# **UPDATE: New Firmware/Features 2/26/20** PreSonus FaderPort 8 and 16 Support MIDI CC Finally



## PaulieDC (Jul 23, 2019)

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UPDATE to original post, new firmware allows switching modes on-the-fly! Read More
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ORIGINAL POST:
I've already posted new comments with this news in the existing threads from a few months back when we were still whining and complaining that these PreSonus FaderPort units have 100mm faders and we can't use them for CCs. Thing is, PreSonus DID that very update in the latest firmware, and it's as if they simply marked it complete on the PreSonus Feature Request page, and that was it. One of the reps for them did post here in our forum and announce it, but only _in a reply_, not a specific thread. I'm stumped.

Nonetheless, huge news, you can have eight 100mm faders plus a variety of knobs and buttons all with CC commands assigned to them. JL Cooper FaderMstr on steroids, with Transport control. Downside is, I believe the commands are pre-assigned by PreSonus, so what you get is what you get. I may be wrong, OR, they could add Midi Learn support in future firmware updates. But CC1 and C11 on Faders 1 & 2 will be where most spend their time I would think. Coming from a Mod wheel, I'll take it and learn it!

Anyway, here's how you upgrade if you have this unit or will be buying one, and here's how I got it working in Cubase 10 Pro. FYI, FaderPort 8 & 16 support MIDI CC, not the single fader units (original and V2):

Download the latest Universal Control (right now it's v3.1.0.53214 for both OSX and Windows, released July 10th)
Install UC. NOTE: If you run Waves Soundgrid and you work in Windows, disable the Soundgrid service. Otherwise, the UC installer will fail.
Using UC, now update your firmware on the FaderPort. Even one purchased new will probably need this upgrade.
IMPORTANT: 5 years of working with various kinds of PreSonus hardware has shown something consistent--their stuff seems a little more susceptible to RF interference. I used to have a lot of connection problems with the FaderPort 8 and the Studio 192 interface, even firmware updates would fail. EASY SOLUTION: Use USB cables with ferrite chokes, those will filter RF interference. You may already have these laying around, wondering what the black barrel was for, lol. I would say this suggestion is mandatory, and very inexpensive to execute. You can get https://www.amazon.com/dp/B008VOPCGY (good quality cables) made by TrippLite on Amazon for under 7 bucks. I use expensive all-digital USB cables on my gear... wish I found these inexpensive ones earlier!

OK, setup to use the FaderPort (8 in my case) is super easy:

Hold down the 2 Select buttons above fader 1 and 2 on the FaderPort, and power on the unit (you need the wall wart, it's not buss powered)
Let go of Select buttons once it fires up.
Select *MIDI* in the choices along the top of the FaderPort. Then select *Exit *in that same section. The FaderPort MIGHT reboot, mine used to but doesn't with this new firmware. The unit is now ready to transmit CC. Next, the DAW.

In your DAW (in this case, Cubase 10 Pro):

In the Studio-->Setup window you should see the FaderPort listed (if not, add it as an external device).
Then in the MIDI Port section, make sure it's Active, and that All MIDI Inputs is selected. The FaderPort didn't work for me until I did that.
That's it! At this point if I go to my M-Audio keyboard controller, the mod wheel will still work. BUT, once you move Faders 1 & 2, they take over and the mod wheel does nothing (at least on my CODE61).

I opened Spitfire Chamber Strings to test for the first time, and the smoothness of that long throw fader was a dream come true. I get it now, why 100mm is needed.

I've attached a 3-page PDF of the new MIDI section in the user manual. That's all PreSonus put into the manual, one page of setup, two pages with all the CC commands assigned to controls.

Hope all this makes sense. Holler if you have a question!


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## Studio E (Jul 23, 2019)

Sounds tempting. So you still get all the transport control functionality plus faders for midi CC's? What about the rest of the controls? I mean, where do they draw the line between the midi CC's and the rest of the functions? I'm guessing not, but is there at all a way to switch between the two modes while working?


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## pmountford (Jul 23, 2019)

Does the Faderport 8/16 follow track selection in Cubase like the original Faderport classic?


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## PaulieDC (Jul 23, 2019)

Studio E said:


> Sounds tempting. So you still get all the transport control functionality plus faders for midi CC's? What about the rest of the controls? I mean, where do they draw the line between the midi CC's and the rest of the functions? I'm guessing not, but is there at all a way to switch between the two modes while working?


