Presonus Faderport 16

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andyozandyoz Frets: 718
edited September 2019 in Studio & Recording
Just got one of these to use with my Studio One based DAW.  Nice little job I have to say...!




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  • spark240spark240 Frets: 2073
    Yep....I have the FP8....oddly I seem to only use it for transport control..!


    Mac Mini M1
    Presonus Studio One V5
     https://www.studiowear.co.uk/ -
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  • andyozandyoz Frets: 718
    Yes, I will see how I go with it but I imagine the transport control will be the first things I wear out...
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  • Its good, but I wish it had a pan knob for each channel.....

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  • CirrusCirrus Frets: 8481
    Agree re; the pan knob - seems pretty fundamental for quickly building up a mix.

    Still, I'm very jealous! Must be so great for mixing automation, rather than going one track at a time with a mouse which takes hours.
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  • tekbowtekbow Frets: 1687
    Anyone use this or the single fader version with reaper?
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  • andyozandyoz Frets: 718
    Its good, but I wish it had a pan knob for each channel.....

    I'm not finding that too big an issue yet.

    My main issue is the scribble strips can't really be read from normal seated position. They needed to be angled.
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  • andyozandyoz Frets: 718
    Cirrus said:
    Agree re; the pan knob - seems pretty fundamental for quickly building up a mix.

    Still, I'm very jealous! Must be so great for mixing automation, rather than going one track at a time with a mouse which takes hours.
    Yeah, I just like the way the faders are in your face. I've always struggled with virtual faders on DAWs.

    Best thing is riding a fader....say a guitar solo. Buy that can be done with the single fader version anyway.

    Compared to say the 90's it's all cheap fun if you add up the cost of the Faderport and matching interface like Studio 192...and the Free bundled software ...for a bit over £1000 you can have alot of tactile fun.
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  • andyozandyoz Frets: 718
    Any purchasers note that the initial fader calibration sequence is pretty mad to watch. I though mine was cactus for a few minutes...manual doesn't warn you about it.
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  • duotoneduotone Frets: 972
    andyoz said:
    Its good, but I wish it had a pan knob for each channel.....

    I'm not finding that too big an issue yet.

    My main issue is the scribble strips can't really be read from normal seated position. They needed to be angled.
    You might have to resort to old fashioned masking tape along the bottom!
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  • andyozandyoz Frets: 718
    edited September 2019
    Been using the surface a good bit lately.

    It's funky to adjust things by feel and ear (not fixed to values set via mouse on a screen).

    Simple things like adjusting the pan using a knob that you can look away from, adjust and then look back to see what you think sounded best.  If you are fixed onto a screen looking at numbers you tend to fall into pre-defined settings you've used before.  It's a subtle but important difference in the way you interact with the DAW that I wasn't expecting.

    I was initially disappointed that the digital strips weren't color coded to match the DAW but it's not until you load a mix in you realise the 'Select' buttons below the strips change from default blue to actually match the DAW colors.

    Having manual transport controls is cool too.
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  • BodBod Frets: 1286
    I've just seen that the single Faderport v1 is £99 at Anderton's.  I'm tempted, but don't really know how much I'd use it.
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  • spark240spark240 Frets: 2073
    edited September 2019
    Bod said:
    I've just seen that the single Faderport v1 is £99 at Anderton's.  I'm tempted, but don't really know how much I'd use it.
    You will use it 100% for record enable and transport control.....I found the singled fader actually more useable for transport then the FP8 I have now..


    Mac Mini M1
    Presonus Studio One V5
     https://www.studiowear.co.uk/ -
     https://twitter.com/spark240
     Facebook - m.me/studiowear.co.uk
    Reddit r/newmusicreview 
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  • andyozandyoz Frets: 718
    edited September 2019
    Bod said:
    I've just seen that the single Faderport v1 is £99 at Anderton's.  I'm tempted, but don't really know how much I'd use it.
    Looking at the layout of v1 and v2 I'd say you would really appreciate v2 transport controls...a big Play/Pause button is key.  Your hand would rest better on the v2's curved front edge too.

