By the end of this week I'll own a fresh new WACOM INTUOS4 Medium size tablet. Outhere in Mumbai its going to cost me Rs. 21,280 INR, whereas 1 British pound = 71 Indian rupees. So that makes me pay 299 British Pounds. Now that is not less, but I'll buy it if it is what its worth for and if it seamlessly work with Cubase, Reason and some standalone plugs like Massive and Absynth; And also MAX MSP. All these performances must be considered only on PC with Vista and Win 7 platform. My laptop has vista and desktop has Win 7. If I can afford Neve compressor then I think its not exorbitant at all, but money is always valuable and I would want to make sure if I'm on the right track.

So my question is - Am I missing on something? Did I prematurely centered my choice? or, Is there anything that can perform better on the above mentioned specifications?

Also, I was going to use 'Tablet 2 Midi'. Is there a better choice for Midi interpreter?

Any help would be great, and if you are in jiffy then just leave some links that you think might help me.

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SoundCloud

I know Wacom is awesome for graphix but couldnt find anything about Midi usage on Wacom.com. Why? Is midi interpretation a kind of hack or just because the third party software's involvement that Wacom dont like to talk about? Is it not meant to work with midi?

Million dollar question - Will my investment end up in the resale list of ebay or I'll end up making love to it?

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SoundCloud

Hi AS!

I haven’t used a Wacom tablet myself, but I did mention them in my feature entitled ‘Pointing Devices For The PC Musician’ in SOS November 2005:

www.soundonsound.com/sos/nov05/articles/pcmusician.htm

“Many musicians have been won over by products such as Wacom's Pen Tablets. They will obviously feel far more natural for drawing purposes than a mouse, but tablets also work well with most sequencers once you get used to them, being faster to use, more comfortable during long sessions and perfect for drawing in automation curves!

A tablet and pen also has another distinct advantage over a mouse or trackball, in that you don't have to slide from one area of your screen to another — instead, you can jump directly from point to point using pen (or absolute) mode, which experienced users find a lot easier and more precise, although most tablets also provide an alternative mouse (or relative) mode if you run into problems with a particular software application. Sadly, some music applications fall into this category, including Cakewalk's Sonar/Project 5 and Ableton's Live, amongst others. While most pointing operations work fine in absolute mode, dragging and dropping faders to a different position often results in them ending up at the top or bottom of their travel.

There are also plenty of cheap tablets available from just over £20, but the quality of Wacom products and the versatility of their software drivers mean that they come highly recommended by a huge number of professional users. Graphic designers may find the larger (and therefore more expensive) models, such as the Intuos A4 or A5 more appropriate, especially as they offer 1024 pressure-sensitivity levels to control such software features as brush width or opaqueness, respond to pen 'tilting', and have a row of programmable buttons along the top edge of the tablet surface itself. However, for audio sequencing use only, these functions are largely irrelevant, so the 512 sensitivity levels of the cheaper Graphire series should be more than adequate. The Graphire 3 Classic A6 model with an active tablet area of about 5x4 inches can be bought for around £65.”

Hope this helps!


Martin

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YewTreeMagic

Whilst I love a tablet for photo retouching, graphics and other creative pursuits, I don't really see much point in them for MIDI. There are so many other controllers, using a pen doesn't really feel particularly "musical" to express yourself, and if you using the mouse on the tablet, you may as well just use a regular mouse.

If you have a tablet that supports touch, and thus acts more like a large laptop track pad, then you could probably get a little more mileage out of it by directly using your hands I suppose...

Thanx for the link Martin. I spend long continuous hours in front of PC with one hand constantly tweaking the VST knobs when synthesizing. In result I've started having pain in my pinky, and sometimes it even radiates down till the wrist. I spoke with few friends and they told me that I am becoming a potential buyer for a touchpad, then I saw those videos on youtube that shows how efficiently you can use Wacom for Midi. i.e. with VAZ modular. I also came across 'tablet2midi'. Yet I was not so sure if that will resolve my issue.

Your article is very informative, but in the final thought it said "If you're about to buy an expensive pointing device, it's worth asking on a few music forums before buying, to see whether anyone else has already tried that particular model." And again I'm in dilemma.

