When working with virtual instruments, an essential component is a MIDI controller to have both note input and control over the essential functionality of these virtual instruments. However, if you are like me, the feel of un-weighted piano keys is very disconcerting to work with. I prefer to use a fully weighted keyboard, but the missing component is the MIDI CC control. There are hardware solutions out there like the Korg Nano controller, but I wanted to see what else I could use, on a limited budget.
After experimentation and a limited budget, I tried a skin for Lemur a mobile app called Composer Tools Pro by MIDI Kinetics running on an iPad mini 2 I bought ‘used’ for about $90. This has become an integral part of my note input as it completes my Yamaha’s function as a MIDI controller. You can find a great video walkthrough by the creator of Composer Tools Pro. But if time is tight then here is my brief rundown of what I have found most useful…
Recall
Since I am working with a template for my compositional work, Recall works great. All I need to do is record arm a MIDI track in ProTools, and with a quick press of a button in Composer Tools Pro, that MIDI configuration is immediately recalled.
Customisation
You can create custom layouts for each instrument or each manufacturer. Every virtual instrument handles keyswitching, CC assignments, and other controls a bit differently. In combination with Recall, you can create a custom map for each of your virtual instruments and then instantly recall that mapping with all labeling. For example, you do not need to remember which key was legato or staccato, which CC is for dynamics, or which CC is for different mic positions. In my workflow, this adds an additional layer of ease of use since now I do not need to look at my remote PC hosting my virtual instruments to see which parameter I need to tweak. Instead of getting bogged down with a technical detail that takes me out of the workflow for 5 seconds, I just find it quickly by name on my Composer Tools template and keep writing music.
Keyswitching
A particular detail of Composer Tools Pro’s customization is keyswitching. You can label your keyswitches or your MIDI CC controllers to reflect what they actually control instead of just knowing that MIDI note 0 is legato or whatever keyswitch you have assigned. Invaluable time is saved!
iOS/Android.
Lemur/Composer Tools Pro works on a wide variety of iPad or Android Tablets and it functions via a wifi connection to your computer (via your LAN or a self-hosted network), so you can have your controller anywhere you need it.
There is one major drawback to Composer Tools Pro. Text entry, as well as all other interaction for the app, must take place in the app. Not entering text via an external keyboard means setting up a massive template takes a rather tedious amount of time.
That does not change my recommendation and I am only scratching the surface of what Composer Tools Pro and Lemur can do. If you have more expansive needs, the customisation and flexibility of Composer Tools Pro and Lemur is astonishing.
If you are looking for a MIDI controller to add to your setup, I would highly recommend MIDI Kinetics’s Composer Tools Pro. Through the flexibility of recalling custom layouts, Composer Tools Pro enables me to save time while working with complex virtual instruments, and I believe it will help you too.