The advent of computer based DAWs, their extensive dynamic and tonal controls and the proliferation of virtual instruments has been a boon to all, from the weekend warrior to the professional alike. The downside is that this complexity is difficult and frustrating at times to control using a mouse on one parameter at a time.
The Control C4 from Mackie addresses this problem by providing 32 V-Pots and four large virtual "scribble strip" LEDs that provide simultaneous access and display of up to 32 plug-in parameters, without the need for switching banks. LED rings surround each pot, displaying the current position of each control.
Function buttons beneath the displays and knobs allow one to select the arrangement of software parameters exactly how they show up on screen. This permits the set up of the Control C4 to tweak the software precisely the way required, both on screen and on the control surface itself. Since the control surface requires that the host software implements specific code to recognize and interact with it, at present only Logic Pro 7 is supported. Cakewalk's Sonar 4 is on the way, followed by most of the other major software manufacturers.