So anyone who has used or if still using Wacom or for that matter any tablet, then please assist me.

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SoundCloud

That VAZ Modular YouTube demo is impressive - four simultaneous parameters under full control with th Wacom Tablet!

Come on - there must be someone out there using a Wacom tablet you can provide AR with more detailed user feedback?


Martin

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YewTreeMagic

Wii controllers are where it's at for midi You can get them for £20 and you can control a multitude of midi parameters with the things.
Various cheap, or free software will interface it with your computer. It all works rather well!

Paul

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Paul

Quote ~Paul:

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Wii controllers are where it's at for midi You can get them for £20 and you can control a multitude of midi parameters with the things.
Various cheap, or free software will interface it with your computer. It all works rather well!
Paul

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How my requirement would be taken care of by using a game controller. If by any chance you were talking about these Wii.

I'll be frank- my problem is not centered just till my mouse and my pinky, instead I helplessly fell for Wacom after watching few videos while browsing youtube, one of them I had mentioned in the previous post. I also found a midi controller that works quite nice by moving your fingers in the thin air. But I figured out that Tablet would ergonomically suit me. The problem is that I dont know how well a Wacom Tablet goes with midi interpretation. I mean the pro's and con's.

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SoundCloud

Apart from mentioning that you want a midi controller of some kind, you have not really stated what your requirement really is.
If you want something unusual, cheap, and highly effective, and at the same time fun and somewhat experimental, then Wii controllers are excellent! As mentioned, for one, they are cheap. So if it doesn't work out, then you haven't wasted lots of money on it.
You can assign any movement or any button to any midi controller you like. And assign them to multiple parameters at once too.

If you are interested, then you may like to read this:
http://www.soundonsound.com/sos/oct08/articles/wiimote.htm
Also, there are many good demo's on Youtube if you search for "Wii midi" or similar.

Paul

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Paul

Quote ~Paul:

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Apart from mentioning that you want a midi controller of some kind, you have not really stated what your requirement really is.
If you want something unusual, cheap, and highly effective, and at the same time fun and somewhat experimental, then Wii controllers are excellent! As mentioned, for one, they are cheap. So if it doesn't work out, then you haven't wasted lots of money on it.
You can assign any movement or any button to any midi controller you like. And assign them to multiple parameters at once too.

If you are interested, then you may like to read this:
<a href="/sos/oct08/articles/wiimote.htm" target="_blank">http://www.soundonsound.com/sos/oct08/articles/wiimote.htm</a>
Also, there are many good demo's on Youtube if you search for "Wii midi" or similar.

Paul

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...midi controller of some kind??? Paul, I stated 'the kind' clearly. -- WACOM INTUOS4 Medium size tablet.

And why do you say that I didnt mention the requirement, I'm sorry but I think you missed my starting post that says -- "...but I'll buy it if it is what its worth for and if it seamlessly work with Cubase, Reason and some standalone plugs like Massive and Absynth; And also MAX MSP. All these performances must be considered only on PC with Vista and Win 7 platform. My laptop has vista and desktop has Win 7."

and also -- "So my question is - Am I missing on something? Did I prematurely centered my choice? or, Is there anything that can perform better on the above mentioned specifications? Also, I was going to use 'Tablet 2 Midi'. Is there a better choice for Midi interpreter?"

And I never said that I want something unusual, cheap . Though 'highly-effective, fun and experimental' part was truly considered. But wont anyone consider these points before buying any gadget.

And yes, it truly surprises me that when I'm asking how well Wacom may work with the conditions that I mentioned, you are telling me to buy $20 worth Wii and if it doesn't work out, then I haven't wasted lots of money on it. Are you serious?

And this statement further surprises me -- "You can assign any movement or any button to any midi controller you like. And assign them to multiple parameters at once too." Paul, till now I've sold seven midi keyboards after using them and finally got hooked up with a PCR 800. I also do circuit bending, hence I have a little idea of how midi works and that comprises of what you just said.

Please dont be offended by what I wrote, my english might not represent my tone quite accurately. I'm just a bit surprised by all this.

