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X-Touch Compact from Behringer


Eric Lamontagne

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Some of you may know I am on the hunt to couple a midi mixer with my NagraVI since the release of the latest software from Nagra in 2015.

The X-Touch compact is the latest device I have tested and by far the most workable. I've had to wait for it's release for about 6 months, though the ridiculously low price makes up for it.

For those of you out there in the market, here's the scoop:

The NagraVI is programmed to receive midi CC messages, but only with values 00 to 30. This is function is facilitated with a custom cable connecting Midi+, Midi-, and shield/ground into a 9pin din extension connector on the right side of the recorder. This connector is very busy handling wordclock in and out as well as two AES direct output pairs of analog inputs 1-4. 

The midi map tool in the menu of the NagraVI facilitates assignment of input gain of mic/line inputs 1-4 and line inputs 5&6, for Iso channel levels. It also maps linear faders that control the six inputs to the mix bus, six pan controls, one master level for the mix bus, one output level adjustment, transport control for skip back, skip forward, rewind, fast forward, stop, play, record, false take record(though I have yet to make this function work without creating an additional file).

The NagraVI functions will all respond to the X-Touch hardware controls via midi. I have had success in using the X-Touch remapping tool, a separate software program downloaded from Behringer, while connected via USB to a computer. I had to change the way the control surface behaved out of the box due to the limitations of the NagraVI only being able to understand midi values CC00-CC30. I also had to set transport controls within the X-Touch to "Toggle" mode instead of "Momentary" otherwise the control surface would send both "note on" and "note off" messages and the NagraVI interprets these double messages and creates two files on record, or skips two files for skip back/skip forward, etc.

The X-Touch Compact is built as rugged as the Mackie MCU Pro, but at a much smaller size. I also did not have success with the MCU Pro due to not being able to remap it's midi messages

Currently, the X-Touch will not work with ProTools as it does not act as a HUI controller yet (there may be an update in the future but Behringer makes no promises), the bigger brother X-Touch does use HUI though.

Tom V. helped me figure out the Toggle/Momentary problem, along with a couple of quickly returned support emails to/from Behringer.

I hope this info helps folks interested in doing more with their NagraVI units, I'm looking forward to a lighter and more compact rig for those independent shoots that pop up here and there.

 

Good Luck!

Eric

XT1.jpg

The beginnings of my compact cart. SD552 for additional preamps, routing, and potentially a two channel timecode backup. Updates to follow.

XT 2.jpg

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