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Custom Panel Overlay Help Needed


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Has anyone had a custom panel overlay made for a synth, effects unit or other piece of equipment? I'm looking to have one made for my Akai MPD232 drum pad/synth controller. The idea is that for any VST or piece of hardware I can easily swap out the overlay that has the appropriate labels. Swapping has to be really easy, thus adhesive labels aren't going to fly.

 

The design is extremely simple as you can see here.

65UBAZKl.jpg

And here's the MPD232 for reference:

6JQdoTBl.jpg

 

 

It just needs to cover the programmable sliders knobs and switches. Everything I've looked at on line seems very industrial, i.e. expensive; I'm hoping on the order of $100 but realize this is probably unrealistic. I don't need anything fancy, even heavy card stock would do. Looking at maybe a dozen variations in labels to start. If its cost prohibitive I'd be satisfied with multiple copies of a "generic" version where I can just write in the labels with a marker.

 

If anyone has some other ideas please share. I do not want to be doing my own cutouts. Just sizing the template has been tedious. Also I have no real CAD software - this was done using Power Point. Thanks

 

 

 

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I thought you were only using KC on Fridays :poke::D

 

For a low-volume thing like this, laser cutting would be perfect. Any maker spaces near you? They might be able to help. A local engraving business might be willing to do it as well if they have a laser.

 

A quick svengle also led me to these guys: https://www.ponoko.com/laser-cutting/paper/cardstock

They claim cutting card stock "starts at $1" At the very least you can make an account and see what pricing might be like.

 

Most laser cutting software wants a vector file (svg, dxf, dwg, Adobe Illustrator, Corel Draw, etc), though I've used some that take pdf, so exporting your powerpoint as a pdf may be enough. The important thing will be to communicate what the dimensions would approximately be so it's scaled correctly.

 

If all else fails, I could probably do it for you once I have some free time (I have access to a laser cutter, but currently do not have any free time :D )

 

Good luck!

 

 

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I"ve done this by hand using heavy paper and laminating it after printing the names of the functions on it. Pretty low tech, but got the job done.

Kawai KG-2C, Nord Stage 3 73, Electro 4D, 5D and Lead 2x, Moog Voyager and Little Phatty Stage II, Slim Phatty, Roland Lucina AX-09, Hohner Piano Melodica, Spacestation V3, pair of QSC 8.2s.

 

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I"m back 24/7 with a whole new set of really bad puns and useless comments. Thanks for asking. :fume:
Jokes aside, I'm glad to read this. Welcome back, friend.

 

Thank you Tom although I never really left. Just trying to discipline myself a bit. I"m also finding the Dr Walkers and Craig"s SS&S Forums somewhat more conducive to technical in-depth studio and synth related discussions. These don"t seem to get buried under multiple pages as quickly as here. Less participants but also a different focus from the predominantly live gig focus here, although there"s plenty of overlap.

 

Especially when it comes to my bad puns :wave:

 

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With the caveat that I'm not really clear as to what you're trying to do, might I suggest just taking the images that you've already got and perhaps running them through one of those plastic laminating things? Cheap, fast, and good for small numbers of product. I mean if restaurants can do it for menus, how hard can it be?

 

If you need holes or something, then you can use a hole punch or an X-acto knife.

 

Again, apologies if this is off the mark. I'm having trouble visualizing what you're try to accomplish.

 

Grey

I'm not interested in someone's ability to program. I'm interested in their ability to compose and play.

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I realize now those pics probably didn't help much. These should make it clear:

 

425cKQrm.jpg

uMkqIFcm.jpg

 

I hadn't gotten to doing the cut-outs when I posted yesterday. It was time consuming to do just one- imagine doing it 12 times or so.

 

This is a mock-up I created for sizing but I want something heavier duty. I also need to be able to write in labels or have someone create different versions with customized labels for each device/VST. Notice there's not a whole lot of room for the labels and each slider, knob and switch could have up to 3 different labels. There are 3 banks of these controls which can be programmed to control up to 72 unique CCs.

 

I'll probably settle for some subset of labels (Bank A only or Bank A & B) or create some military grade crypto code that only I can understand...and quickly forget. :freak:

 

 

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And there I was, thinking that you'd made new artwork for R2-D2's chassis...

 

Print your piece of paper, complete with labels--choose some easily read font and make it as large as possible in the space you have available. Do the plastic laminate thing. Then cut out the voids with an X-acto knife and a steel ruler.

 

--or, variation on a theme--

 

Cut your voids slightly oversized before laminating--by maybe 1mm or so, all 'round. Laminate. (This way the plastic will seal around the edges of the voids, thus protecting the otherwise exposed edges of the paper on the insides of the holes.) Then recut, leaving a thin border of sealed plastic around the holes. (This is why you cut the voids slightly oversized--so there'd be room for the plastic to meet and seal, front-to-back.)

 

Does that make sense?

 

Grey

I'm not interested in someone's ability to program. I'm interested in their ability to compose and play.

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  • 1 month later...

For a low-volume thing like this, laser cutting would be perfect. Any maker spaces near you? They might be able to help. A local engraving business might be willing to do it as well if they have a laser. A quick svengle also led me to these guys: https://www.ponoko.com/laser-cutting/paper/cardstock. They claim cutting card stock "starts at $1" At the very least you can make an account and see what pricing might be like.

 

Cheapest quote was almost $200...per overlay! That's how much I paid for the drum controller so nope, not going to do that. Especially since I'll eventually want close to a dozen uniquely labeled versions.

 

I"ve done this by hand using heavy paper and laminating it after printing the names of the functions on it. Pretty low tech, but got the job done.

 

I did exactly that. Just about as much fun as I initially thought although once I got going it kind of took over for a couple of weeks. What saved me was finding a hole punch that was the exact size I needed for the knob cutouts. Any larger and it would have eaten into the available space for labels. Also after the first version I realized how crucial it was to get the EXACT spacing between the knobs. Power Point is far from the best tool for this but I eventually figured some things out to make it work.

 

I can now turn around a new version ready for lamination in about 30 minutes or so. That is once I get the desired mapping figured out which is not so easy as I found out. Welcome to intro to product design :D. I also limited the labeling to a max of 2 out of 3 available banks of controls as it it would have been super crowded with all 3. I plan to use bank 3 as a generic set of controls for LFOs and other modulation sources - nothing to difficult to remember....hopefully.

 

Thanks to everyone who made suggestions - much appreciated.

 

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