AudioMedia - June 2008 - (Page 26)

NOVATION REMOTE 25SL COMPACT AUTOMATIC PLUG IN MAPPING SIMON TILLBROOK finds that even with the smallest of footprints, Novation's Midi controller doesn't lack direction in automatic mapping. lthough it is possible to control all aspects of our DAW systems simply via the keyboard and mouse, for most of us some degree of external hardware control over this virtual world is still very desirable. It comes in all manner of conventional and very unconventional configurations, usually targeted at a specific area of the system such as mixer or performance control. The massive increase in software instruments, with increasing levels of sophisticated control available on them, has had an impact on the types of controller we now demand. We like to have a good intuitive device to input performance in particular, and with the power to take our systems anywhere we like, portability has become increasingly important. Novation has been at the forefront of performance oriented controllers, and for some time it has produced controllers for all applications. The unit I have for review is the latest in their portable range, the Novation Remote SL Compact. The Novation SL Compact is a 5-key Midi controller, the smallest in the range, and the smallest to feature Novation’s Automap Universal system. A select your application, parameters are mapped to your controller device. Automap Universal is constantly being developed, and new applications are becoming supported all the time, so you need to keep an eye on Novation’s website to download the latest supported application wrappers. THE REVIEWER SIMON TILLBROOK is the Principal Music Tutor at Islington Music Workshop in London. The rest of his time is spent as a freelance engineer, mainly in the USA. For those who have not come across Automap before, it is worth explanation before looking at the SL Compact in more detail. Automap Universal is a system that allows for automatic mapping/assignment of a variety of software application parameters to the controller’s hardware. This applies to software applications such as soft synthesiSers, AU or VST plug-ins, and DAW mixer interfaces. As well as templates for numerous examples of these software applications, Automap Universal also has the facility to quickly learn so you can add or customise the mapped parameters, as you like. For this to work you need to install the Automap Universal Server software that is supplied with the controller. This then runs in the background so, as you Automap Universal On first inspection, the Novation SL Compact layout appears reasonably logical, not something I can say of all controllers I have seen. The 5 keys of the main keyboard area are semiweighted velocity-sensitive with aftertouch. Alongside your main keyboard you have both a sprung pitch bend, and a modulation wheel. Above this in the top right corner of the SL Compact are the eight assignable drum pads, nicely located for ease of access. Centrally located above the keyboard is a large LCD display. This is a good sized display, as opposed to the usual wristwatch sized displays we often have to put up with. Above the display are eight rotary encoders and eight buttons whose current assignment is displayed below them. Both the rotary encoders and the buttons can be switched between four groups or banks using buttons below the display. This then gives us control of up to 3 parameters. Five buttons to the right of the display help you to navigate through various pages of parameters and switch the display between the keyboard and drumpad assignments as needed. The five buttons to the left of the display let you select either standard play mode, or one of the three edit modes, as well as selecting your desired application template and saving learnt data to memory. A set of transport buttons for use with your DAW system are located on the far left of the SL Compact, along with menu and octave transpose +/- buttons. The final top panel control is a rotary encoder called Speed Dial. When in an application, you place your mouse over Controller Sur face > 26 AUDIO MEDIA JUNE 2008

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of AudioMedia - June 2008

AudioMedia - June 2008 Contents Recording Post Broadcast AES Review What's Up UK? Geofocus: Australia For the Record Special Report: Videosonics Newstalk: DPA New Microphones Novation SL Compact Allen & Heath IDR-8 Eastwest Quantum Leap SD2 & Goliath Final Cut: Indiana Jones Merging ADR Module Koolworld SSL Duende Good Product Sampler: Microphones Video Guide AMSR Meyer Sound The Blue Planet Live! Royer Labs Mics R-121 & R-122

AudioMedia - June 2008

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