    v1 still good fun for £99
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  • andyozandyoz Frets: 718
    edited September 2019
    spark240 said:
    Bod said:
    I've just seen that the single Faderport v1 is £99 at Anderton's.  I'm tempted, but don't really know how much I'd use it.
    You will use it 100% for record enable and transport control.....I found the singled fader actually more useable for transport then the FP8 I have now..
    Yeah, I'd say the 8 fader one would get on my nerves - it's too big to have just randomly sitting around your DAW space (like the single fader version) and too limited if working with stuff that's normally around 16 tracks anyway.  Scrolling through the faders banks would be enough to make me just stop using it and go back to using just the DAW screen + mouse control.
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  • BodBod Frets: 1286
    edited September 2019
    andyoz said:
    Bod said:
    I've just seen that the single Faderport v1 is £99 at Anderton's.  I'm tempted, but don't really know how much I'd use it.
    Looking at the layout of v1 and v2 I'd say you would really appreciate v2 transport controls...a big Play/Pause button is key.  Your hand would rest better on the v2's curved front edge too.

    v1 still good fun for £99
    Just ordered the V2 and will see how I get on.  The inclusion of Studio One Artist swayed me a bit, as it'll give me a cheaper route to Pro the next time Presonus have a sale.
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  • andyozandyoz Frets: 718
    edited September 2019
    Studio One Artist is very good and you will get the Pro upgrade half price on Black Friday.

    I was reading Studioport v1 is only USB1 and if you plug it into a hub it takes the whole hub down to USB1 - not sure if that's true but a bit of a showstopper potentially.
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  • FreebirdFreebird Frets: 5821
    edited January 2020
    Bod said:
    I've just seen that the single Faderport v1 is £99 at Anderton's.  I'm tempted, but don't really know how much I'd use it.
    You can get a new one for £60 delivered. I have one, but only because I use Reaper. If you read their forums there was a driver project that provides functionality when using the Faderport with Reaper. You can even control FX plugins with the fader, and scroll through plugins individually on each channel. Of course the main reason to get one is for writing automation, and it's also nice to have the highlighted track volume on a fader, but the Reaper guys did a good job with the other add-ons. The V2 is is better, but unfortunately lacks Reaper support. The V1 is bit clunky, but at the right price with Reaper support it is worth it for me.

    I also have a Faderport 16 which I bring out for special occasions, usually mixing and I am trying to get into Studio One, but for everything else the single fader is fine. I don't think I will ever give up Reaper, and it's my go-to DAW for tracking and songwriting, but once I print the stems, I am now trying to move over to S1 for mixing and mastering.  For controlling VST plugins I'd go with something that has knobs, as faders are not as intuitive to me.
    If we are not ashamed to think it, we should not be ashamed to say it.
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  • FreebirdFreebird Frets: 5821
    edited January 2020
    andyoz said:
    I was reading Studioport v1 is only USB1 and if you plug it into a hub it takes the whole hub down to USB1 - not sure if that's true but a bit of a showstopper potentially.
    Aren't there separate channels for each generation of USB, and doesn't USB 1.1 get translated to USB 2.0 before it hits the 2.0 pipe, while USB 3 has its own channel? It's something I looked into and STT/MTT seem to be the buzzwords, but there was an abundance of differing opinions, with a few old wives tales thrown in for good measure 
    If we are not ashamed to think it, we should not be ashamed to say it.
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  • FreebirdFreebird Frets: 5821
    Speed

    To allow high-speed (USB 2.0) devices to operate in their fastest mode, all hubs between the devices and the computer must be high-speed. High-speed devices should fall back to full-speed (USB 1.1) when plugged into a full-speed hub (or connected to an older full-speed computer port). While high-speed hubs can communicate at all device speeds, low- and full-speed traffic is combined and segregated from high-speed traffic through a transaction translator. Each transaction translator segregates lower speed traffic into its own pool, essentially creating a virtual full-speed bus. Some designs use a single transaction translator (STT), while other designs have multiple translators (MTT). Having multiple translators is a significant benefit when one connects multiple high-bandwidth full-speed devices.
    If we are not ashamed to think it, we should not be ashamed to say it.
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  • thegummythegummy Frets: 4389
    spark240 said:
    Yep....I have the FP8....oddly I seem to only use it for transport control..!
    See I've always thought these things would look extremely cool and be a great novelty but only the transport controls would be of use to me (because on my DAW, shortcuts from a qwerty keyboard sometimes don't work if a plugin window is focused) so I just use my drum pads for transport.

    Still though, every so often I'll get an urge for the novelty of faders. I think if the old method of clicking and dragging an on-screen fader was the default I'd get physical faders but to me, Reaper's system of just hovering the curser over the track and using the scroll wheel is the ultimate interface.
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