bailhe Posted June 13, 2018 Share Posted June 13, 2018 If anybody's running the Icon Pro Audio Platform M+, pleas let me know how you like it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Atlas007 Posted June 14, 2018 Share Posted June 14, 2018 This looks like an interesting controller... According to their published compatibility chart, High Sierra is not supported. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mrcrappypants Posted June 19, 2018 Share Posted June 19, 2018 I just grabbed one yesterday. I'm still on Sierra but haven't had a chance to plug it in yet. I'll post back after I check it out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mrcrappypants Posted June 20, 2018 Share Posted June 20, 2018 It’s super buggy. Logic identified it as a control surface straight away but it was unresponsive. Factory reset seemed to have worked for a minute and while it was working, it was great. Calibrated the faders then it went back to being unresponsive. I’ve been messing around with it all night and I’m not pleased with its buggyness. It’s a shame because I did like it quite a bit when it worked. However, it’s going back for a refund tomorrow. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skijumptoes Posted June 20, 2018 Share Posted June 20, 2018 I've owned 3x of the Icon controller's and they all suffer from the same/similar problems, general build quality is ok, but silly things like buttons sticking, or controls not responding, the touch implementation on faders is hit/miss (i.e. you have to be very deliberate when using them), midi communication being sporadic, and the Mackie emulation being complicated with multiple button presses (Due to lack of buttons). I didn't have the additional display, it was something i was going to add later - but the unit got returned, as i couldn't even get help from their support. I really wanted to like the Icon's too, especially their little single fader/faderport-style one for laptop/mobile use, but that was just shocking. A secondhand Mackie would be my preference, trouble is they take up a lot more desk space. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mrcrappypants Posted June 20, 2018 Share Posted June 20, 2018 I’m on the hunt for another control surface now. The Platform’s small footprint was one of the things I liked about it but hard to find in others. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skijumptoes Posted June 20, 2018 Share Posted June 20, 2018 Yeah, plus if you want to use Mackie control for adjust plugins etc. the display is necessary too. It was the display that really drew me to the Icon's, as an eventual purchase - but never got that far. Isn't the X-Touch supposed to be pretty good? The price is really low on them at the moment. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Atlas007 Posted June 20, 2018 Share Posted June 20, 2018 Thanx for sharing your experience. One controller I am not disapointed with, is the Avid Artist Control (formerly Euphonix). A bit pricy but reliable, well integrated in Logic; and support from Avid have been consistant over the years. The only drawback it features only 4 faders... The Mackie C4 is also great for plugins: plenty of encoders and scribble for every one of them (32). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mrcrappypants Posted June 21, 2018 Share Posted June 21, 2018 This one I’ve never seen before. http://lividinstruments.com/products/ds1/ Bigger foot print, no scribble strips, no motorized faders,no jog wheel but KNOBS! SO many knobs! Edit: discontinued it seems! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skijumptoes Posted June 21, 2018 Share Posted June 21, 2018 The Panorama P1 is good, it's compact but lacks motorised faders. The faders do display on the screen however and it has pick up mode of course. What i also really like is that the faders whilst mainly control track levels, can control plugins also, so you can have Amp ADSR & Filter ADSR across them for synth plugs. The Logic integration is extremely good. However, the black on black controls can be tricky if you're not in a well lit room. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Garfy Posted June 21, 2018 Share Posted June 21, 2018 I was really interested in the Icon M range when they were first released, due to the form factor and the modular design if you wanted to start small and then expand. But there appeared to be several problems with the build quality as skijumptoes mentioned, with units arriving warped and so not sitting flat, noisy faders etc (see this rather extensive thread over on GS: https://www.gearslutz.com/board/product-alerts-older-than-2-months/1109985-icon-pro-audio-platform-m-now-shipping-6.html), the lack of Mac software at the time and good tech support. In the end I went for the X-Touch after using an X32 for live work. I know they're quite different beasts, but the build quality of the X32 is pretty good considering . The X-Touch appears to essentially be a Mackie clone (runs on the MCU protocol) and I'm really impressed with the integration with Logic. It's a solid unit, the faders are pretty quiet