Maybe you have followed the Kickstarter funding of the Black Dog project MachineWerks CS X51?
It says the controller is 100% programmable and can be used to control hardware as well as software. Does this mean you could use it as a R&W Minicommand to control MnM and MD for example?
I wouldn´t hold my breath for that if comparing it fully with R&W Minicommand:
“USB and 5 pin DIN MIDI In & Out for full bi-directional MIDI support”
“100% programmable midi mapping to any hardware or computer”
“Works out of the box with Ableton, Traktor, Reason, Cubase, Logic and any other programmable DAW”
Nothing indicates for me that you´ll be able to fully re-configure the whole thing AND make and ADD some extra nifty things and features as MiniCommand does. Some which it does via SysEx, others it processes internally and then transceive the midi stream back and forth with MD/MM.
But you´ll probably be able to transmit any kind of midi messages you´d like. Albeit, I´m not sure if that includes SysEx though…
^
it does deal with Sys Ex… I was chatting to the guys from the Black Dog about it on Twitter… Ultimately how useful it is when connected to a proper piece of hardware like an Elektron of course is debatable - I mean you’ve got proper knobs & buttons to start with…& of course the MD has CTRL8 machines etc… But I guess for other MIDI hardware devoid of a proper front panel it could be cool…
I backed this on Kickstarter as I think it’s a good product but I haven’t gone as far as getting one as for a 100% knobby hardware user it’s sort of pointless. ( I try to avoid MIDI anyway except for clock anyhow… CV&Gate FTW… 
)
yea but the question is whether it is deeply programmable, in the sense that you can flash your own software into it, which would be necessary for minicommand-like features, such as being able to decode MD pattern sysex data.
Well. Maybe its firmware can be hacked/replaced.
maybe one could port minicommand firmware to work with it, taking advantage of wesen’s library for talking with the MD. But it would certainly be more than an afternoon worth of work 
the alu case does look attractive imo! (not sure about the poti caps/faders)
Thanks for informative response.
When asking Machinewerks, they told me they would make a demo using it to control Elektron equipment.
As for the Minicommand, I haven’t used it myself. Only watched demos. It’s a good thing the CS X51 is talking Sysex, but the capabilities of the editor is yet to be unveiled.
so this thing got 303 backers huh?
What about Ruin & Wesen? Their website isn’t anymore…
Don’t know. But from what Wesen wrote on the web before it disappeared, my guess is that the work with the Minicommand became overwhelming.
Last I heard about the price, this thing is obscenely expensive for what it is. Just get a controller with faders and knobs and a launchpad…
Sure! But the main option to restore a pattern to a saved state (after lots of manipulation) was what attracted me more…Oh and MIDI IN OUT ports.
Sure! But the main option to restore a pattern to a saved state (after lots of manipulation) was what attracted me more…Oh and MIDI IN OUT ports.[/quote]
So it can hold a modifiable midi sequence in it’s firmware and loop it?
Sure! But the main option to restore a pattern to a saved state (after lots of manipulation) was what attracted me more…Oh and MIDI IN OUT ports.[/quote]
So it can hold a modifiable midi sequence in it’s firmware and loop it?[/quote]
Don’t think the MIDI sequence is held in the firmware… Anyway the trick in the Machinedrum [FUNCTION+CLASSIC] to revert to a saved state would be nice in MonoMachine as well, best would be a “performance mode” like in Analog4 