Kenton Control Freak programmable hardware MIDI controller for controll old synths parameters

Kenton Control Freak – a MIDI controller from the late 1990s, when the era of analog synthesizers was ending (the last models were appearing) and digital synthesizers, already with MIDI, were taking over the market, but unfortunately, due to cost concerns and a trend toward "programming presets" without dedicated knobs and buttons to control dedicated parameters.

The Kenton Control Freak is a dedicated solution to these problems, which began to plague musicians in the late 1990s.

With a robust metal casing that will withstand even the most hardcore gigs, seven long-throw faders, a multitude of buttons, and a small, backlit LCD display, it's a device suitable for both studio and live performance.

Control Freak allows you to create your own control surface for almost anything MIDI-enabled. Any analog or digital synthesizer, drum machine, etc.

Kenton has prepared a very long list of ready-made "programs" for the most popular physical synthesizers, but it's also perfectly fine to use it to control plugins or Ableton.

The eight 60mm faders can be assigned to MIDI parameters, and complete configurations can be saved as programs. There are 128 programs available, allowing you to build different control surfaces for different instruments or tasks.

And yes, more than one MIDI controller, including inverted ranges, can be assigned to a single fader. It's this somewhat crazy MIDI flexibility that makes this old-school hardware so cool.

And then there's MIDI Learn...

This is probably one of the coolest things about Control Freak.

You don't have to sit around typing controller numbers and deciphering SysEx instructions.

If a parameter is available from a connected MIDI device, Control Freak can often learn it. Transfer or send a MIDI parameter, let Freak learn it, assign it to a slider—done.

It's a wonderfully tactile way to build your own controller instead of adapting to someone else's idea of ​​how to operate an instrument.

Buttons aren't just buttons.

Eight buttons and four additional function keys are also programmable.

They can send MIDI commands, program changes, notes, chords, SysEx strings, and other MIDI data. They can even behave differently when pressed and released.

This allows a single button to be a simple MIDI command.

Or it can trigger something much more interesting:

A complete SysEx message: Reset. Program change. Chord. Transport command.

Whatever your setup needs.

There's something wonderful about Control Freak's simplicity.

It has MIDI inputs, outputs, and MIDI THRU, and it even has a form of CV/Gate to MIDI conversion (up to 5b PP signal). This isn't strictly a CV to MIDI implementation (which can be programmed on this one), but a broader variation on the concept of connecting an external voltage-controlled environment to this device (I recommend the instructions on the Kenton website).

Why these things are still interesting

Modern MIDI controllers are everywhere. But many of them are designed with computers in mind.

Control Freak stems from a different philosophy. It was created for musicians who wanted to directly control a physical machine—an analog synthesizer without a panel (like the Oberheim Matrix, Yamaha DX-7, or Roland Juno 1).

True vintage MIDI gear—built in the days when MIDI meant cables, hardware, and hands-on control.

If you're building a vintage studio, working with '90s rackmount synths, or simply miss the feeling of actually touching the parameters you're controlling, the Kenton Control Freak is a really cool little piece of gear to have on hand. A little nut!

What you're buying:

- 1 x Control Freax device

- EU 12V transformer power supply, non-original. Improved specifications.

What I'm not selling: - I don't have the original packaging.

The user manual is available on the Kenton website. Software files ("programs") for the systainers can be downloaded from the Kenton website. I'll send the links to the buyer because I can't post them here.

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This product is shipped from Poland. Import duties, taxes, and fees are not included in the product price or shipping costs. Within the European Union, all duties and taxes are already included in the price. Outside the EU, they may be charged during delivery, depending on the destination country and local regulations.

These fees are the responsibility of the buyer.