especially on quick moves (YMMV) and the jog wheel is precise, at least for how I use it. Downsides - it's a bit chunky, so much so that I've had to cut a hole in my work surface and sink it in to make it more comfortable to use. This, I guess, is down to user preference. The V-Pots are a bit more wobbly than I'd like and the scribble strips seem to have a sweet spot for viewing angle, even once you have adjusted the contrast. Finally, the LED channel meters are not really quick enough to give meaningful visual feedback, but other than that I'm impressed by it for the short amount of time I've been using it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alan Shields Posted June 21, 2018 Share Posted June 21, 2018 I too went with the X-Touch and I am very happy with it. It works straight out of the box with Logic which sees it as a Mackie Control. I have never experienced any problems with scribble strip viewing angles or the unit being too chunky as Garfy did but as he said that would be an individual thing. I agree that the V-Pots and jog wheel do feel a little wobbly at times but they function perfectly well. All the buttons (and there are a lot of them) and the faders feel very solid. Adverts for the X-Touch will show pictures of brightly coloured scribble strips however, the MCU protocol supports only black and white so you won't have coloured strips with Logic. There is a thread on this forum about the Led channel meters not resetting as you change banks this is an issue with Logic's implementation of the Mackie Control protocol and not the X-Touch. The faders are touch sensitive and you can select a channel by touching its fader. I disabled this feature. I am an old analogue guy and tend to work with my fingers on all the faders moving each as needed. It's very disconcerting to see the channel selection jumping all over the screen as you put your hands on the faders. This may not be an issue for you but i find using the channel selection buttons a better way to work. I wish you the best with whatever controller you choose, Alan. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pranaearth Posted June 22, 2018 Share Posted June 22, 2018 Thats my biggest complaint of the XTouch, those silver endcaps take up so much room, and the angle of the unit makes it hard to read the scribble stips. I've propped mine up on an Ikea iPad stand. If you go over to the XTouch forum site there are discussions of how to get those colored scribble strips working for all software. It's beyond my needs or techincal capacity to understand, lol. https://forum.musictri.be/forumdisplay.php?124-X-Touch There are also some great discussions on how to get the best out of the unit over there too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pumpkin Posted June 25, 2018 Share Posted June 25, 2018 There’s still the Asparion D400, which I‘d like to get my hands on. Mostly because of the size. While I like the X-Touch, it simply wouldn’t fit on my desk. https://www.asparion.de/en/electronics/d400.html Support told me two weeks ago, that scribble strips are in the making. Should be released in about 2 months. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mrcrappypants Posted June 25, 2018 Share Posted June 25, 2018 I went with a Nektar P1. So far I'm very happy with it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alan Shields Posted June 25, 2018 Share Posted June 25, 2018 If you go over to the XTouch forum site there are discussions of how to get those colored scribble strips working for all software. It's beyond my needs or techincal capacity to understand, lol. https://forum.musictri.be/forumdisplay.php?124-X-Touch Thanks for that link pranaearth, I didn't know about that. Alan. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gravity Jim Posted July 31, 2018 Share Posted July 31, 2018 I've owned a string of control surfaces: Korgs, a Slate Raven, etc. The only one I kept was the Icon Platform-M. It is not buggy... worked perfectly out of the box. No problems with sticking buttons, etc. I've used mine with Logic Pro and Digital Performer, and it works great. I love mine. It's the perfect size for my set-up, was inexpensive, and works flawlessly. Doesn't get any better. Also, I'm running mine under OSX 10.13.6. No troubles. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skijumptoes Posted August 1, 2018 Share Posted August 1, 2018 I've owned a string of control surfaces: Korgs, a Slate Raven, etc. The only one I kept was the Icon Platform-M.It is not buggy... worked perfectly out of the box. No problems with sticking buttons, etc. I've used mine with Logic Pro and Digital Performer, and it works great. When did you purchase it? The quality of the one i had was so terrible it went back the same day, i'm guessing that was around 18 months ago - so perhaps they have improved? One fader wouldn't even register unless i held it to the side, the casing was so curved it would rock on the desk and the rest of the faders would requite a heavy touch before they would register (i.e. couldn't adjust with tip of finger). Do you have the Platform-M or M+? And with or without the display? I'm not doubting your experience whatsoever, however i am interested in if this is a newer model you have, or perhaps software/quality issues have been addressed? I love my Mackie Control but would prefer something a little smaller - but i don't think anything else will equivalent it's build and operation in a smaller form factor. