Spad is by far not as complicated as the A&O once you get the hang of it it's fairly (un-complicated). When it comes to assigning either PMDG or MSFS events like for example pushing a button/toggle for landing gear it's incredibly easy to set up. If you are going to set it up for the default C172 or CJ4 and the G1000 it's not going to be that complicated. When you have payware aircraft it can get a tad more demanding because they "can" implement their own variables, the only thing I can't assign right now is how to dimm/increase the inside red night light. For example I have a 310R and I was able to assign the fuel levers to rotating knobs. Keep in mind though that I have all the buttons assigned on my honeycomb yoke like lights, battery, alt, mags, ect.. but on the Mini I was able to assign knobs to the HDG, buttons to landing lights and gear, knobs to radios, and all AP functions. For ex on the AP the one I like the most, two knobs to set the altitude and then I simply press it to arm it and the two buttons below knob it for VS up/down, it makes it incredibly less frustrated.

I am running Windows 11, and the Devices panel shows the that the X-Touch Mini is working correctly. Also, buttons light up when I press them, etc.. Faders are smooth enough and are accurate. LCD strips are adequate, but as many people have mentioned, not ideal to read at a comfortable working angle. Pan/multi-function encoders are OK but have that wobbly quality the same as the old ones from the BCF/BCR. That's just a 'feel' thing, they work fine and they seemed to last on the only BCF unit. I also don't find the readout of the position of the encoders that easy to read. Function buttons for the channel strips like mute, solo etc are rubberized, but firm and affirmative in operation and have clear lighting to show if they are engage or not. No complaints there. If you want to create custom setups it is apparently possible to write scripts, but I couldn't be bothered. You can find videos on this topic on YouTube if that's your bag.Re-assignable User A/B layer controls found it's use to assign essential functions be active on both A and B layers at the same time. Mark, this is great idea and I was thinking about it for quite some time! I own the X-Touch Mini, but unfortunately didn't find time to make a proper implementation. I ended up with a small proof of concept and the device ended up in my drawer. Here are some thoughts from me, hope it will be helpful. The X-TOUCH MINI Ultra-Compact Universal USB Control Surface puts the power of your production software right at your fingertips! The user-friendly and extremely versatile X-TOUCH MINI gives you take-anywhere, hands-on control of all popular DAWs, instruments, effects and lighting applications. Let your creativity run wild when you get your hands off your mouse and onto this nifty little controller! Universal Control DEBUG ] Read settings for device 0 2023-05-06 20 : 46 : 11 [ DEBUG ] --> Line 1 :: Parameter 'name' = 'X-Touch Mini' 2023-05-06 20 : 46 : 11 [ DEBUG ] --> Line 1 :: Parameter 'port_in' = '0' 2023-05-06 20 : 46 : 11 [ DEBUG ] --> Line 1 :: Parameter 'port_out' = '1' ... ... 2023-05-06 20 : 39 : 17 [ DEBUG ] --> Line 127 :: Parameter type = 'drf' 2023-05-06 20 : 39 : 17 [ DEBUG ] --> Line 127 :: Read settings for type 'drf' 2023-05-06 20 : 39 : 17 [ DEBUG ] --> Line 127 :: Parameter 'ch' = '11' 2023-05-06 20 : 39 : 17 [ DEBUG ] --> Line 127 :: Parameter 'cc' = '81' 2023-05-06 20 : 39 : 17 [ DEBUG ] --> Line 127 :: Parameter 'dataref' = 'AirbusFBW/SDSTATUS' 2023-05-06 20 : 39 : 17 [ DEBUG ] --> Line 127 :: Parameter 'value_on' = '1' 2023-05-06 20 : 39 : 17 [ DEBUG ] --> Line 127 :: Parameter 'value_off' = '0' 2023-05-06 20 : 39 : 17 [ ERROR ] Could not open inbound port '0' for device 'X-Touch Mini' 2023-05-06 20 : 39 : 17 [ ERROR ] MidiInWinMM :: openPort : error creating Windows MM MIDI input port .

In my opinion the biggest challange with such tool is to make a convinient and easy to use interface to assign generic midi buttons, encoders and sliders with xplane commands and datarefs. Dealing with flat config files may not be an options as one would need to know midi button ids. It would be nice to cascade such configurations (eg. make default setup and only apply changes needed for particular aircraft), because managing lots of configurations if you have lots of aircraft can be really painful. It would be also great to share configurations with community. You develop X-KeyPad, so for sure you know these issues better then me. There is also SimVim project which faces similar problems (if I understand correctly they have kind of middle layer in their configurator). from portable controller and quite handy for rehearsals or even live sessions whether you feel like less reverb or more modulation is appropriate.You have a MIDI Controller at home with lots of buttons and knobs? Why not use it with your favourite aircraft to control the autopilot and many other functions! XMidiCtrl is a plugin for X-Plane 11, which allows you to connect MIDI controllers to X-Plane commands and datarefs without the need of additional software. Bought two X-Touch minis cause seemed to be just what we needed so our 2 guitarists could have their own FX board in our live electronica setup. I don't use the faders and knobs for plugin control etc., I use my master keyboard for those since that allows me to change the CC numbers more easily.

