This will walk you through the process of configuring and using a MIDI control surface with Ardour that uses the Mackie Control protocol (MCP) or Logic Control protocol. Devices that have been tested and are known to work include the SSL Nucleus, Mackie Control Pro (plus extenders), Behringer devices in Mackie/Logic mode, and Steinberg CMC devices.
Navigate to Edit > Preferences > Control Surfaces. Double-click on Mackie Control to see the setup dialog:
From the selector at the top, choose the type of device you are using. ( What to do if your device is not listed).
Once your setup is complete, click "OK" to close the dialog. Now click on the enable checkbox for "Mackie Control".
If you are using a device that uses ipMIDI, such as the SSL Nucleus, no MIDI port connections are required—Ardour and your control surface will be able to talk to each other automatically so long as your control surface and computer are both connected to the same network.
Before attempting to use a Mackie Control device that communicates via a standard MIDI cable or a USB cable, you should ensure that your Linux MIDI environment is setup. If you are using a device that uses normal MIDI (via a standard MIDI or USB cable), you need to connect Ardour's Mackie Control in and out ports to the MIDI ports leading to and coming from the control surface.
When you have made these connections once, Ardour will recreate them for you in the future, as long as you leave Mackie Control enabled.
Every possible global Mackie Control button can be bound to any action present in Ardour's GUI. Please check your control surface page for suggestions.
Most interfaces will require some configuration to send and respond to MCP.
When setting up the control surface, do not use "Pro Tools" mode. Pro Tools is the only DAW that still requires HUI. The rest of world uses Mackie Control Protocol. Ardour does not support HUI at this time.