I have a Faderport but looking for something with 8/9 faders on that I can use with my DAW (Studio One and Ableton).

Any recommendations on something that's fairly cheap and works on Windows 10 64 bit?

Cheers

 

https://www.presonus.com/products/FaderPort-8

 

Yeah, I considered that, but they are £450 odd new in UK and as they are a new product you won;t find any used ones out there.

I was more thinking along the lines of the £150-250 budget, and things like the Tascam FW-1884 or the old Mackie Control Universal etc, but I've no idea what works with Windows 10?!

 

With noisy moving faders, or without?
I'd go with Lemur: https://liine.net/en/products/lemur/

 

Just make sure to get something with Alps faders (which most controllers have including Faderport).

 

@Bunford
My old universal control is midi not usb. My audio interface is a 820i live format mixer (8x2) and has no midi.
I use an old midisport 2x2 to get it to usb. But if your interface has midi It shouldnt be a problem.
The old universal control (the black and grey one) doesnt have alps faders. They are a lot quiter than the new ones. Alps faders are more durable and last longer but also a lot noisier due to the belt drive. I have replaced 2 faders on this unit and I got them right from mackie. This was like 5 or 6 years ago. I called them up and they sent em to me for like 40 each.

 

Last edited: May 1, 2017

obvious really.
https://www.music-group.com/Categories/Behringer/Computer-Audio/Desktop-Controllers/BCF2000/p/P0246

EDIT: oh the 64bit W10 I am not sure about, but honestly I don't see why it wont work.. I have not used mine for ages, but it was great when I did want moving faders.

 

damn no jog wheel or transport?

 

BCF 2000 mentioned previouly is an oldie but goodie used in my arsenal.
You can pick them up at cheap prices online or in your local 2nd hand swap pages online.

 

in that price range best you can get is (in my opinion)

a used iPad with

Touchable

its really the best dedicated controller app out there, worth every penny & they just updated it
the faders are just a dream in terms of precision/responsivenes/functionality,
labeled device control (more than 8 parameters simultaneously)
theres a push inside, theres a APC inside, a step sequencer, piano roll, mixer, xy pads,
you can even make your own controller and much more
everything bidirectional no mapping involved,
it has a learning curve tho

then there is the second best dedicated control app out there
which is the official free StudioOne remote App

then there is Lemur wich can literally do everything:

then there is:

Behringer BCF2000:


Behringer x-touch mini:

endless rotary with led rings is like having motorized faders, no value jumps or takeover hassle


if not dedicated, its always a hassle to get a controller working how you want, be it hard or software.
your lucky you are in Ableton and StudioOne which are the best in this terms.

for Ableton there is remotify for easy selfmade scripts:

or you could save up some money and get a X-touch:



or the x Touch compact: which is a bit cheaper



or a used mackie which is still pricey....

Alps makes good and mediocre faders, depends which Alps fader you get.
in this price range you always get shitty faders even Chinese crap uses Alps so...
but they are still usable

good motorized faders cost a fortune, like really...
you wouldn't get 1 Fader for this money honestly

 

Last edited by a moderator: May 1, 2017

Yeah, i've noted this, cheers. My audio interface is a MOTU 828 Mk2 and has old school MIDI in and out on the back, so having to resort to non-USB MIDI is not a big deal if I can get a good deal on something.

 

Last edited: May 1, 2017

But also Win or Mac anything compatible

 

Got the same interface alongside a MOTU HD-192. Didn't realize the old 828 had Midi on the back. Been a while since I looked back there. I'm running midi for my Mackie Ultramix through an old Lexicon Omega. Maybe I can do some re-routing and lose a device. Thanks!

 

BCF and old Mackie Control will do wonder.
BCF can do Mackie Control Emulation ;)

And Mackie Control is supported by almost all DAWs on the planet, even FL Studio (nice support, BTW).

 

It's a big deal if you, like me, think 128 steps are not smooth enough for a fader.

 

Had a similar need, so I brought a M-audio Projectmix i/o and its perfect for my needs and can be picked up quite cheaply. Dont use the audio side as I have a Focusrite Saffire Pro 40 and Behringer Ultragain Pro 8 for audio.

 

Is it that you are able to percieve a difference between eg. volume level 100 and volume level 101 and you're looking for something in between them? Or is it that when an increase is done over say 10db you are able to distinguish the stair stepping between the different levels?

 

the MCU protocol uses 10bit for the faders.

10-bit 2^10 2x2x2x2x2x2x2x2x2x2 = 1024 steps

we humans should not be able to hear a "stepping" if something is moving from 1 point to another but there are things where a tiny step changes everything.

for most users 128 steps are enough.

you can always use the mouse + shift or whatever your DAW/plugin supports, to fine tune anything, or just type the value in

 

if you change the fader heads to (capacitive) aluminum ones you get full touch intead of only on the top
nice prices 2nd hand ;)

 

This was my first foray into "automation recording". I tried using the mouse scroll wheel to automate volume. In Sonar at least, it was pretty jagged, not smooth enough. Then I started using TouchDAW on my Android Tab. There's just a little slight lag with it, I find, but it's still a pretty decent inexpensive alternative. Now I use a combination of this and my Mackie Ultramix which I came by on a console purchase and it was thrown in for free.
I assume since the interface for the Mackie is Midi (I'm using MIDI learn anytime I automate a parameter with it) that the resolution is only 128 steps. I've found it to be smooth enough for my purposes.
Still, I'd love to experiment with some flying faders.