I'm interested in this topic and would like some opinions as well so I'm posting so I get informed of any replies...

Mute....

Since no one is interested or is able to comment, I guess we're left up to buying and returning....again.

Here's an interesting product I was unaware of...

http://www.mackie.com/products/c4/

have you checked it out yet...? Looks like it's just for Logic "out of the box" as of now. If it's implemented right It might be a viable option. I imagine support from other DAW's is just a matter of time.

Any other ideas fellow boardmates ? I have done a search read the other threads on control surfaces btw.....they just don't address the specific issues of EQ and rotary pot control of plug in parameters. Again....I found in the past that the control was not smoooth or graduated enough to be of practical use....perhaps a sensitivity control to increase/decrease the rotation to tweak ratio or something might address this. Just looking for answers...anyone...?

Hey...one more try....simple....

Has anyone found an external interface which controls their favorite EQ plug-in smoothly and to the full resolution of which the plug is capable....no big jumps in freq. values, etc. Something that approaches the smooth, detailed control and resolution of analog EQ....? Someone in this forum has gotta have had some positive experience with some method or interface....c'mon peoples....I shouldn't have to beg...but I am...so...

The hardware controllers you have probably used would be MIDI based, with the inherent limitation of 7 data bits = 128 steps. Newer units that use USB or do tricky double byte things with MIDI have much better resolution, which is what I think you are looking for. Look for something with at least 10 bit resolution for the dials and with good support for whatever software you are using so that it can control the plugins with a minimum of faffing about..
EQ is one of those areas that software is still a fair way behind the top end. A basic EQ 'curve' is easy to emulate, but the way a high-end EQ shapes the sound is very subtle and difficult to analyse or emulate. Very few plugins EQ's can even approach the quality of a good hardware EQ.
What I was interested in finding in this thread was some other people's opinions on how to get that 'hardware' style interaction of closing your eyes and listening as you turn one or 2 controls. It is impossible to do with a mouse and not quite the same with a hardware controller, you have to keep looking at the screen, which I find really blows my auditory focus, with the brain switching back to visual mode.
As much as I would love to have a rack full of outboard gear, it isn't going to happen, hopefully we can get a few more opinions on how people relate to their gear, how do you keep the focus on listening without being distracted by the bright flashy screen? Can it be done with a good hardware controller? How should your studio be laid out to make screen editing easy but so you can ignore the monitor when mixing? Any more opinions on 'audio focus' and 'gear operating relationships'?

Yep...exactly....I want the same thing...close my eyes and turn knobs and listen. Resolution is just another important part because if the steps are too big, closing my eyes and listening to big jumps will be useless...We're looking for the same thing...thanks for the tips on what to look for bit-wise...cheers

Behringer recently laucnched a rotary controler. Cheap.

http://www.behringer.com/BCR2000/index.cfm?lang=ENG

Sidhu

awesome....I'll definitely check it out and the fact that it is usb is a good sign. I wouldn't trust Behringer with my audio needs normally but since this is just a controller they might have the functionality I need without damaging my audio....Thanks Sidhu 8-)

My system (vs2400cd) besides having dedicated controls for many features and allows using the BIG knob for fine adjustments, also allows me to assign a fader to just about any other function as well as send midi messages. Covers all the bases.

Chuck

I use the trusty Peavey PC-1600x for controlling everthing from softsynths, B4's drawbars, automating pan and volume curves in Sequoia; you name it. If there is a MIDI parameter, you can control it.
The PC=1600x has 16 faders, 16 buttons and a data knob. Another cool feature is that it changes it's setup based on the app you're running.
Oh yeah, and the price is nice, too.

It's these type of MIDI based controllers that we decided don't have the required resolution for careful tweaking. Midi is based on 7 bit data bytes which gives 128 steps, which on audio fader controls and EQ is noticable... they are great for controlling softsynths etc that are built around MIDI, but fall a bit short for audio.
It seems that the behringer controllers are very promising, you might not want to take them on the road too much though. I've been trying to find out the resolution of the B controllers, it seems that it's all MIDI over USB, but it does aupport double byte data if your software does... It's all a matter of assigning the correct parameters.

My biggest problem with the on-screen controls is that they are often jumpy. Usually, though, there is a short-cut key that will decrease the sensitivity of the knob. When you use the shortcut in conjunction with a click on the knob, you can close your eyes and move it without worrying that it will slip or move drastically up and down.