Great question, I will test that tonight. I'm going to assume that v1.0 of the CC addition doesn't support that. The thought is probably "hey you want a free JL Cooper? Then you lose the other stuff!", lol. I can create more than one instance of my M-Audio CODE61 in Cubase and have the keyboard instance drive libraries, then have the Mackie/HUI instance accept transport commands on the keyboard. I'll probably keep using the transport on the CODE61 because I'm used to it but I can test the FaderPort. It would have to allow multiple instances of course so that's the big question.


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## PaulieDC (Jul 23, 2019)

pmountford said:


> Does the Faderport 8/16 follow track selection in Cubase like the original Faderport classic?


Another good one to add to the list.

ALSO, you might be able to remap controls because it says it loads default CC commands nto the unit, allowing you to make a custom map. That's it, that's all it says.


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## LudovicVDP (Jul 24, 2019)

Interesting.
It's not a hardware change so they did not add a button to switch from CC controller to mixer controller.
How doesn it work then to know what you're controlling? Does it recognize when the mixer session is on screen?

Edit: Actually the same question as Studio E. Sorry.


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## PaulieDC (Jul 25, 2019)

LudovicVDP said:


> Interesting.
> It's not a hardware change so they did not add a button to switch from CC controller to mixer controller.
> How doesn it work then to know what you're controlling? Does it recognize when the mixer session is on screen?
> 
> Edit: Actually the same question as Studio E. Sorry.


On Page 59 of the latest user manual they give you a chart telling you what CC## is assiged to each control.

Funny, they HAVE a VI MIDI button but that just gives you control over MIDI tracks you've recorded. Doesn't do ANYTHING in MIDI CC mode.


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## synthetic (Jul 29, 2019)

LudovicVDP said:


> Interesting.
> It's not a hardware change so they did not add a button to switch from CC controller to mixer controller.
> How doesn it work then to know what you're controlling? Does it recognize when the mixer session is on screen?



Yeah they need to impliment a way to switch from Mackie Control to MIDI CC mode without powering off and on.


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## krockodundee (Aug 11, 2019)

Thanks a bunch for this! This convinced me to buy the Faderport 8 - haven't quite figured out how to get it working in Logic Pro X yet though. Luckily, I'm currently migrating to Cubase 10, and it works like a charm there. (However, if anyone have any idea of how to make it work in Logic I'm all ears)
EDIT: It works fine in Logic now, I just had to activate it in the "Midi Studio" in the audio/midi setup app.


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## MexicanBreed (Sep 10, 2019)

Does anyone find motorized faders as or more useful than the faders included In a keyboard controller? I splurged in an Arturia MkII, which is still in customs, but hopefully will get to me in a few weeks. Of course, the faders in the controller are not motorized, nor do I know how good they are yet. I had decided I would use just these faders for mixing and midi CCs, but there are a few renewed Faderport 8 units on Ebay at a good price...here in Mexico prices are just ludicrous.

Do you find non-motorized faders that much inferior compared to motorized ones? The fact that the FP can now do midi CC is tempting. However, I was leaning more towards a breath controller rather than the FP faders.


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## PerryD (Sep 10, 2019)

I am using a Faderport 8 to control Studio One and a Behringer X-Touch Compact for CC control. Every fader and knob on the x-Touch can be assigned to whatever CC you want with the editor app.


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## MexicanBreed (Sep 10, 2019)

PerryD said:


> I am using a Faderport 8 to control Studio One and a Behringer X-Touch Compact for CC control. Every fader and knob on the x-Touch can be assigned to whatever CC you want with the editor app.


I am sure that having dedicated devices is better, but I don't think that I'd do the same, mainly for the price. If I did buy the faderport or similar, I'd think of it doubling roles as a mixer, midi controller, and plugin control. So... Tripling duties, I guess.


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## PerryD (Sep 10, 2019)

MexicanBreed said:


> I am sure that having dedicated devices is better, but I don't think that I'd do the same, mainly for the price. If I did buy the faderport or similar, I'd think of it doubling roles as a mixer, midi controller, and plugin control. So... Tripling duties, I guess.


 I agree at full price. I got them both on eBay for a really good price. They were both like new, in the box.


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## MexicanBreed (Sep 10, 2019)

You lucky B... I mean, D.


