This guide will walk you through the setup of two control surface types on Linux: Mackie, a pre-defined map offering seamless integration with your DAW, and MIDI CC, a blank canvas you can customize to your heart’s content.


JACK MIDI SETUP

Begin by opening the qjackctl application. Within qjackctl, navigate to the settings panel where you can manage drivers. Locate the MIDI driver option and ensure that it’s enabled.

Once the MIDI driver is activated, proceed to start qjackctl. You will see your control surface listed in the graph.


ARDOUR MACKIE CONTROL

To configure your Mackie control surface in Ardour, follow these steps:

  1. Access the Control Surfaces settings:
    • Navigate to the Ardour preferences menu.
    • Locate and select the “Control Surfaces” option.
  2. Open the Mackie protocol settings:
    • Double-click on the “Mackie” entry within the Control Surfaces preferences.
    • This will open the “Control Protocol Settings” window.
  3. Choose your control surface:
    • Use the dropdown menu to select the specific Mackie control surface you’re using.
  4. Assign device for sends and receives:
    • Select your control surface device for both the “Surface Sends” and “Surface Receives” options.

ARDOUR GENERIC MIDI

To configure your Generic MIDI control surface in Ardour, follow these steps:

  1. Access the Control Surfaces settings:
    • Open the Ardour preferences menu.
    • Within the preferences, locate and select the “Control Surfaces” option.
  2. Open the Generic MIDI settings:
    • Double-click on the “Generic MIDI” entry within the Control Surfaces preferences.
  3. Choose your control surface for MIDI communication:
    • Select your specific control surface device from the available options for both “Incoming MIDI” and “Outgoing MIDI.”

REAPER MACKIE CONTROL

In Reaper, we need to open the Preferences dialogue and head to the Device section under Audio. Check that the Auto-connect Jack MIDI channels to hardware option is selected.

Scroll down to Control/OSC/web. Click Add, choose Mackie Control Universal from the dropdown, and select your control surface. It’s usually the first device.


REAPER GENERIC MIDI CC

In the MIDI hardware settings enable input and output for your control surface.

NOTE: MIDI learn in Reaper is spectacularly bad. I strongly suggest installing ReaLearn.

Have questions about your setup? Ask in the forums.

VennStone

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