M-Audio iControl MIDI Transport Controller

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8 endless assignable rotary encoders. 7 mode buttons. Master volume fader.

iControl delivers total tactile control over GarageBand. Dedicated transport buttons and jog wheel put record and playback functions at your fingertips. Its 8 rotary encoders are easily assigned to track functions like volume and pan, or to parameters for effects such as GarageBand's EQ or any other AU plug-in. iControl also provides dedicated mute, solo and record-enable buttons for each track, plus a master volume fader. iControl is USB bus-powered, class-compliant, and automatically recognized by GarageBand, making setup a breeze. iControl puts you in complete creative flow with your GarageBand experience.

Features:
8 endless rotary encoders assignable to control volume, pan, aux bus sends or effects

7 mode buttons assign encoders to control tracks or effects

8 sets of Mute, Solo, and Record-enable buttons

+/- buttons assign the group of eight encoders to additional banks of 8 tracks or effect parameters

Master volume fader

Dedicated transport buttons: Play, Stop, Record, Fast Forward, Rewind, Rewind to Start, and Project Cycle on/off

Jog wheel for easy song positioning

Option button for future enhancements

USB bus-powered -no power adapter required

Additional MIDI 5-pin MIDI input jack for control by external MIDI keyboard

Class-compliant driver

Automatically recognized by GarageBand for easy setup

Another one of the main features of the iControl control surface is a bank of controls for 8 tracks at a time. These include dedicated buttons for solo, mute and record, read more as well as 8 rotary encoders that users can easily assign to control volume and pan. Pressing the up/down buttons assigns the 8 sets of track controls to the higher or lower groupings of tracks.

The controls on the left side of the iControl front panel assign the rotary encoder functionality. In Volume or Pan mode, they function in a one-per-channel configuration, for up to eight channels at a time. For the remaining modes, the user selects the desired track via the bank of 8 Select buttons, and the rotary controllers will then function as multiple controls of the selected mode. Selecting Generator, for example, instantly provides tactile control over 8 parameters of the track's Generator instrument. Additional mode buttons allow assignments to a tracks channel strip, EQ, Effect 1 and Effect 2. When the assigned function has more than 8 parameters, the up/down buttons allow shifts through the full range of parameters. The rotary controls also work in conjunction with any assigned AU plug-in.

The iControl control surface communicates with your Mac and GarageBand via a single USB connector. Users can also connect a traditional MIDI keyboard to the 5-pin MIDI input to play any GarageBand instruments. The unit is USB bus-powered, class-compliant and automatically recognized by GarageBand for extremely easy integration. There is also an Option button for extending functionality, further demonstrating the level of M-Audio's commitment to this market. The iControl control surface will also be supported in upcoming updates of Logic Express 7 and Logic Pro 7 to provide an easy and seamless upgrade path for GarageBand users who are ready to graduate to a more advanced audio production tool.

The iControl control surface requires GarageBand 2.0.1
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For support or warranty questions, please contact the manufacturer:
Phone: 401-658-5765

Reviewers gave this product an overall rating of 4 out of 5 stars. (6 ratings)
Submitted November 5, 2006 by a customer from hotmail.com

M-Audio iControl Customer Review

Overall: 4 out of 5 stars
(see rating details)
It's everything it says it is. Its a physical representation of the Garageband software interface. It makes recording that much easier (you dont have to fiddle with a mouse every 5 seconds). It was designed for Garageband 2, but works with Garageband 3 without loss of function and now works with Logic Express 7.2. Apple and M-Audio have a 'near' winner on their hands. But the major design fault, the 8 volume/pan nobs, hold it back from the gold medal. It must be remembered, its a garageband interface remote, not a 'true' mixer. Overall it was money well spent.

Features
It's perfect for Garageband based recording. I got sick of using a mouse all the time. However, the volum nob broke almost instantly - which I expected given the reviews on apples website - but the break was minor, so I have keep it as its other features are great. I would have liked the volume nobs to have been sliders/faders though. Within weeks of buying it, I upgraded to Logic Express 7.2 and thought I'd wasted my money on the iControl as its a garageband only mixer/remote. But the new version of Logic Express supports the iControl, so those who migrate from garageband can use the iControl in Logic Express without too much loss of function. What's more Logic allows you to assign functions to different buttons on the iControl. Utter brilliance! Oh it also has a midi input, why I don't know, but it was a nice addition.

Ease of Use
Its piss easy to read more use. You plug it in, it works! What more can I say? The greatest design aspect of it is how it closely resembles the Garageband interface - so its a physical representation of a virtual program - so cool!

Quality
It broke after 2 hours of use! But I expected that, and I must be honest, I wasn't as gentle with it as i could have been...Fiddle Fiddle. But that said, the 8-volume nobs are poorly designed, and should have been sliders/faders. Then it would totally kick arse!

Value
Reasonably priced. But like most equipment of its kind, its imported in small numbers to my country, so always costs the earth :(

The Wow Factor
From the moment I saw it, I wanted it - even with its design faults.

Musical Background:
Hobbyist

Musical Style:
Bit of everything
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