The VMeter is not exactly the latest news, but I haven’t found a lot of demonstration videos that don’t feature multiple VMeters. Additionally, finding a proper review of it proved impossible, so I decided to write one of my own and make a demo video.
So here is my long and detailed review of the VMeter, complete with the explanation for the video. I hope this proves useful to anyone who wants to add the VMeter to their arsenal.
When I began searching for more expressive MIDI controllers, touch-strips were something rare. Now they’re frickin’ everywhere: Novation’s Twitch, Dave Smith/Roger Linns’ Tempest, Akai’s new Max49 and of course, on my own Mojo.
So what I’d like to know is, what’s the next unconventional sensor to work its way into mass acceptance on these sorts of instruments? Arcade buttons? Joysticks? Accelerometers? Whack’a'moles? Let us know your prediction in the comments.
Yeuda Ben-atar, a.k.a. Side Brain, is a controllerist and beat maker based in Los Angeles. His unusual approach to performance includes using a Dreamcast arcade controller for finger drumming which won him a custom, one-of-a-kind Launchpad from Novation.
He has used that Launchpad to create a unique glitch machine named the FxGrid, which exclusively uses native Ableton Live Suite devices, with no Max4Live or other bells and whistles. It’s easy to implement and run, and available here.
The VCI-400 — Vestax’s upcoming all-in-one MIDI controller / audio interface — might look like a DJ’s wet dream, but the trusty two decks and a mixer layout belies its power as a fully-configurable, fully-customizable performance platform. Contributing controllerist Nonagon spent a few days with Vestax’s latest to show how a little elbow grease and a lot of Max for Live patching can transform a familiar set of controls into a fully-personalized tool for creative expression.
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