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mrcrappypants Posted August 1, 2018 Share Posted August 1, 2018 In case anyone was wondering, the P1 also went back. Apparently the F key functions are not supported in Sierra or High Sierra as far as know. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pranaearth Posted August 1, 2018 Share Posted August 1, 2018 In case anyone was wondering, the P1 also went back. Apparently the F key functions are not supported in Sierra or High Sierra as far as know. FYI, The F keys stopped working after El Capitan. It's mentioned on their website. Besides the single most awful keybed I've ever used (I had the P4), the loss of Fkey functionality was a deal breaker for me. It's a shame because it's not Nektars fault, Apple just changed the way the OS works. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gravity Jim Posted August 1, 2018 Share Posted August 1, 2018 When did you purchase it? Do you have the Platform-M or M+? And with or without the display? I'm not doubting your experience whatsoever, however i am interested in if this is a newer model you have, or perhaps software/quality issues have been addressed? I love my Mackie Control but would prefer something a little smaller - but i don't think anything else will equivalent it's build and operation in a smaller form factor. I went back and dug out a receipt... I've had the Platform-M for just under a year. So it is likely improved software... and the firmware has been updated a couple of times since I bought it (in fact, I installed v1.14 just this morning). Also, the Icon iMap software, which allows you to reprogram the Platform's control from your PC, has been released for MacOS, and makes setting up and recalling layouts for specific uses real easy. I'm pretty sure mine is just an "M," and not a "Plus." Although the iMap software shows an M+ front panel, and I can't find any functionality I'm missing. Could just be a graphic thing. I'm not using the display: I have mine sitting in front of the leftmost of two displays, and when I mix I just line up the on-screen mixer with the Platform. So, yeah, for me the price, the size, the functionality... it's perfect. It is actually everything I wanted and nothing I didn't. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DamonNnn Posted April 8 Share Posted April 8 On 6/13/2018 at 12:18 PM, bailhe said: If anybody's running the Icon Pro Audio Platform M+, pleas let me know how you like it. I ordered it and the CS12 together. One thing I'm confused on, the manual says encoder 3 represents Logic, but I go to 2 and 4 they work with Logic but 3 doesn't. I mainly got it for the B+ attachment to midi map a ridiculous amount of shortcuts the CS12 or the Platform M+ don't have. I really love the jog wheel! The fader automation is kinda weird when reading it back, at first the faders were getting stuck but I think that's because I was on encoder 4 and not 2 🙄 So far I think it's solid! But I plan on working the CS12 harder than this. What do you think of it? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DamonNnn Posted April 8 Share Posted April 8 On 8/1/2018 at 6:02 AM, skijumptoes said: When did you purchase it? The quality of the one i had was so terrible it went back the same day, i'm guessing that was around 18 months ago - so perhaps they have improved? One fader wouldn't even register unless i held it to the side, the casing was so curved it would rock on the desk and the rest of the faders would requite a heavy touch before they would register (i.e. couldn't adjust with tip of finger). Do you have the Platform-M or M+? And with or without the display? I'm not doubting your experience whatsoever, however i am interested in if this is a newer model you have, or perhaps software/quality issues have been addressed? I love my Mackie Control but would prefer something a little smaller - but i don't think anything else will equivalent it's build and operation in a smaller form factor. I think you have to hold down the second pan pot when you power on the unit and then it gives you the option to adjust the sensitivity with the 8th pan pot, cuz I feel that what you were saying cuz I was pushing my faders down all aggressive before I did that. Another thing icon is whack about Icon is in the manual it says when the third pan pot is lit up it's supposed to be logic pro DAW mode, but in software update they changed it to a different pan pot and without the display attachment you can't really figure it out. I seen people on YouTube say it's encoder 2 now and it works fine for me, I was using encoder 4 at first and it was kind of glitchy on me. But it seems to be okay now. Yayyyy lol Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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