[RWP] Links to run Reaper from BCF2000 control surface

Thu Feb 2 19:55:52 EST 2012

Rikki, I don't have any firewire gear, but I constantly hear that many 
firewire sound cards  only work on Texas Instrument chips in the 
firewire circuits, so maybe your soundcard isn't broken, maybe the 
problem is in the  Firewire cards.
Just got my Behringer BCF2000 yesterday, and Behringer gear is so cheap 
that it's a miracle how they can do it, but... there's no way it can be 
as sturdy as the old Roland and Yamaha Made in Japan gear of the 1990's,.
I have some of that old hardware myself, that still works like new.
My old Roland MC-307 groove box cost over $700 in 1990, which would be 
maybe twice or 3 times that in current dollars.

It's not only Behringer that has become more delicate, but Yamaha and 
Roland gear is all plastic now, even the pots and switches are all 
plastic, and just not as fine or enduring as the old gear was.
It's inflation.
The dollar is so inflated now that we'd need to pay the cost of the real 
Mackie;  to get that 1990's quality.
Even so, if you treat a Behringer BCR2000 with care, it should  do the job.
It's wonderfully powerful, and somehow finds more parameters to tweak in 
soft synths than my Edirol PCR control surface does.
I love it, but, when myine arrived, one of the knobs on the top row 
stuck down when you pushed it, instead of springing back up like the 
others; and also didn't turn as smoothly as the others.
I debated whether to return it to ZZounds.com, who have a great no 
hassle return policy, but I wanted to make the Behringer work if I 
could, so I got out the control lube spray can and drowned that knob in 
lube.
I kept turning it and clicking it on and off until it'became unfrozen; 
and now  it'works as good as the other knobs in the row.
So, Behringer is cheap, and the quality isn't 100 percent, but when it's 
in mackie emulation mode it does most of what the Mackie does, like you 
said, for a fraction of the price.
Reaper recognized it immediately, and; even without running the Klink 
plug, the Behringer sends program change messages to more soft synths 
than my Edirol PCR does, I don't know why that is, and tweaks a few soft 
synth parameters, like volume, or filter, in many VST synths; without 
even being configured.
Tomorrow, I'll put the BCF2000 into Mackie mode for Cubase, and run the 
Klinke plug and learn how much it controls Reaper.
The BCF2000 has no LCD screen, and you can set modes by holding certain 
keys when turning power on, so it's very accessible.
I don't know all the details yet, but I think that the top 8 knobs 
actually have 64 possible actions, 8 knobs, times 4 banks, times 2, 
because the knobs switch actions when pressed down.
The buttons have a decent feel to their click, and the motorized 100 
millimeter faders are very smooth, and a pleasure to use.
Indigo L