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## easyrider (Jan 17, 2020)

Can you switch between midi CC and DAW control on the fly?


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## krockodundee (Jan 17, 2020)

easyrider said:


> Can you switch between midi CC and DAW control on the fly?


 Nope, you have to turn in on and off to switch. And apparently midi CC is only fully supported for Studio One - I've been in touch with their customer support about the midi CC being quite laggy from time to time for Cubase, and the only reply was "please try and reproduce the error in Studio One and let us know if the lag persists". 

There are a few buttons that simply don't work for Cubase and Logic with the Midi CC mode, but they do work for Studio One, and that's again what matters for PreSonus customer support.


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## easyrider (Jan 17, 2020)

krockodundee said:


> Nope, you have to turn in on and off to switch. And apparently midi CC is only fully supported for Studio One - I've been in touch with their customer support about the midi CC being quite laggy from time to time for Cubase, and the only reply was "please try and reproduce the error in Studio One and let us know if the lag persists".
> 
> There are a few buttons that simply don't work for Cubase and Logic with the Midi CC mode, but they do work for Studio One, and that's again what matters for PreSonus customer support.




Thanks for the info..Do you regret buying it for Cubase?


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## krockodundee (Jan 17, 2020)

easyrider said:


> Thanks for the info..Do you regret buying it for Cubase?


I would definitely hold off on it. I don't have the energy to try to find a new one - there are no perfect alternatives for it in the same price range. So I'll hold on to mine for the time being. But the lag is super frustrating - the reason for wanting full size faders is to get the super smooth control over expression and modulation etc. When it works, it's awesome. But then the fader stops working for 10 seconds, and sometimes 1 second, and the lag throws you off and ruins your flow.


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## easyrider (Jan 17, 2020)

krockodundee said:


> I would definitely hold off on it. I don't have the energy to try to find a new one - there are no perfect alternatives for it in the same price range. So I'll hold on to mine for the time being. But the lag is super frustrating - the reason for wanting full size faders is to get the super smooth control over expression and modulation etc. When it works, it's awesome. But then the fader stops working for 10 seconds, and sometimes 1 second, and the lag throws you off and ruins your flow.




What Version of Cubase?


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## laurikoivisto (Jan 17, 2020)

krockodundee said:


> I would definitely hold off on it. I don't have the energy to try to find a new one - there are no perfect alternatives for it in the same price range. So I'll hold on to mine for the time being. But the lag is super frustrating - the reason for wanting full size faders is to get the super smooth control over expression and modulation etc. When it works, it's awesome. But then the fader stops working for 10 seconds, and sometimes 1 second, and the lag throws you off and ruins your flow.


+1


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## krockodundee (Jan 17, 2020)

easyrider said:


> What Version of Cubase?


Cubase 10.0.30. Same issues with Logic, and judging by customer support's answer it seems unlikely it has to do with the version of Cubase.


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## easyrider (Jan 17, 2020)

krockodundee said:


> Cubase 10.0.30. Same issues with Logic, and judging by customer support's answer it seems unlikely it has to do with the version of Cubase.



That’s a real shame


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## easyrider (Jan 18, 2020)

Does it happen on windows anyone?


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## lucor (Jan 28, 2020)

Am I blind or is there no way to change the actual CC's that are being send out? (I like having CC1, 11 and 7 on the first 3 faders, but would love to change the other 5)


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## krockodundee (Jan 28, 2020)

lucor said:


> Am I blind or is there no way to change the actual CC's that are being send out? (I like having CC1, 11 and 7 on the first 3 faders, but would love to change the other 5)


There's no way to customize the midi CC. It's fixed. Also, if you're looking to use the buttons, many of them are the same CC as other buttons, which I think cuts the number of buttons in at least half or something.


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## PaulieDC (Feb 26, 2020)

easyrider said:


> Can you switch between midi CC and DAW control on the fly?


No. Not yet anyway.


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## PaulieDC (Feb 26, 2020)

lucor said:


> Am I blind or is there no way to change the actual CC's that are being send out? (I like having CC1, 11 and 7 on the first 3 faders, but would love to change the other 5)


Nope, your eyesight is perfect. The CC#s are hardcoded to the hardware controls. You have to change your library software to learn the embedded CC unfortunately. I did another post all about that. It's frustrating but PreSonus never intended this to be a CC controller, I'm amazed they even responded to the forum where we kept nagging them! To me it's worth it, those faders feel so nice compare to my M-Audio CODE61.


