RDJ & Rodecaster Pro II, MIDI controlled

[Janus24]

Dear all,

After my earlier testimonial I made some changes to my studio where I record / stream radio shows. I replaced both my low-end analog mixer and my AKAI MIDI controller with a Rodecaster Pro II. And as this product has monitor outputs + 4x headphone outputs, I also removed my 6ch heaphones amp (IMHO less gear and less cables = better in a home studio environment). I just had to share my findings with anyone interested.

So, my current setup:
- Rodecaster Pro II
- Windows PC (AMD Ryzen 9 w/32GB RAM, but my old laptop with Intel Core i5 w/8GB RAM, or previous PC with Intel Core i7 w/16GB did the job as well.
- 1x Rode NT-1 condenser mic
- a set of KRK monitor speakers
- headphones

Software:
- Windows 10 (to be upgraded)
- RadioDJ 2.0.4.5
- XAMPP 7.4.33 (with MariaDB 10.4.27)
- Thimeo Stereo Tool 10.41 (for some minor post-processing & stream encoding)
- VB-Audio CABLE (optional, in case you want to record / monitor the processed Stereo Tool output signal)

The Rodecaster Pro II (RCPII) has 2 USB ports which, when both connected to the (same) PC, offer a total of 3 (THREE) audio interfaces with input and output. The RCPII's faders (6x physical + 3x virtual) are fully independent from the input connectors. So I've configured them as follows:
- fader 1 = Rode NT-1 mic
- fader 2 = reserved for dynamic mic
- fader 3 = Bluetooth (for phone calls, or as music player)
- fader 4 = USB: "RCPII Chat" (for RDJ's instant (cart) players)
- fader 5 = USB: "RCPII Secondary" (for RDJ's AUX players)
- fader 6 = USB: "RCPII Main" (for RDJ's main audio out)
- virtual faders 7-9 not used
Note: the RCPII has (only) 4 physical mono input connectors. Should you want to connect a stereo audio device, you'll need 2 mono inputs, which you can link to 1 fader.

In RDJ I have set the main audio to go to "Rodecaster Pro II Main" audio device. The AUX players signals go to "Rodecaster Pro II Secondary" and the instant players signals go to "Rodecaster Pro II Chat". I've set RDJ's monitor output to be sent to "Rodecaster Pro II Chat", as I use this channel least of the time, which allows me to use the channel's PFL-button for monitoring purposes.

By the way, Main & Chat are the 1st USB connector on the RCPII, Secondary will be available after connecting the 2nd USB cable. The Chat and Bluetooth channels will by default deliver a 'mix-minus' output signal (so the main mix without the input from the Bluetooth caller / chat participant). This prevents echo or feedback.
The faders which are configured as Mic or Bluetooth channels can optionally mute your speakers when you slide the fader.

-- MIDI control --

The RCPII has 8 'smart pads' which can in total have 64 functions. You can use its preloaded sounds or upload your own, but you can also configure them to send (and receive) MIDI commands. And this is really cool! One can set any MIDI parameter (channel, CC, value, Note ON, OFF etc) for each individual pad.

I'm using RDJ's MIDI plugin and I've configured the smart pads on my RCP to Play, Pause(+fade-out) the main audio, loop the main audio, toggle AutoDJ, toggle manual/assist,  Play, Pause(+fade-out) the first 3 AUX players, and play the fist 30 instant (cart) players. On the RCPII, you can name each pads function (which will show up on the display) + you can select each pads color.

Reason I'm so fond of controlling RadioDJ via MIDI is, that I'm much quicker using the smart pads instead of hotkeys or the mouse. Once this is set up right, you have literally your entire studio under your fingertips when using your RCPII.

I've found that ANY control on the RCPII sends MIDI information. Even the faders, headphones volume knobs, everytning. So theoretically fader-start etc. could be done.
However, there are a few drawbacks to the MIDI plugin which is currently included in RadioDJ and I sincerely hope this will be updated in the (near) future.
1. The MIDI plugin seems to monitor ALL MIDI channels at once and won't differentiate between them. The RCPII uses (at least) MIDI channels 1-6 for the faders, channels 1-4 for the 4 headphones volume knobs. As a result, the MIDI plugin will register any movement of each of the faders as the same event.
2. I get the impression that the MIDI plugin only reads Note-ON commands, no CC messages with their values. Those are needed to enable things like fader-start. I've tested this; If I assign a fader to a specific action in the MIDI plugin and I move the fader, MIDI plugin thinks I'm performing 127 times the same action (in fact a CC message with value 0-127 is sent upon fader movement)...

-- Conclusion --

Apart from the above few drawbacks in the current MIDI plugin, I'm totally happy with my renewed (and more compact) home recording / radio studio. It's very ergonomic to control most important functions of RDJ directly from the RCPII. Response to the buttons is quick. Also, I haven't noticed any delay in delivering of the USB audio signal (apart from the processed Stereo Tool output signal of course). In fact, I don't see a reason to use the soundcard in my PC right now (previously I only wanted analog signal delivery as it's quicker than digital).
Also good to know: The RCPII comes with processing features that can be configured for each individual channel. I only use processing on the mic though, and let Stereo Tool do some minor clipping (if needed). Broadcasters who play my shows (either pre-recorded or via live stream) will process the signal anyway.

I hope this post helps people who consider using RadioDJ, or existing users who consider updating their studio with a Rodecaster Pro II.