In Search of the Perfect Encoder Array
I’ve been on the hunt for a nice encoder array controller for awhile now. I remember always wanting a BCR2000, 32 encoders with buttons and banks to freely map as you desire. Almost as soon as I planned to pick one up used, Behringer announced the BCR 32, an updated version of their classic controller. This was nearly five years ago now, and so far I have been waiting patiently, but that is five years without anything in my hands.
Alternatives have existed for some time now, between the Faderfox, midi fighter, and electra one. However, these offer only 16 controllers and don’t quite fit the bill for what I’m looking for. 32 seems to be the magic number for my needs. In addition to these 16 knob controllers, some custom options have existed as well, with the unfortunate downside of being “clicky” detented style encoders. These are just not viable for my needs as you either need to compromise with rounded values, or scroll through hundreds of clicks to get to a desired value.
As of Superbooth this year, four new options have been announced that directly compete with the BCR 32. Yet again these are announced just about the same time I planned on just buying a used BCR2000. Below I will compare the pros and cons for each of these models (including the BCR 32). But before we get to that I want to discuss “why” an encoder array is so important to me, why 32 is a magic number, and other important aspects to consider.
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If you are primarily a hardware enthusiast, you may feel disdain for encoders. I get it, they don’t feel quite as nice as solid potentiometers and they require more rotations to go from 0%-100%.
To me, this last note is actually a massive pro rather than a con. While it’s nice to be able to get a full control spectrum from a 270 degree rotation, this can really hinder precision. In my opinion both are incredibly useful, a potentiometer is incredibly expressive, especially for filter sweeps and motion based performance, but if you’ve ever tried to slowly fade in FM depth or wave folding with one of these knobs, you’ll know already how sensitive the lightest touch can be. With an encoder, depending how it is set up, you can spread the range of a control over multiple rotations, giving you more fine control over parameters. This is of course worse for expressive filter sweeps, but perfect for slower motions and subtle changes over time.
Additionally, and likely more importantly for most, encoders don’t “jump” values or need to “pick up” their state when the physical controls don’t match the software. They simply adapt on their own, these jumps can be frustrating, and live are basically unusable. Pick up mode works to mitigate this, but sometimes it can be tricky to actually predict when/where the knob will actually pick up. With an encoder, leftward motion is always down, and rightward motion is always up. In this regard, visual feedback is the limiting factor, LED rings do a great job of approximating the control position, but some controllers simply display brightness or use a screen display control value and parameter naming. As we’ll see below, one company has an amazing solution to this particular issue.
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as I’ve already mentioned, a variety of 16 encoder arrays have existed for some time, and personally I believe this will suit most people’s needs. But 32 seems to expand into a deeper control layout. You simply get more to play with all at once, less page turning and more exploration. For me, 32 is necessary for creating custom sequencer controls. Obviously you need at least 16, one per step, but at this point you have nothing left for alternative controls. 32 gives you either 2 controls per step, or 16 additional controls for things like pattern length, division, swing, etc. While I could likely get away with 16, it just always felt a bit too limiting in terms of what I’ve been planning to accomplish. 32 controls, especially with various banks, opens up so many doors for creativity.
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for me, hardware is very. touchy (pun intended), I like to have things set up a certain way, and don’t really enjoy breaking down my layout once I’ve got it configured. For this reason an “off” switch is very important, many devices are bus powered only, which is fine, but lack any way to deactivate the device when not in use. For example, I never use my LPX because if I leave it plugged in it goes into “Vegas mode” with crazy flashing lights if my computer is asleep. This means the device is constantly distracting. There are inline usb toggle switches, but I wonder if these limit the data transfer speed (not incredibly important for midi). Physically unplugging USBC on a regular basis causes wear on the cable and port and is just not a satisfying way to activate your device. Instead of a single motion that can be done blind (flipping a switch) you are required to awkwardly plug the device together using two hands. Ultimately this is a small detail, one I can even somewhat overlook, but it is still important.
Finally, other factors like bus power, control layout, LED color options and brightness control all factor into my decisions. I’m also very curious about the degree to which these can be customized and integrated into a workflow. I do believe even the most minimal option from the list I’m comparing will actually be more than enough, but I also feel like this workflow could expand beyond my current imagination in the future, so expandability is important as well. Price will of course be a factor, I’ll have to assume prices will be roughly what has been announced so far, and even with these rough estimates there’s some pretty significant price jumps for some of these products. Availability is another factor, I’ve waited nearly five years for BCR 32 and it is the only one lacking any official release announcement at this point. I believe the others are all planned to be available this summer, but you just never know, delays happen and sometimes they happen indefinitely.
