Akai APC Mini + Quickshow

[dnar]

This is a thread place marker to record my configuration and hacks to get the APC Mini playing nice with Quickshow.

(Damn when was the last time I started a thread here?)

Dumb arses, the 8x8 pad is assigned MIDI notes in reverse order (bottom up). Bomes MIDI translator to the rescue. I sussed out how to do LED mapping but it will require the Pro version of Bomes, and at $100 it would have been better spent on the APC40.... You live and learn.

Worked out the note values for each colour and flashing, green, red and orange (red & green). Took me a while to realise no blue, despite all the advertising and packagingmshots showing blue buttons, which is actially just colour correction at work.

Bomes translator will also permit scalling of the slider for Annimation Speed, reducing it to 25..100% instead of 400% (hardly usable).

I wished Pangolin would tweak QS to permit spot on 100% via MIDI,, which currently permits 99% and then a big jump to the next value... IF speed == 0.99 THEN speed = 100;

[norty303]

Took me a while to realise no blue, despite all the advertising and packagingmshots showing blue buttons, which is actially just colour correction at work.

Surely thats falsely describing an item, or representing as something which it is not, or is there a disclaimer on the box?

[dnar]

Show me a datasheet or advertising that states RGB LED's.... All other buttons are single colour too by looks of my fiddling.

After all, this is a $100 controller, which is cheap for what it is.

[norty303]

A picture is reasonably considered to be a visual description of the item contqained within, unless there's a disclaimer suggesting it isn't, exactly.
If the box (or indeed website) shows the item with blue LEDs where there are none, I would think there's an avenue for complaint (if you so desired, or wished to return it)

[dnar]

Notice how red and green buttons show a circular hot area above the LED, while the blue buttons are uniform?

Looks like intentional up-sell to me.

[norty303]

I can't see any blue buttons on that picture.
There are some grey/plain opaque rubber ones which are obviously the 'off' buttons. Is this what you mean by the 'blue' ones?
Has your monitor got an odd colour calibration scheme loaded or just a bit worn/old maybe?

[dnar]

I see blue buttons on my laptop and tablet. Maybe its my eyes?

[Stuka]

...

Dumb arses, the 8x8 pad is assigned MIDI notes in reverse order (bottom up). Bomes MIDI translator to the rescue. I sussed out how to do LED mapping but it will require the Pro version of Bomes, and at $100 it would have been better spent on the APC40....

That's why it's advertised as a dedicated MIDI controller for Ableton live.
Just like the APC 40, it is hardwired a bit strange, but evidently it matches up perfectly with Ableton Live.

Looking under the hood a bit in Beyond, there is a LOT of programming that happens with the Beyond APC-40 template that makes the APC 40 work for us!!

Kind of a shame that the APC controllers don't have an editor that lets you customize & load software templates on the controller, similar to the way they do with their MPD and MPK series...

[norty303]

I see blue buttons on my laptop and tablet. Maybe its my eyes?

I wondered this but didn't want to cast aspersions. Done a colour blindness test recently? There are some online i believe.

[dnar]

I did a show earlier this week with the APC Mini via Bomes MIDI translator. It worked well indeed!

If anyone is keen, I can post up the Bomes config and QS settings.