Controller - Presonus Faderport 16? SSL UF8? Avid?

[Ben Jenssen]

Originally Posted by Farhoof

I remember Command 8 doing 6 characters (e.g. "Audio1")?
4 seems limited. Are you sure it's a HUI limitation and not just Faderport (or faderport combined with HUI)?

I'm pretty shure it was made clear in the FP16 documentation that this was a HUI limitation. Yes it's terrible. Also the four param limit on plugin - makes for dusins and dusins of 'pages' of parameters.

And yes, Command8 has a six character limit. Still makes you put extra effort into naming tracks.

Originally Posted by Farhoof

I need the stability and simplicity of the old ICON, the size and layout of the faderport 16 (plus a row of rotaries). Pricerange about 2500-3000 euro/dollar is fine.

FP16 and FP8 have only one rotary controller. You press buttons to set what it controls; pan, send, parameters etc.

With that budget I'd say, with PT, there is only Eucon that makes any sense. I think it's great. And only Avid hardware supports it. (And tablets with the free Control software, of course.) There are so many options; from an affordable used Artist Mix like I went for, to big setups with several units combined.

[JingleDjango]

I've grown very fond of my S1 and plan to purchase more when budget and desk space allow.. I sold my Faderport shortly after purchase because the control protocol was too limiting. It was more convenient to keep mousing around. Plus the motor faders were sluggish and imprecise compared to the analog mixing desks I was familiar with. The S1 faders are nice and snappy, more so than the artist mix.

That said, I'm on my third unit after two warranty claims due to manufacturing defects. Worth it to buy new from a reputable dealer and shell out for an extended warranty plan.

[Tubthumper]

Originally Posted by JingleDjango

That said, I'm on my third unit after two warranty claims due to manufacturing defects. Worth it to buy new from a reputable dealer and shell out for an extended warranty plan.

Thanks for the heads up.

The S1 retails for $1950 here in Australia, if there are design and/or manufacturing problems with the S1s, I'm reluctant to shell out that kind of money.

I can get an Icon QCon Pro G2 for $899 AUD (HUI protocol limitations with this option however).

Or the UF8, $2150 AUD - this utilises HUI as well I believe.

My old CM Labs Motor Mix is getting creaky, it's now 19 years old. Pretty good value, all things considered.

[Ben Jenssen]

I found the bits about HUI in the Faderport documentation:

While working in HUI mode in Pro Tools, engaging Edit Plug-ins will allow Faders and Select buttons 1-4 to control the parameters and switches
of the focused plug-in. The scribble strip above each fader will display the parameter that the fader and Select button are controlling.
Note: As of Pro Tools 8.0.5, Avid no longer supports new development for the HUI protocol and has left HUI inside Pro Tools as a Legacy Protocol. Edit Plug-ins support will vary greatly from plug-in developer to developer and may not work in some cases.

This confirms that limitation of 4 simultaneous parameters at a time, and I can assure you, even if I couldn't find specifics in the pdf, that the four character track names limit is unquestionable.

Please don't make the mistake I did, HUI is dead.


(BTW, with the exact text above, I got the 'access denied' error, and I did my usual trick: paste into simple editor, copy, and paste back into reply box. It removed some font settings for the quote, and, voila, my post went thru.)

[Tubthumper]

Originally Posted by Ben Jenssen

I found the bits about HUI in the Faderport documentation:

This confirms that limitation of 4 simultaneous parameters at a time, and I can assure you, even if I couldn't find specifics in the pdf, that the four character track names limit is unquestionable.

Please don't make the mistake I did, HUI is dead.


(BTW, with the exact text above, I got the 'access denied' error, and I did my usual trick: paste into simple editor, copy, and paste back into reply box. It removed some font settings for the quote, and, voila, my post went thru.)

Thanks Ben, appreciate your advice.

[sean shannon]

So I should avoid HUI then? I was used to my Control 24 for quite awhile. I still have it, but I want something a bit smaller now. I also mix in Mixbus, so it would be nice if the fader controller works with other software. That's one reason I was second guessing on the Avid fader boxes.

[Tubthumper]

Hi Sean, it looks like you'll be OK with Mixbus via EUCON:

https://www.avid.com/products/avid-s...tible-software

[bradch00]

Originally Posted by sean shannon

So I should avoid HUI then? I was used to my Control 24 for quite awhile. I still have it, but I want something a bit smaller now. I also mix in Mixbus, so it would be nice if the fader controller works with other software. That's one reason I was second guessing on the Avid fader boxes.

Similar situation as I work a lot in Studio One as well as Pro Tools, the Faderport 8 (via HUI) certainly has it’s short comings in Pro Tools. Fortunately the Harrison Mix Bus has a Faderport mode, which apparently makes the integration quite tight. Whether the trade off in Pro Tools is acceptable is a personal choice. Ben’s observations however, are spot on. I have read that Mixbus supports EUCON, as well, probably a much better choice.

[JingleDjango]

Originally Posted by Tubthumper

Thanks for the heads up.

The S1 retails for $1950 here in Australia, if there are design and/or manufacturing problems with the S1s, I'm reluctant to shell out that kind of money.

I can get an Icon QCon Pro G2 for $899 AUD (HUI protocol limitations with this option however).

Or the UF8, $2150 AUD - this utilises HUI as well I believe.

My old CM Labs Motor Mix is getting creaky, it's now 19 years old. Pretty good value, all things considered.

While I was frustrated by that experience, I believe the problem I had (twice) was contained to the initial production run. The unit I have now has worked great for a year and a half. I would still recommend the S1 but that's why I qualify it by suggesting an extended warranty.

I wouldn't buy a MacBook without AppleCare either. And I absolutely would never buy another HUI control surface.

[sean shannon]

I'm not really excited about HUI, but I do use the SSL plugins and the 360 app, so (2) UF8s and a UC1 looks nice, and would work with Mixbus 32C. I'm also looking at the EUCON stuff.