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encoders can get dirty. each encoder is a potential failure point, dirt can cause values to constantly jump making mapping impossible. This can render a whole device useless over time, a huge discouraging factor for the more expensive options. As well I don’t know how any of these will “feel” in my hands, The midi fighter encoders feel incredible, but I’ve used other encoders that just feel bad. The Intech seems the most future proof, as each module can be swapped out while being repaired and there’s less worry of frying everything durring a repair.
BCR 32
Honestly, this one still seems like the ideal product for me.
It is speculated to be the most affordable of the bunch making it great for expandability.
The 32 encoders are all laid out in a clean array.
My biggest gripe with the 2k version is that one row of encoders is isolated from the matrix, creating an asymmetric layout for certain use cases. This is fixed on the BCR 32
The LED rings are ideal, very clean visually with enough information to get the gist of knob position.
estimated price: $180
Novation Launch Control XL Mk3
SO close with this one, unfortunately if falls short on the encoder count with only 24 encoders.
8 sliders fill the gap and I can still see myself using this one, but not for everything I’m planning
sliders also offer a unique expression style I can see myself using, so this controller could be useful as an expansion to another controller (or as my starting point)
sadly no LED rings either, you just get brightness based on control value, from my experience with the Circuit this is ok, but not perfect
estimated price: $250
Here we hit the total 32 encoders!
there’s also 8 sliders, but ideally I want clean access to 32 encoders
We get LED rings on this one! but sadly the design makes them trickier to read. This may not be the case in person, but until it was showcased at superbooth I was not sure if there was actually a ring based indicator
includes an on/off switch!!
a snapshot mode lets you morph between control states with various performance based timing options
there’s a single mini pot in the upper right hand corner I would fear destroying
mini jacks for midi outputs
estimated price: $800
*the next version will be smooth encoders, the current version are clicky
expandable, each module plugs into neighbors for a fully customizable layout
modules exist for buttons, sliders, and I believe a display is in the pipeline
customizable using LUA (the same language used in Pico8). I’m not sure to what extent I’d be able to utilize this, but it means a much more personalized setup
no led rings
no hardware midi out
power or banks seem to be handled with awkward side buttons
I don’t really want to worry about multiple units stuck together, though a custom case could likely solve this
estimated price: $200 per module
$4-600 for the ideal setup
This one inspired me to write this article, the most exciting of the bunch and in my opinion the future of hardware/ software integration
32 encoders
instead of LED rings we get a full display beneath the encoders
this gives you full parameter visualization, custom colors, parameter labels, AND UI framing to help visualize a control layout
this does include hardware midi, though I’m not sure about power switch
it does require external power which is a con, but this likely means it will have a power switch
Seeing the full display switch between control layouts at the touch of a button is magnificent
I can imagine many use cases for this, to the point where you could build out a whole workflow that relied only on this one controller (no mouse even)
that said, even the worst option on this list will already require a boatload of setup to utilize, to get the most out of this one would almost be a full time job
I’d have to see how much a minimal controller really offers me before even considering this one, but with a little imagination you can easily understand the potential here
worst name of the bunch, I don’t want to “play with Karl’s knobs” (I’ll just call it “the Velour” if I ever own one)
I also just love the tech here, I can imagine smaller versions being built into standalone synths, or one with a more synth style layout and different control sizes (like a big filter encoder)
I do worry about this custom display though, if the screen goes bad how replaceable is it? Will this unit be a brick in storage 10 years out?
estimated price: $2000
Personally, I think I’ll likely grab the Novation controller as it seems the BCR32 has no expected release date. This is the cheapest option to test the waters and see what I need for the future. Ideally I’d have already purchased a BCR32, as the LED rings are a major selling point for me.
If this became the core of my live setup or workflow I could easily see myself building out a custom Intech system and scripting my own system for control. This would also allow for more physical control expansion in the future. However, the Velour KARL, if done right, seems to cover everything at a steeper up front cost. Being able to see control names, as well accurate value readout for multiple banks and pages just seems like a dream and perfect fit. It seems as though there are compromises with all the options, but some very unique selling points as well. If budget wasn’t a concern I’d have pre-ordered a “Velour” already