbook Pro (16GB ram, dual 256GB Solid-state drives inside)

MOTU Ultralite MKIII Hybrid

Akai LPK25

Akai MPD18

Korg Nanokonrol2

Akai APC Mini

MOTU micro lite

Keith McMillen Softstep

Ableton Live 9

Logic X

Mainstage 3

Furman M-8x2

(Possible outboard) Korg Volca Beats

(possible outboard) Moog Minitaur

[Backup: 13" Macbook Pro (8GB ram, 256GB HDD)]

[Possible scenario - use Apogee Duet II into backup comp to record live sets - monitor out of MOTU into Duet]

spacelordmother wrote:After reading this and refreshing the hunt this morning, somehow I never realized you could use this thing as straight midi without other Line6 amps/pods:

http://line6.com/footcontrollers/fbvshortboardmkii.html



Real switches and intuitive GUI for programming? Looks like a much better option than the Behringer!

Lien from Izalith does this to trigger drum and synth tracks since we almost never have a live synther or drummer. Works pretty good except the USB port is fragile as hell.

Good to know!

I don't mean to derail, but how's the expression pedal feel? What I hated about the Behringer was that there wasn't enough resistance so it was tough to dial in reliably.

Npfrs - looks like a thorough list! I love my nanokontrol for mixer-like controls in Ableton. What sorts of music are you making?

GardenoftheDead wrote:Keith McMillan and Akai are your new best friends.

And how...

spacelordmother wrote:Npfrs - looks like a thorough list! I love my nanokontrol for mixer-like controls in Ableton. What sorts of music are you making?

Honestly, mostly folk music right now, but I've always experimented with adding electro elements to my folk originals. I used to own a real 808; that's where it started, haha.

Haha - cool!

That APC will be clutch for triggering midi clips!

spacelordmother wrote: I don't mean to derail, but how's the expression pedal feel? What I hated about the Behringer was that there wasn't enough resistance so it was tough to dial in reliably.

Line 6 expressions are loosey goosey too.

Building the rig...

spacelordmother wrote:After reading this and refreshing the hunt this morning, somehow I never realized you could use this thing as straight midi without other Line6 amps/pods:

http://line6.com/footcontrollers/fbvshortboardmkii.html



Real switches and intuitive GUI for programming? Looks like a much better option than the Behringer!

so can you program this to control recording programs
i see play,stop,etc
basically lookin to start and stop live recording
all the samplling possibilitys make that thing crazy cool
im lookin for anything that wil do that at this point