In this list, we’ll explore the best MIDI production controllers you can buy in 2021, from modest portable keyboards to expressive touch surfaces and others in-between. Bear in mind, that while some of these might seem designed for a particular DAW, they will usually be user-assignable too. Let’s dive in. The 11 best production controllers to buy in 2021 at a glance: Any experience specifically with those uses would ideal but also interested in general happiness with the setup. DEBUG ] --> Search for aircraft profile 'C:\X-Plane 12/Aircraft/ToLissA321_V1p5/XMidiCtrl.toml' 2023-05-06 20 : 46 : 11 [ DEBUG ] --> Search for aircraft profile 'C:\X-Plane 12/Aircraft/ToLissA321_V1p5/A321_XMidiCtrl.toml' 2023-05-06 20 : 46 : 11 [ INFO ] Aircraft Profile 'C:\X-Plane 12/Aircraft/ToLissA321_V1p5/A321_XMidiCtrl.toml' found First thing to say about the x touch is that physically it's a solid product for the most part. It's heavy and the chassis is well constructed. It stays put on your desk. This is a big deal for me. I don't like gear floating around...The former BCR and BCF series were a good deal lighter and the the feet were not so good. I just installed X-Keypad 1.5. I’m able to assign commands to encoders and buttons and save them, and the appropriate JSON file exists in my Laminar Cessna 172 folder. The saved commands come up when I load a flight with the 172.Honestly when I see YT's now when they try to wiggle their way to turn radio knobs or use the AP buttons I just facepalm and keep telling myself that's how it used to be. It just fits nice and flat right on top of the honeycomb yoke and I highly recommend the Mini with Spad and for me not having it now would be a nightmare. Buttons can have different functions in different DAWs and applications, so you may have to find and print a template to put on it for easier use. The standard names don't map well to Cubase, which I'm using. Overall, this is a nice piece of kit to help you free your hand from the mouse. I've had this for a few years now and it's still going strong. It's well built (mostly) and for the price, you do get a lot for your money. That said, there are a few niggling issues I'd like to point out.

Build is decent and has macro controls with lights, good for dark/club environments. When not connected via MC, the led lights do not work so well but get the job done. On the subject of lights, it seems to me that there is no real way to clear the LED clip lights if you peak as they do not seem to respond if you clear them in your DAW. This means it can be quite confusing if you use them in conjunction with your onscreen mixer. It would have been nice if this could be fixed in future firmware updates but considering I've not seen a firmware update in the five years I've owned this, it says to me that Behringer has probably forgotten this product exists. Also, I find that certain lights randomly stay on when you close your DAW down which is rather annoying. I have gone into the X-Touch Mini editor and re-loaded the default A and B layers (global channel=5, channel for encoders and buttons = 11, etc. ) The touch sensitive faders are useful for automatically selecting channels, no need to press a button first. However, that option does exist as well, if you want to select a channel without touching the fader and risking a volume change. It's great to have both options!One finding is the .lua script file contains excess defined items (I guess for other Behringer X-TOUCH hardware devices) and switches the X-TOUCH into "MC" mode. The biggest flaw I have found though, is through the reliability of its connectivity to the computer. The X-Touch has three ways to interface with the computer; through USB, MIDI or through the network. I'm using this with a 2016 Apple iMac installed with the latest version of Logic and connecting it through the USB is by far the most unstable option, with it regularly dropping connection and me having to cycle the power to get it to connect again. The network option is a little better but there is a lot of setting up and additional hardware (a router) involved and it still dropped connection occasionally. In my opinion, the best way is to connect it with old fashioned MIDI cables. In my case, I have them connected through my NI Komplete Audio 6 interface and so far (touch wood) it's not dropped out. If you have a pretty good idea of the kinds of control you want on your setup – or perhaps are interested in experimenting with different layouts, then the modular Monogram Creative Console could be right up your alley. This customisable controller system boasts native compatibility with a plethora of different DAWs, and even other software such as Photoshop, Unreal SDK and more. Has 2 pass-through USB ports, which I use to connect some other music-related gear, allowing me to turn all of it on/off with a single switch - the X-Touch power button.