I will check the links that you dropped, but am not quite sure if Wii will make me change my mind until someone enlighten me by letting me know that WACOM INTUOS4 Medium size tablet (or for that matter any size) is a bad choice.

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SoundCloud

Quote AuralSerenity:

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...midi controller of some kind??? Paul, I stated 'the kind' clearly. -- WACOM INTUOS4 Medium size tablet.

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If that is what you have your mind set on, then why even ask? Buy it and use it.

Quote AuralSerenity:

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And why do you say that I didnt mention the requirement, I'm sorry but I think you missed my starting post that says -- "...but I'll buy it if it is what its worth for and if it seamlessly work with Cubase, Reason and some standalone plugs like Massive and Absynth; And also MAX MSP. All these performances must be considered only on PC with Vista and Win 7 platform. My laptop has vista and desktop has Win 7."

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Im sure you are aware that Wacom tablets are intended largely for graphics work. Not music production. This isn't so different to the Wii controller. It was designed for gaming, not music production. So they both leave you at the mercy of the 3rd party interfacing software you need to make them work with the music software of your choice. That software is just as important as the controller itself.

Quote AuralSerenity:

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and also -- "So my question is - Am I missing on something? Did I prematurely centered my choice? or, Is there anything that can perform better on the above mentioned specifications? Also, I was going to use 'Tablet 2 Midi'. Is there a better choice for Midi interpreter?"

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You asked if you missed something. So I suggested the Wii controller as a possible alternative. I could also suggest other software to try. But much like the Wacom, you already seem settled on 'Tablet to Midi' And seeing as I wasted my time mentioning the Wii controller, I won't make the same mistake of bothering you with the thought of alternative software.

Quote AuralSerenity:

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And I never said that I want something unusual, cheap . Though 'highly-effective, fun and experimental' part was truly considered. But wont anyone consider these points before buying any gadget.

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Right, you never said that. But you didn't need to because it's a given that using a Wacom controller for music is somewhat unusual. Again, not unlike the Wii controller. You also raised the point of the cost of the Wacom controller.

Quote AuralSerenity:

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And yes, it truly surprises me that when I'm asking how well Wacom may work with the conditions that I mentioned, you are telling me to buy $20 worth Wii and if it doesn't work out, then I haven't wasted lots of money on it. Are you serious?

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What isn't serious about the difference between £299 and £20?
Neither did I tell you to buy it. I merely suggested it as a viable alternative. If you decide you don't like your choice of £300 hardware, then that sucks. £20 is no big deal though.

Quote AuralSerenity:

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And this statement further surprises me -- "You can assign any movement or any button to any midi controller you like. And assign them to multiple parameters at once too." Paul, till now I've sold seven midi keyboards after using them and finally got hooked up with a PCR 800. I also do circuit bending, hence I have a little idea of how midi works and that comprises of what you just said.

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I don't see the point you are trying to make. I was merely telling you what is possible with it. You want a controller for doing fun things with music software? Sure you can use a £300 wacom tablet. You can also use a £20 Wii controller.

Quote AuralSerenity:

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Please dont be offended by what I wrote, my english might not represent my tone quite accurately. I'm just a bit surprised by all this.

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Not half as surprised as I am.

Quote AuralSerenity:

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I will check the links that you dropped, but am not quite sure if Wii will make me change my mind until someone enlighten me by letting me know that WACOM INTUOS4 Medium size tablet (or for that matter any size) is a bad choice.

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Oh, don't unduly trouble yourself by clicking on the link. Sorry I wasted my time by mentioning anything else. Enjoy your Wacom

Paul

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Paul

O my God! Holy Jesus Christus! That was like a bang. I do not believe this.

I apologize if I hurt your feelings. I, certainly, did not mean to.

Paul, I started this thread with a polite curiosity which I'm still sustaining. I'm not a kind of person who would freak out a frustration on a meager forum, a place where I never get ashamed of sounding timid, so I apologize once again.
Just one thing friend, I liked this article, and assumed your personality through that article, but I was apparently wrong.

Anyway I think whatever I'll put ahead now will not make any sense, so here I give up. Thanx a lot for your help.

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SoundCloud