The controllers are using plain and simple MIDI CC messages. They need to be mapped to the plugin you’d like to use. Some plugins makers have mapping presets, like Arturia, other don’t, like u-he. I have presets for Arturia on my support page but mapping by hand takes 1 minute. The mapping stays in the plugin memory and you only need to do this once. Unless you are using the SFC-60 V3 in combination with the TAL U-NO-LX, plugins are currently not sending MIDI out when presets are changed, it’s a 1-way communication and the controller interface does not update when you change presets.
If you are not sure how this works you can experiment with any generic MIDI controller you might own and try to map few controls to a plugin. That way you can get a feel of what the experience might be like.
Yes, you can find on the support page Google Chrome applications to change the default CC numbers and store those in the controller’s memory. You can save the web pages and use them offline if you’d like too.
Most likely not. At the end of 2021, I will have 10/11 different products and with just 1 employee it’s a challenge to keep everything available at all times. I’d love to please everybody but there is not enough time. I need to choose my products very wisely.
Of course I can’t test every single combination of OS and DAW. But so far, over hundreds of devices using the same hardware and firmware framework, nobody reported a total incompatibility on a certain system. Furthermore, any plugin that can be MIDI mapped could be controlled by a SoundForce controller.
As you can observe in the plugins interfaces, they are very similar. The SFC-5 uses tactile switches + LEDs combinations and the SFC-1 uses slide switches. Most of the usual synth controls have the same layout. The main differences are in the modulation section. It’s up to the user to come up with strategies and workarounds. The user buttons and knobs are there to offer extra possibilities. The SFC-1 also has an extra sequencer/arp section as well as the FX section.
No, I won’t. The SFC-1 is huge beast and it’s glorious. But it’s also very time-consuming to manufacture. The balance of the SFC-5 is much better and it allows me keep its price tag a bit lower.