MusicRadar

The CC121 is both compact and reasonably priced.

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• Review

Sporting the same 'Advanced Integration' tag as the MR interfaces, the CC121 is the result of a working partnership between the teams at Steinberg and its parent company Yamaha.

Also like the MR, the CC121 requires the new AI-equipped versions of Cubase, meaning only version 4.5 or the included, slimmed-down Cubase AI will work with it.

Overview

With only Cubase to cater for, the CC121's features are very specific. The left-hand side is dominated by a 100mm touch-sensitive, motorised fader, which is accompanied by a rotary pan controller.

At the bottom are two Channel Select buttons for switching back and forth through mixer channels. Also on the left-hand strip are eight backlit function buttons that match Cubase's VST Channel settings: solo, mute, automation read and write, track arm, monitor, instrument edit and effects edit.

The middle section of the CC121 comprises 12 rotary controllers and six buttons dedicated purely to Cubase's built-in Channel EQ. Below these you'll find the transport controls.

The controls we've mentioned so far are 'hardwired' and can't be reassigned. However, that's not the case with the right-hand section, the main feature of which is the AI Knob.

"With only Cubase to cater for, the CC121's features are very specific."

Although you can just use this as a jog wheel, its AI specific feature is far more impressive – point at a control in Cubase with your mouse and the dial is instantly assigned to that parameter. What's more, by using the lock button, you can move the mouse cursor away and still keep the assignment.

To round things off, at the top right are four configurable function keys and a single rotary encoder – more on these in a bit.

On the technical front, the CC121 needs a standard USB connection (ie, not via a hub or peripheral) and is bus-powered. However, the motorised fader requires more juice than the USB connection can supply, so there's also an additional PSU included.

Round the back you'll also find the power switch and a socket for the optional footswitch. This can be assigned as another function – start recording, for example.

In use

Anyone who has any experience of using hardware controllers will be aware that getting connected can have pitfalls. The first big positive for the CC121 is that there's a dedicated indicator in the top right-hand corner that flashes when you're properly hooked up, turning solid after you launch Cubase and get full integration.

Next up and also a big plus are the backlit channel settings buttons, which are colour-coded to match those in Cubase's GUI.

In practice, although the colour coding is useful, the simple layout and dedicated buttons make it easy to feel your way around without taking your eyes off your software. This is particularly true for the EQ section, where working with the four dedicated bands is akin to using a traditional mixing console.