On 2/2/2012 2:46 PM, Rikki Chaplin wrote:
> Hi,
> Thanks for this Indigo. I am about to investigate sound cards/control
> surfaces. I have an Echo Audiofire 4, (I just wanted to start off small
> a few years ago and never got around to it), which I have recently found
> is faulty. It is not being recognised when I plug it into the firewire
> card I just bought for my laptop, and I have tried it on a second
> firewire card with the same result, confirmed by a local computer shop.
> So I will need to either get it repaired, (if it's even possible), or
> get a new one. So I'm reading this thread about the Behringer BCF2000
> with great interest, as I intend to sort this out next week when I get
> to a decent music shop.
>
> My question is, I just looked at both the Bcf 2000 and the Mackie
> control surface whose name escapes me at the moment, and I notice that
> the Behringer is about a tenth of the price of the Mackie! Why is this?
> Does a brand name really attract such a price difference! Also, of
> course I know the Mackie is much more expensive, but wouldn't it be
> easier to have the Mackie work with Reaper in that you wouldn't have to
> install the Klinke plugin and configure that? I may well be on the wrong
> track here, so any recommendations on USB audio/midi interfaces would be
> good. I don't want something too big. I want to start out small, see how
> I go and work up from there. Midi is not something I'm familiar with
> configuring, but I want to get into that so I'm able to at least record
> good quality demos both for myself and others. Any suggestions on
> audio/midi interfaces as I say would be good. I have a couple in mind
> but feedback would be welcome.
>
> Regards,
> Rikki.
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: indigo <33indigo at charter.net
> To: Reapers Without Peepers <rwp at reaaccess.com
> Date sent: Wed, 01 Feb 2012 09:23:10 -0500
> Subject: [RWP] Links to run Reaper from BCF2000 control surface
>
> Content preview: Okay, here are links to the Cockos forum where everything
> about running Reaper from the Behringer BCF2000 control surface have been
> gathered in 1 place, plus a link where you can download Klinke's plug by
> Nofish.
> Klinke is the programmer who developed the VST plug to set up a Behringer
> BCF2000 to run Reaper, and I think Nofish is the English translater. Below
> that is what passes for a users guide by musicbynumber to how Klinke's plug
> sets up the controls on the Behringer BCF2000. All this is still evolving,
> but sighted users on the forums are saying it works well, and my own
> BCF2000
> is on its way, so I'll try Klinke's plug soon. [...]
>
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>
> Okay, here are links to the Cockos forum where everything about running
> Reaper from the Behringer BCF2000 control surface have been gathered in
> 1 place, plus a link where you can download Klinke's plug by Nofish.
> Klinke is the programmer who developed the VST plug to set up a
> Behringer BCF2000 to run Reaper, and I think Nofish is the English
> translater.
> Below that is what passes for a users guide by musicbynumber
> to how Klinke's plug sets up the controls on the Behringer BCF2000.
> All this is still evolving, but sighted users on the forums are saying
> it works well, and my own BCF2000 is on its way, so I'll try Klinke's
> plug soon.
>
> Along with this plug to set up the BCF2000 for Reaper, is the new Mackie
> Reader, which will provide speech for all controls on the BCF2000.
> The Mackie Reader is in its final stages of development and coming soon.
> I'll posts links for Mackie Reader as soon as possible.
>
> Indigo L
>
> Central Cockos Forum for running Reaper from Behringer BCF2000:
> http://forum.cockos.com/showthread.php?t=60110
> Link to find Klinke's plug by Nofish; for setting up BCF2000 to run Reaper:
> http://forum.cockos.com/showthread.php?t=60110
>
>
> Mackie Control now with plugin control ;-) And with Action-Mode.
> musicbynumber
> BCF2000 help guide thing.. very rough
>
> First things first
> you have to get the latest behringer usb drivers for it to work well
> over usb (never tried it over midi). They are multiclient and that's
> what's needed to talk with the BcfView and reaper at the same time. That
> is probably why none of it's
> This link gives you a guide to the bcf in mcu cubase mode
> http://www.behringerdownload.de/BCF2...tion_modes.pdf
>
> There's an overview for the controls but only when it's set up for sonar
> mcu so I will try and get round to making a picture but here's an idea.
> ---top group of 4 buttons..
>
> -top left one is a shift key and does solo and record arm and some
> automation modes using the group of 4 below it) and in combination with
> the top right it does flip mode.
> -the bottom left is also a shift key that allows you to also use the
> group of four below it to change automation modes (and some stuff on the
> transport controls too but not sure yet) EDIT: it also gives you 8
> function keys (cc's in action list) that are the 8 select buttons (you
> have 8 more with the real shift key but hard to get to)
> -the top right is sends mode, press again for recieves mode (makes
> headphone sends a dream to work with.
> -the bottom right seems to be a toggle switch too but only in fx and
> action mode.
>
> --middle group of four.
>
> -bottom left is normal pan and channel mode (use control to select
> multiple tracks unless you have the original select method on)
>
> -top left is action mode, this is stunning, if you have relative mode on
> for that encoder you get a midi cc sent on push, release and turn BUT
> just as cool is if you take relative mode off you now get a cc sent on a
> clockwise turn and a different one on anti clockwise and they repeat
> with each click so this allows you to do cool things like stretch and
> item or shorten it by turning a knob or timestretch or pitch or any
> commands that have a positive and negative adjust. It's very powerful!
>
> top right is also fx mode, note, the rotary encoders can be used for
> things like frequency but the have to be learnt (you have to go through
> all the steps) but this also allows them to be used for things like eq
> type and they even get the right names once you get used to it, it is
> fast and powerful and far superior even to automap (which I have two
> devices)
>
> -bottom right seems to be a toggle modifier again still learning it.
>
>
> --two buttons on their own.
>
> -bank left and right but if you hold one of the shifts they move through
> single channels instead of banks of 8.
>
>
>
> --bottom four buttons
>
> -the usual, stop, play, fast forward and reverse, the shifts do things
> like activate record and cycle.
>
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