User guide

Tracktion 4 Reference Manual

Custom Controllers

If emulation is not an option for your controller, you can still create custom controller mappings for

your device. Custom controller mappings can even be used with the MIDI sliders often found in portable

USB keyboards, making your on-the-road laptop experience just a little easier.

To create a custom mapping:

• Click the

add custom control surface button.

• You will be prompted for a name for your custom map, so enter a suitable name, and click OK.

• The new map will be displayed in the list of available controllers. Select it.

• The properties panel will update to show the custom mapping.

• Select the input and output MIDI devices.

• Click the

edit control mappings button.

• Set the mappings to suit your needs.

The properties for controllers in general, and for custom controller properties specically are de-

scribed later in this section. Also, be sure to consult Chapter Seven for more detailed information on

working with and conguring external control surfaces.

Selected Controller Properties

When a controller is selected, the properties panel will display options and properties relevant to that

controller. Some of these options are general to all controllers, and are shown in Figure 2.8.2. Others

are specic to a given controller type. We will look at these specic options later in this section.

Input device: This eld species the MIDI input device to which the controller is connected. In many

cases, controllers will require all 16 MIDI channels to operate, and this device would therefore need to

be set aside entirely for the controller.

Output device: This eld species the MIDI output device to which the controller is connected. As with

the input device, you may need to set this device aside entirely for the controller.

Colour selection: You can optionally have Tracktion highlight the tracks or lters that are in focus. This

handy when using the controller to manage level, pan, and/or send levels across a number of tracks, as

you will be able to see at a glance where your virtual mixing console starts, or which lter has control-

ler focus. When this option is enabled, the colour selected in the colour strip to the right will be used to

highlight focussed tracks or lters. If you have a number of different controllers, you can therefore easily

differentiate between them by assigning them different colours. If this option is disabled, no highlighting

will occur.

Figure 2.8.2