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## PaulieDC (Feb 26, 2020)

easyrider said:


> Can you switch between midi CC and DAW control on the fly?


NEW Firmware released on 2/26/20: on the fly switching! Here's a link to my other post that shows the PreSonus response:

my other post

And just a couple hours ago I wrote to say you can't do it, lol.


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## krockodundee (Feb 29, 2020)

PaulieDC said:


> NEW Firmware released on 2/26/20: on the fly switching! Here's a link to my other post that shows the PreSonus response:
> 
> my other post
> 
> And just a couple hours ago I wrote to say you can't do it, lol.


That’s great that they added that. Makes it so much more useful!


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## PaulieDC (Mar 3, 2020)

krockodundee said:


> That’s great that they added that. Makes it so much more useful!


At first I thought having to hit the two Shift buttons together to switch back and forth would get tedious because you'd need two hands... NOT SO! I reach up with my left hand and act like I'm playing an octave on a piano and I land right on both!


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## Joe Fox 41 (Mar 16, 2020)

Greetings,
I just recently installed Faderport 16 to work with Cubase 10.5. I followed the manual step by step. Added it to the devise list and created 2 Mackie Controls. The problem is when I go to set up the two ports all that shows up is "Presonus FP16" and "MIDIIN2 (Presonus FP16)". There should be "Port 1 and Port 2" which are not listed for the 2 installed Mackie Controls. I updated the new update for MIDI (2/26/20) it added "MIDIIN3 (Presonus FP16) " Question is.... they should read Faderport16 Port 1 and again as Port 2. Any help will be greatly appreciated. Thank you.


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## HeliaVox (Mar 17, 2020)

Question for you Faderport fans: Has anyone used it in Bitwig? I can't seem to find any videos on YouTube about how well they work together. After a certain companies shenanigans, I'm looking to get a new MCU style unit for my stu


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## Joe Fox 41 (Mar 21, 2020)

PaulieDC said:


> At first I thought having to hit the two Shift buttons together to switch back and forth would get tedious because you'd need two hands... NOT SO! I reach up with my left hand and act like I'm playing an octave on a piano and I land right on both!


Greetings,
I just recently installed Faderport 16 to work with Cubase 10.5. I followed the manual step by step. Added it to the devise list and created 2 Mackie Controls. The problem is when I go to set up the two ports all that shows up is "Presonus FP16" and "MIDIIN2 (Presonus FP16)". There should be "Port 1 and Port 2" which are not listed for the 2 installed Mackie Controls. I updated the new update for MIDI (2/26/20) it added "MIDIIN3 (Presonus FP16) " Question is.... they should read Faderport16 Port 1 and again as Port 2. Any help will be greatly appreciated. Thank you.


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## AlexRuger (Mar 21, 2020)

lucor said:


> Am I blind or is there no way to change the actual CC's that are being send out? (I like having CC1, 11 and 7 on the first 3 faders, but would love to change the other 5)


If this is really annoying you, you can easily build a MaxMSP app that intercepts your controller and remaps them before sending on to your DAW. I'd be happy to upload it to my github if y'all want.


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## krockodundee (Mar 22, 2020)

AlexRuger said:


> If this is really annoying you, you can easily build a MaxMSP app that intercepts your controller and remaps them before sending on to your DAW. I'd be happy to upload it to my github if y'all want.


There's also the not so tiny issue that most of the CC's are duplicates of other buttons... Between 1/2 to 2/3 of all the buttons are the same. Would that be possible to mitigate with the app you're talking about?

Cubase does have midi transform but that doesn't mitigate the duplicate issue.


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## AlexRuger (Mar 22, 2020)

krockodundee said:


> There's also the not so tiny issue that most of the CC's are duplicates of other buttons... Between 1/2 to 2/3 of all the buttons are the same. Would that be possible to mitigate with the app you're talking about?
> 
> Cubase does have midi transform but that doesn't mitigate the duplicate issue.


Hmm, not that I know. If there's no way of differentiating of what's outputting what, then you're stuck.


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## Joe Fox 41 (Mar 23, 2020)

AlexRuger said:


> Hmm, not that I know. If there's no way of differentiating of what's outputting what, then you're stuck.


