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Presonus FaderPort 16 Vs Controller Keyboard


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I want the Presonus FaderPort 16 (currently on sale) but can’t justify it. My latest midi controller keyboard has 9 sliders, 9 buttons and 8 dials, transport controls, etc. It seems I can do everything the FaderPort can do, but 8 tracks at a time, instead of 16. The sliders on my newest keyboard are pretty good - long travel, accurate, good feel. The FaderPort 16 has slightly better resolution on the sliders and more dedicated buttons, but no greater functionality. I can see the FaderPort might speed up tracking and mixing, but only slightly. Is it worth it?

 

Are there folks using Logic and the FaderPort 16 out there? Opinions?

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The faders will feel completely different. First of all on the Faderport you have motorized faders, which means that when you load a project or when you move the playhead throughout a project that was automated, the faders automatically move to the current corresponding Logic volume fader position. I don't know how anyone can mix with hardware controllers where the faders aren't motorized!

 

Here are a few related topics that may be of interest to you:

 

• Anyone using Faderport 16?

 

• Presonus FaderPort and Logic Pro X: How to Setup for 100% Functionality

 

Presonus Faderport - Anyone using it for plugin parameters?

 

• XTouch or Faderport 8/16 ?

 

• ICON Platform Nano vs Presonus Fader Port V2 vs Behringer X-TOUCH ONE on Logic Pro X

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Thanks! A friend has a FaderPort 16 new in a box, that he hasn’t opened for a year. He’s going to lend it to me for trial and a review. There are rumours that it doesn’t work well with Logic, as it was designed for Studio One. I’ll soon find out.

Great, that really is the best way for you to get a feel for it. Give it a good test run, ask us if you need help making something work with it and Logic, and please do share your experience with us as this could definitely help others looking to use the FaderPort 16 with Logic. :) Thanks!

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The Mackie Control (MCU Pro) is still available at the eye-watering price of $1300. I highly recommend the lower cost alternative - the Behringer X-Touch (not compact!) which is a very faithful clone. $450 new. If you add the extender at $350 you wind up with 16 channels for $800. The FaderPort 16 is new at $1000. If you're a Studio One person the Faderports are "better". If you are a Logic person the MCU is "better".

 

Oh, yeah, the X-Touch is also a fine USB hub (2 ports) for connecting MIDI devices, keyboards, etc. Handy!

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There are more control surface options than I first realized. The Behringer X-Touch and the Presonus FaderPort certainly have attractive pricing for the budget conscious. Just looking at the Slate Raven MT12 27” for $999. I have no experience with a multi-touch screen, but the fact it has more channels and no motorized faders to wear out seems appealing.

 

Touch screen versus physical faders. What are the pros and cons?

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What David said. A while ago, I seriously considered Slate's big Raven screen for a complex of seven post-pro/mix/sound design studios due to lack of matching alternatives and trying to think forward. After pondering over this for half a year (and the german distributor seeming not exactly keen on making a deal), we decided against it as a) you constantly need to look at what and where you do and don't touch and b) since pretty much every area is active, you can't rest your hands anywhere when actually riding a control, so you actively carry your arms from the shoulders all day long which hurts pretty bad after a while. Also, the multi-touch functionality requires an extra software layer to talk to the DAW and this means an extra layer of finger-pointing and blame-shifting if something does not work properly, plus you're now waiting on two parties to implement any requested feature.
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  • 1 month later...
Happy to report the FaderPort 16 on LPX 10.6 works perfectly! I think most of the negativity is based on problems from 4 or 5 years ago. I tested every feature in the manual on 3 different Logic projects and everything worked flawlessly. As to the investment, there are lots of new control surface options, but it seems the Presonus FaderPort 16 offer the best value-for-money, for 16 faders.
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