Using Control Surfaces With Pro Tools

A control surface gives you hands-on control and makes mixing easier. Here's how to set one up for use in Pro Tools

By Phil O'Keefe

Using a mouse to mix with can be a real time drain, and not a lot of fun. While the mouse and keyboard are essential mixing tools, using the mouse to manipulate control values is not very intuitive, nor is it very fast. It's great for precise, detail oriented tasks, but music is as much about feel and emotion as it is about precision, and those who like to "play" the mixing console like an instrument will find that using a control surface of some kind adds considerably to their mixing enjoyment, and may even result in more real-time input from the person mixing the project, which can translate to better sounding and more human feeling mixes. Additionally, while a mouse can be used to adjust only one parameter at a time, a good control surface will allow you to adjust multiple things at once, which can further speed up the mixing process.

HARDWARE OPTIONS

There are a lot of different choices available in terms of control surface hardware. Control surfaces range from fairly simple devices that allow you to control transport functions and fader, pan and other functions for one channel at a time, such as the PreSonus Faderport (Fig. 1), to multi-channel, expandable control surfaces with touch screens and other high-tech features, such as Avid's Euphonix MC Control. (Fig. 2)

Figure 1: Even affordable controllers like this PreSonus Faderport give you hands-on control of your mix in ways a mouse can't match

Figure 2: Larger controllers, such as this Euphonix MC Control allow you to control multiple channels simultaneously

Speaking of touch screens, for iPad and Android tablet owners, there are apps such as Saitara Software's Ac-7 Core HD for iPad (Fig. 3) and Humantic's TouchDAW for Android that will turn your device into a multitouch control surface. These usually require a wifi network that both the Pro Tools host computer and the tablet must be able to access in order for them to communicate with each other, but in most other respects function similarly to the other controllers mentioned in this article, except with virtual controls on the touchscreen instead of physical ones. Such controllers also have the distinct advantage of being wireless and mobile, which can come in very handy when you're trying to record in one room with the computer and the rest of your gear in a second room.

Figure 3: With the right app and a wifi network, your tablet can work as a wireless multitouch control surface for your DAW

HOOKING UP THE HARDWARE   

Connecting the hardware is generally fairly straightforward. Most controllers use either USB, Firewire, or Ethernet to connect the hardware to your computer, so a lot of times it's as simple as connecting the power supply to a wall outlet (some units are bus-powered) and a single interface cable between your DAW computer and the control surface. You should always check the manual for both the DAW software and the hardware unit to make sure you follow all installation instructions for your particular products since occasionally you'll need to connect the hardware before installing the software, or vice versa.


SETTING UP THE SOFTWARE

Regardless of which control surface you decide on, you'll need to configure Pro Tools so it can "see" the control surface and respond to its commands. This is also relatively straightforward for hardware control surfaces, and only slightly more complex for iPad apps. Let's start with what needs to be done for both controller types, and then we'll get into the extra steps you need to take to get your tablet-based controller up and running.

First, launch Pro Tools. In the Setup menu, select "Peripherals." In the box that opens up (Fig. 4) you'll need to select the Ethernet Controllers tab if you're setting up an ethernet controller such as the Euphonix MC Control. For a controller that connects with a USB cable, Firewire cable, or over wifi, select the "MIDI Controllers" tab instead. 

Figure 4: The Peripherals dialog box allows you to configure Pro Tools to work with your control surface

You'll notice that there are multiple slots available. These let you assign multiple control surfaces, which can then be used simultaneously to provide more channels. For example, I often use the control surface features built in to my Yamaha 01V96 digital mixer along with my iPad as a wireless control surface, giving me a total of 24 faders between the two.

Under "Type", select the appropriate control surface. If you have a Command 8, M-Audio Keyboard, or a Motor Mix, you would want to select that from the list. (Fig. 5) Many control surfaces use the Mackie HUI protocol, and if that's the case with your device, you'll want to select HUI as the controller type. This is also what you'll need to select for most tablet based control surface apps. Under "Receive From" and "Send To", you should see your controller listed. It's important that you select the same device for both. If you're using a hardware controller, that should be all you need to do. Click on OK, and the software and hardware should automatically lock up.

Figure 5: Many control surfaces use the HUI protocol to communicate with Pro Tools

Tablet users will need to select "Network, Session 1" from the drop down list for both "Receive From" and "Send To". This tells Pro Tools to look to the wifi network connection for the controller data… but before you do that, there are a couple of extra steps tablet users need to take first.

Start by making sure the tablet and the DAW computer are both connected to the same wifi network. Launch the control surface app on your tablet and configure it per the app manual's instructions. Mac users should then launch the Mac's Audio MIDI Setup utility (it's in the Applications / Utilities folder). Click on "Window" in the menu bar, and in the drop down menu, select "Show MIDI Devices".  In the MIDI Studio window that opens up, double click on the Network icon. This opens up the MIDI Network Setup window. Create a new session by clicking the "+" button under My Sessions and then click on the checkbox to select it. The default name is Session 1. In the Directory list in the MIDI Network Setup box, you should see your tablet listed. Click on it to select it, then click on "Connect". Once it is connected, it will be listed in the "Participants" area. (Fig. 6)  

Figure 6: Audio MIDI setup's MIDI Network Setup window allows you to configure your tablet to control your DAW wirelessly

Windows XP through Windows 8 PC users will need to download and run Tobias Erichsen's rtpMIDI app, which provides the same MIDI networking over wifi functions for their systems. The setup procedure is otherwise nearly identical to the one for Macs. While you're there, don't forget to also check out the well-written rtpMIDI tutorial too.


BENEFITS

In addition to turning your tablet into a wireless remote control for your DAW, there are lots of other benefits to using a control surface. One of the biggest is that they allow you to control more than one thing at a time. For example, crossfades where one thing is fading in and another part is fading out, or an instrument that simultaneously fades in while panning across the stereo sound field. As I alluded to in the opening paragraph of this article, control surfaces are perfect for "playing" the mix like an instrument, in a manner similar to how old school analog consoles were used - working the controller's mute buttons, faders, and knobs to perform automation "mix moves" and accentuate things as you mix in a natural way as the music is playing, as opposed to endlessly clicking on a vector display to adjust things with your mouse. Think it doesn't make a difference? Try this: take two passes at a mix, using just the mouse for one, and augmenting it with a control surface on the second mix.  See which one takes longer to finish, and which one "feels" better to you once they're done. Chances are you'll prefer the mix that used the control surface, and it will probably be the one you have the most fun doing too. Once you try mixing with a control surface, you'll never want to go back to mixing without one.

Phil O'Keefe is a multi-instrumentalist, recording engineer / producer and the Senior Editor of Harmony Central. He has engineered, produced and performed on countless recording sessions in a diverse range of styles, with artists such as Alien Ant Farm, Jules Day, Voodoo Glow Skulls, John McGill, Michael Knott and Alexa's Wish. He is a former featured monthly columnist for EQ magazine, and his articles and product reviews have also appeared in Keyboard, Electronic Musician and Guitar Player magazines.