Greetings,
I just recently installed Faderport 16 to work with Cubase 10.5. I followed the manual step by step. Added it to the devise list and created 2 Mackie Controls. The problem is when I go to set up the two ports all that shows up is "Presonus FP16" and "MIDIIN2 (Presonus FP16)". There should be "Port 1 and Port 2" which are not listed for the 2 installed Mackie Controls. I updated the new update for MIDI (2/26/20) it added "MIDIIN3 (Presonus FP16) " Question is.... they should read Faderport16 Port 1 and again as Port 2. Any help will be greatly appreciated. Thank you.

Reply


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## AlexRuger (Mar 23, 2020)

I don't have one of those devices so I have no idea, sorry. Maybe contact Presonus rather than posting the same thing multiple times in one thread?


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## PaulieDC (Mar 24, 2020)

I would definitely post that one on the FaderPort Q&A page, someone should reply, usually it's a PreSonus moderator.


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## Joe Fox 41 (Mar 24, 2020)

PaulieDC said:


> I would definitely post that one on the FaderPort Q&A page, someone should reply, usually it's a PreSonus moderator.


Thank you for the come back. I have done that and have search the internet from "A to "Z" Spent two hours with a tech from Sweetwater yesterday together we tried every thing to get it. to work. I firmly believe that the firmware is missing the installation of (MIDIIN1) and (MIDIOUT1) and that is why Bank 1 (faders1-8) can not be accessed. . I called and spoke with a tech from Presonus (for @ 30 seconds) and he had absolutely no interest in assisting me in anyway. So Regretfully I will have to retun it to Sweetwater.


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## PaulieDC (Mar 25, 2020)

Joe Fox 41 said:


> ...I firmly believe that the firmware is missing the installation of (MIDIIN1) and (MIDIOUT1) and that is why Bank 1 (faders1-8) can not be accessed. . I called and spoke with a tech from Presonus (for @ 30 seconds) and he had absolutely no interest in assisting me in anyway. So Regretfully I will have to retun it to Sweetwater.


That's a shame, they are usually rather helpful. I wonder if they almost regret opening a can of worms by adding MIDI CC in a free firmware update when the unit wasn't ever designed for that. So now we are hitting them with feature requests, lol. But honestly, all of the duped CC numbers are kinda weird.


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## krockodundee (Mar 25, 2020)

PaulieDC said:


> That's a shame, they are usually rather helpful. I wonder if they almost regret opening a can of worms by adding MIDI CC in a free firmware update when the unit wasn't ever designed for that. So now we are hitting them with feature requests, lol. But honestly, all of the duped CC numbers are kinda weird.


I've had the same thought. Really, it's beyond awesome that they added the midi CC function to an existing product that was not meant for it.

I can live with the duplicate CCs and the fact that it's not assignable - biggest issue for me is the lag in the faders, that the support seem to think is fine and dandy as long as it doesn't happen in Studio One. If the thought is that you're only supposed to use Studio One with the product that's perfectly fine, I just wish that would have been advertised.


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## Joe Fox 41 (Mar 25, 2020)

PaulieDC said:


> That's a shame, they are usually rather helpful. I wonder if they almost regret opening a can of worms by adding MIDI CC in a free firmware update when the unit wasn't ever designed for that. So now we are hitting them with feature requests, lol. But honestly, all of the duped CC numbers are kinda weird.


I agree Paulie. I don't really much care about the MIDI CC. I was just interested in a controller that had Cubase compatibility. I was aware of the short list of things it could not do in Cubase and other DAWS. I spent weeks researching it and comparing it to Behringer X Touch. Faderport was more compatible. So, I went with it. I think the problem with Personus is that they are having so many purchasers, who bought their series III mixers, are having so many problem they are at a loss of ideas. I have two more weeks before I will not be able to return it...so I will continue to look for Cubase users that are using the unit was satifaction. I still feel it's because of the missing Port 1. Thank you Paulie for your communication and I wish you good health and stay safe.


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## PaulieDC (Mar 25, 2020)

krockodundee said:


> I can live with the duplicate CCs and the fact that it's not assignable - biggest issue for me is the lag in the faders...


Wow, I need to look for that. After doing the firmware upgrade I've been spending the short time I have in the evenings redesigning my desk area to go from photo/video work to a real MIDI workstation, so I haven't gotten too far into testing it all out. I might just be too green to have noticed yet, lol. I'm used to the $1.37 14mm fader in my M-Audio controller.


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