Anyone happy with their USB "non-motorized" faders?

[JLiRD808]

Im sick of mixing with a mouse...I really wanna get some kinda USB mixer or swap out my KX49 midi controller (no faders) for one that does have faders.

Ive been looking at the Axiom 49 mkii a lot as well as USB mixers like the BCF2000 and Korg NanoKontrol2.

Only the BCF2000 has motorized faders (within my budget). However, my workspace is getting a little full already and I really like the size of the nanoKontrol or the idea of just having faders on my MIDI controller.

However, Im a bit nervous about getting non-motorized faders. Maybe I'm worrying too much. Will my faders in Cubase "jump" when I tough a fader on the nano the first time I open a new project and the faders aren't aligned? Is it sketchy to open up projects that I've already spent some good time mixing levels at?

Any words from some folks that have exp with both motorized/non-motorized faders would be great...I really need a primer on this...

Thanks!!!

[drummerGlyn]

Personally, of the three you've mentioned I'd go with the BCF2000. Not just because it has motorised faders, but because it has sensible sized faders. I've got an Axiom 61, and I personally don't think the faders have enough throw to actually be useful for doing any fine tuning. There's 2" of travel on the Axiom (at most), which isn't a lot tbh. It also seems that as you move through the banks of tracks with non-motorised faders you're going to struggle.

I must admit I've never used my Axiom faders for much because I've got a Mackie MCU Pro plus the XT & C4 expansion units. Having the motorised fader makes things a lot easier on larger projects where you have lots of tracks. In this instance, I would say bigger (and unfortunately more expensive) is better. Might be worth checking ebay to see if you can pick up an MCU cheap?

[JLiRD808]

Yeah thanks I just started looking at the MCU from reading other threads.

I see them for sale around $350-400 on ebay which is way lower than I thought! Is there any other comparable make/model with motorized faders I should look at? I wish the Novation Zero SL MKII had motorized faders...I like the size/looks of it. Speaking of which, what does "touch sensitive faders" mean? Shouldnt they all be touch sensitive lol.

I would need to build a whole nother side desk thing to support this MCU though, a possibility no doubt, just another project :P

[Jonathanvl]

I've been using a Presonus Faderport since a few weeks, and i'm loving it so far. Just 1 good quality, touch sensitive fader, but it still gets work done 10x faster than mousemixing..

About touch sensitive faders:

They are very handy when mixing with automation because they allow the system to drop into automation record mode the moment you touch the fader, and stop recording automation as soon as you release it. They also stop you having to fight against the fader motors, which aren't always that quick to respond.

I personally don't have the need for more than 1 fader for now. 8 faders are cool to look at, but using the mouse+faderport combo gets things done quickly, and more accurate.

[drummerGlyn]

Originally Posted by JLiRD808

Yeah thanks I just started looking at the MCU from reading other threads.

I see them for sale around $350-400 on ebay which is way lower than I thought! Is there any other comparable make/model with motorized faders I should look at? I wish the Novation Zero SL MKII had motorized faders...I like the size/looks of it. Speaking of which, what does "touch sensitive faders" mean? Shouldnt they all be touch sensitive lol.

I would need to build a whole nother side desk thing to support this MCU though, a possibility no doubt, just another project :P

If you're buying second hand, make sure you ask for a demo/video of the faders. Some of the MCU's have "sticky" faders which means they get stuck at certain points. It's not a massive problem as you can buy replacments (certainly for the MCU), but they're not cheap.

I find my MCU useful when I'm recording drums as I can have it right next to me. It allows me to zip round a track, setting levels etc without having to deal with a keyboard or mouse. Maybe keep that in mind if you're going to build it into your setup.

When I'm mixing down a large project, it's nice to have 16 faders/rotary knobs as it just makes balancing the mix a lot more organic to me. I could do it with a mouse, but I like to use 2 hands when I'm panning a mix.

I think each person finds different uses for their control surface.

[Filmusic]

just sold 2 X mcu's and 2 X MCU extenders - hated them...actually, I loved them right before I bought a used Command 8....large dif with the Command 8 - it's a dream (only for PT though)

I have a tascam 1082 that is also a firewire interface 60mm faders...groan...but the 4 pres in her are worthy,,,and she has hui/moterized faders...you can get'em used for $300 - great deal

[JLiRD808]

Originally Posted by drummerGlyn

....When I'm mixing down a large project, it's nice to have 16 faders/rotary knobs as it just makes balancing the mix a lot more organic to me. I could do it with a mouse, but I like to use 2 hands when I'm panning a mix.

I think each person finds different uses for their control surface.

Yeah thats what Im talkin about...both hands right??

Ppl keep suggesting the Presonus Faderport or something with 1-4 faders and I keep just shakin my head, only half considering it. I know for a fact I wanna be able to control as many tracks at the same time, making subtle adjustments with fingers here n there. It just seems to get anything that isnt a POS I'm gonna have to spend at least $400.

Im kinda thinkin of gettn the first gen NanoKontrol...not cuz its cool but cuz its like $40 lol. I'll just save my projects like 10x b4 I start each mixing session and play around with it till I get a good feel for it.

THX!

[JLiRD808]

Originally Posted by Filmusic

I have a tascam 1082 that is also a firewire interface 60mm faders...groan...but the 4 pres in her are worthy,,,and she has hui/moterized faders...you can get'em used for $300 - great deal

Whats the groan about? Those Tascams look pretty nice I'll look into those further.

[j.hexx]

i am actually VERY happy with the Korg Nanokontrol 2, and i have a video showing what it can do in it's basic use:



it is probably the best 60 dollars i ever spent on low end gear.

[dkelley]

Originally Posted by Jonathanvl

I've been using a Presonus Faderport since a few weeks, and i'm loving it so far. Just 1 good quality, touch sensitive fader, but it still gets work done 10x faster than mousemixing..

About touch sensitive faders:

They are very handy when mixing with automation because they allow the system to drop into automation record mode the moment you touch the fader, and stop recording automation as soon as you release it. They also stop you having to fight against the fader motors, which aren't always that quick to respond.

I personally don't have the need for more than 1 fader for now. 8 faders are cool to look at, but using the mouse+faderport combo gets things done quickly, and more accurate.

same here. sold my bcf, running the presonus now, one fader (which isn't super accurate (it doesn't always move to exactly the right position) fwiw but that factoid isn't actually relevant to how it interacts with the daw, or so it turns out). It's a great thing and much quieter than the bcf.

I will never use noisy motorized faders again.

AND I will never use a motorized control surface without touch sensitivity again.

[JLiRD808]

So touch sensitive faders will activate WRITE by touching them basically? When u let go, WRITE turns off?

If so...yeah I can see how thats a huge advantage. Can u turn it off though lol?? What if ur just trying to get the right levels while a song is playing lol??