Amazing stuff:
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Yes… looks truly interesting…
But it looks like converting your favorite VST pluging info a hardware device would mean much engineering…
I mean, many VST plugins use a money-free and hardware-free UI with much virtual LCD displays, or drawing tools, or whatever, which could hardly be transported to hardware… or at least, not in a simple and cheap way… (if you want to use it not only as a preset player)
And then one would have to do much work to address those organs (pots, faders, displays, push buttons…) and make them work conveniently…
And I guess the machine itself is already rather expensive…
BUT… Still, having the same synth or whatever, available as a computer plugin (for editing the presets, or for easily including into a DAW work) and on stage, as a physical machine with a physical relationship, is a really attractive idea…
Maybe they have a method where you push a button, then select a control. Waggle a midi controller to map it and save the result in some record-of-state, like a causally taken photograph?
Yes… a kind of midi learn… ok…
That would help… but look at U-He Zebralette, which is a plugin I would like to have as a hardware…
I imagine that mapping encoders or potentiometers would be rather simple… but all those small displays ? And those 2 big ones which are interactive…
Sure, you can still work your waveforms and multi-stage envelope at home, on a computer… and on stage, just call the presets and edit a few parameters… after all, that’s what we do with many other synths which you can hardly edit in real time…
That’s still a loss…
Imagine this: a synth box with an OLED screen for each knob, and a pair of pushbuttons that allow you to change what synth plugin you are using. The OLED screens will show what parameter its knob is modifying, depending on which plugin is currently running. Think Zynthian, but with more knobs and less step sequencer. Now that would be awesome…
That is exactly one of the many ideas I have worked on but how many controllers? You would probably need to page between controllers (similar to the Zynthian with its four encoders) and do you just have a square grid? If so controllers don’t necessarily sit neatly within an interface. Think of the minimoog where the signal and control is divided up into sections and knobs positioned appropriately. There are commercial synths and mix surfaces that do what you suggest. It would be possible to design and build such a controller for the Zynthian (which was also on my eternal list of the incomplete) where each control is configured to control a parameter of a Zynthian engine. This could be done with MIDI or OSC. There would need to be some development to enable this like adding OSC control of the parameters and giving feedback to update the displays. (That too is on the list - I have very long lists!)
RGB knobs might fix that problem.
Imagine the size of it when you want it to be the interface for Waldof Blofeld, Roland D10 or Yamaha DX7…
Imagine your bank account after building such a monster…
The Ensoniq ESQ’1 or Korg M1 solution was rather user friendly… one screen displaying several parameters… but ubtead of pushbuttons, a brunch of encoders setting in front of each parameter…
Like on Preenfm2 ( only 4 encoders, and a small display, alas) or
Audiothingies Micromonsta…
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I did a quick, wet-finger guesstimate of what such an interface might cost and look like during this week’s Zynth Club. I reckon to build it yourself using items sourced cheaply from China would cost approx. £5 per control (screen, encoder, percentage usage of MCU) and look a bit like:
(Just something else I worked on a while back.) That has a footprint of appox. 30x50x10 (mm) excluding shaft and mounting collar of encoder. So to build a box with 20 encoders and displays would cost about ÂŁ100 plus hardware (enclosure, connectors, wiring, panel, etc.). 30 encoders is probably minimum for controlling a monophonic synth, e.g. my SH-101 has 22 variable controls plus 7 multiposition switches.
Tempting but a lot of effort and cost before you even start to map things… If only I had a shorter list and more time.
[Edit] Weight is approx. 30g per unit depending on the knob - I like heavy metal ones. So 30 units might weigh almost a kilogram (that is 2.2lb for those stuck in the 19th century 
).
Ok… with 40 controls, that would turn around 200euros… knowing that it could be multi engines, that’s not bad…
My previous idea was to build a box with up to 30 encoders, up to 64 pots and up to 50 switches but I am now investigating MIOS which uses external shift registers to offer up to 64 encoders. I am yet to test it but have more STM32 modules arriving this week…