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  #1  
Old 07-14-2020, 08:50 AM
TrackerLe TrackerLe is offline
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Default S4 Are the faders really that bad and cheap...

Sry to post here, cause there is no dedicated forum section fot the S4.
I saw the comparsion video from SMM Online betweem S4 and S6....
And it was very clear, that the S4 has cheaper faders, than the S6.
In the video they are louder, than the S6 Faders... And you feel the difference, cause the S4 master automation module has a S6 Fader...


So the video says, that the S4 faders have a cheaper feeling than the S6.

My question is... Is someone here in the forum, who tested both. The faders of the S4 and S6...


I mean, i really try to get one of the last S6 M10s instead of the S4, when the faders of the S4 are crap...
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  #2  
Old 08-09-2020, 12:49 PM
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EddieJones EddieJones is offline
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Default Re: S4 Are the faders really that bad and cheap...

The S4 faders are not 'crap', they do cost less so we can reduce the cost of the S4 over $20k for a 24 fader system compared to the S6, it's also less than the old M10 too but with more features/options. A lot of fader performance depends on the driving hardware and software, so it's hard to do direct comparisons. The physical fader in the S4 was used in many Avid and digi surfaces previously btw. My advice is to try and play with one, which I know might be hard these days. Call Avid sales and they will try to help out with that.

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  #3  
Old 08-10-2020, 09:06 AM
Nico Berthold Nico Berthold is offline
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Default Re: S4 Are the faders really that bad and cheap...

When the S4 came out, Avid had a launch event in my studio, giving me the chance to compare the S4 Faders to my own S6. Yes, they are different. Do I prefer the S6 faders? Any given day, the S4 are not as smooth and make more noise. But would you get used to the S4 faders? A very personal question only you can answer ...

Like Eddie said, try to play around with one for a couple of hours and you will know,
but they are not as bad as some people say on forums.
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  #4  
Old 08-10-2020, 12:57 PM
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reichman reichman is offline
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Default Re: S4 Are the faders really that bad and cheap...

I've used S3 and S6, and I believe S4 has the same faders as the S3. One of my biggest problems with cheap surfaces is 'fader-jump' where you touch a fader in any write mode and find out that its physical location doesn't match where the computer thinks it is. You hear it. Fortunately, I've never had that problem on the S3, and after a long day of mixing, I'm totally fine with the S3/S4 faders. The other day I was on an S6, and I needed to trim a VCA exactly -0.5db. And I thought, "this is S6, so this will easier than my cheap S3!" It wasn't. It was equally hard to push perfectly to a tenth of a db. A little over, a little under, and then finally...

Nico's right, you have to try it.
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  #5  
Old 08-11-2020, 09:32 AM
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EddieJones EddieJones is offline
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Default Re: S4 Are the faders really that bad and cheap...

Quote:
Originally Posted by reichman View Post
I've used S3 and S6, and I believe S4 has the same faders as the S3. One of my biggest problems with cheap surfaces is 'fader-jump' where you touch a fader in any write mode and find out that its physical location doesn't match where the computer thinks it is. You hear it. Fortunately, I've never had that problem on the S3, and after a long day of mixing, I'm totally fine with the S3/S4 faders. The other day I was on an S6, and I needed to trim a VCA exactly -0.5db. And I thought, "this is S6, so this will easier than my cheap S3!" It wasn't. It was equally hard to push perfectly to a tenth of a db. A little over, a little under, and then finally...

Nico's right, you have to try it.
None of this has to do with the faders themselves...its all the driver hardware and software. The only things the faders change is the feel and noise (and even a lot of that is to do with the driver software). Technically you could put the cheapest nastiest fader in a system and control it with an Intel i9 and it sounds sweet ;-)
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  #6  
Old 08-11-2020, 07:01 PM
TrackerLe TrackerLe is offline
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Default Re: S4 Are the faders really that bad and cheap...

Thanks for all your replies

I saw a comparsion video between the s4 and s6...
In the video both consoles were set into to ultility mode (Fader movement)...
And the difference was clear. The s4 faders are so much louder, than the ones of the s6...except the fader of the S4 MAM, cause this fader is a S6 one... The CSM Faders are really differnt to the focus Fader of the MAM...
Another thing, that bugs me... I understand, that the process module is stripped down in the s4... So one more button, before you can choose the mode of the encoders. Focus a fader and press dyn or eq and so on...
But the main reason i will look for a s6 m10, is the 5th row of enocders or the first one in the s6 process module... This row can be always the pans...
This is missing in the s4... So you loose one row of encoders in the s4, if you want to be static, using one row always as pan (blue)...
So the S4 has some flaws in conparsion to a s6 m10...
Sure... the MTM of the S4 supports more modules, cause you can expand it with 3 CSMs plus options (Joystick Module and more) in a 5 foot frame...
But the s6 m10 is superior in hardware and it can be upgraded to the plus version, with buying the first Display module including the upgrade. It was a Software thing all along....
I think Avids strategy is strange... The s4 is to expensive to be like the D-Command in the past, but on the other side its more limited to the small S6 version, which is discontinued...


I am really interested... Is there someone in the forum, who actually bought a s4?

Last edited by TrackerLe; 08-12-2020 at 01:55 AM.
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  #7  
Old 08-26-2020, 01:48 AM
Jamie Mac Jamie Mac is offline
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Default Re: S4 Are the faders really that bad and cheap...

Yes, they'll work perfectly fine. No, they won't feel or sound particularly great.

The argument that they have been used in other control surfaces isn't a particularly good one, we all know they are basically the same as the s1, s3, artist mix, command 8, etc... these are all surfaces with bad to mediocre feeling faders.


When did the s4 become 20k cheaper in the 24 fader model?

I'm seeing S6 M10-24-5 at 57k vs the S4-24 at 52k (at launch)

I do, however, see retailers cutting prices (some cut over 15k on the 24 fader model). And now the 8 fader s4 is at least the same price as the s6 in most places. Not more expensive, like it was at launch.
I wonder if that is a reaction to poor sales and the criticism on the high initial price.


I'd still hunt down an M10 if I were the OP.
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  #8  
Old 08-26-2020, 07:31 AM
Marsdy Marsdy is offline
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Default Re: S4 Are the faders really that bad and cheap...

I had an S6 and now I’m semi-retired have an S3 which I believe has the same faders as the S4. The S3/4 faders are certainly not “much“ louder than the S6.

They’re not as silky smooth and expensive feeling but they work just fine - they’re perfectly workable and accurate. I’m not sure the S3/4 faders don’t move/accelerate into position a little faster than the S6 ones. I’ve not had an S3 fader go down yet and I had quite a few S6 fader failures!
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