[ANSWERED] Best Wireless Midi Controller for hands free basic scene control

[Gel_Mystery]

Hello, 

Utilizing Isadora in my performance art duo with no tech crew. sigh. would love a recommendation for a good wireless midi controller for basic scene control. 

Thank you 

[dbini]

@gel_mystery

i have a Korg Nano Kontrol and also the bluetooth Studio version. I hardly use the bluetooth one because it has pretty limited range, eats batteries and tends to disconnect at exactly the wrong moment, so I use the old regular controller with a USB extension.

[jhoepffner]

@gel_mystery

Hello,

It depend on your skill but I would recommend:

– OSC instead of midi : named address, 32 bits int and float, text

– Wifi over bluetooth, more reliable, better range, multi-computer network

You can build a cheap interface with Arduino or Rapsberry, including buttons, fader, touchscreen.

Another easy possibility is a smartphone with touchOSC.

[mark_m]

@gel_mystery

if all you need to do is basic scene control, in other words just advancing from one scene to the next, wireless presentation controllers work well. These are the things that corporate folk use to control their PowerPoint presentations! 

Logitech ones work well in my experience. R500s is good and cheap. You still have to get Isadora to recognise the ‘click’ but that’s not hard.

HTH

Mark (not that Mark)

[mark_m]

@jhoepffner said:

</<p>Another easy possibility is a smartphone with touchOSC.</p>

 
Yes! This works very well, and you can create your own control panel on the smartphone, so gives more options than the simple clicker I suggested before.

[Gel_Mystery]

@mark_m oh cool i have one of those clickers actually. any tips on where to start with getting it into isadora? is it maybe a keyboard watcher situation?

best

[mark_m]

@gel_mystery said:

<p>is it maybe a keyboard watcher situation?</p>

Yes :-)

 

[Woland]

@gel_mystery

A trick I use is:

1. Create a Control Panel with a button that takes you to the next Scene
2. Move the cursor over that button.
3. Put tape over the optical sensor of a wireless mouse (now the cursor cannot move off of that button).
4. Put the mouse in your pocket, on the floor, or take it apart and make a glove that completes the left-click circuit when you put your forefinger and thumb together.
5. Now you can slap your pocket, step on the mouse, or close your fingers (with the glove idea) to trigger things.

Further advice:

• Use a USB instead of a Bluetooth mouse
• Use a USB-over-cat5/6 extender to put the usb receiver for the mouse above the center of the stage (for larger stages) or just closer to the stage (if your computer is already backstage and the stage is small enough for it not to matter).
• TEST TEST TEST! Always bench test your setup as much as possible, then test more once you're in the actual venue.