# Review: 'Fader Pro' midi CC fader (MusioTech)



## gohrev (Jun 26, 2022)

Greetings fellow creators! For years I searched for a simple, no-frills CC fader that would simply and quietly do its job. Some of the faders on the market seemed to offer just that, but there was always something off. Tiny fader caps, lanes too short so that you would jump from 1 to 127 within just a few millimetres, or lots of bells and whistles that I simply don't need.

Long story short: With Fader Pro I finally found what I was looking for; and because MusioTech is a one-man manufacturer, I figured I could help spread the word with this review. You should know I paid the normal introductory price and that I have not been asked to write a review. Let's dig in!







The Fader Pro is encased with sturdy, 3D-printed plastic. The case is solid and strong, it doesn't budge anywhere when applying pressure. The four faders are topped with Alps caps. 

For my configuration, I wanted everything black, so that it would match all the other devices, displays and monitors. But on their website, you can choose from 6 colours for the case and 5 colours for the LED light on the back. I went with all-black and I don't regret it.







As I mentioned, the team behind Fader Pro is, as far as I know, a one-man show; and it's our very own @Thundercat . This is not a mass-produced product. There will be tiny little tell-tales that this is a unique, partially hand-made device. Some of the screws may be worn out a little more, some of the edges at the back and bottom of the device may look a little harsher due to the nature of 3d-printing.

For me, this is not a turn-off at all — in fact, every little imperfection tells me this midi fader was built by a living human being; who spent a great deal of time and dedication to make a device that will provide its owner with hours of productive joy. In fact, the experience has made me very interested in looking for "indie produced only" devices in the future.







That said, my Fader Pro looks mighty fine and it works like a charm. There is no installation process: Plug in the _lengthy _(200cm) USB cable that came with the fader, start your DAW, and... that's it! The Fader Pro will show up as TEENSY MIDI DEVICE in your list of devices. I think that was the working name back then..  

Here's a little demo of me simply moving the CC1 (MOD) up and down. Please ignore the birds in the back, they wouldn't shut up when I asked them to.







You can create many scenes or, like me, simply stick to having your four favourite CCs lined up. By now I reverted to having 1 at the very left, followed by 11, 7 and 16; but at the time I was experimenting at having CC1 closest to me. 

Instead of CC numbers you can also show their names, abbreviated to three letters, and you can create your very own names for each CC. I named CC16 VIB, as it's used for Vibrato on/off for all of my Cinematic Studios libraries. Notice the little grooves in the fader lane slots. I find that very cool, but I have always been mesmerised by 3D printing.






This would be another way, one of 7, to visualise your driving of the faders. I personally like the columns the best, but just scroll through the visualisation options and choose one that works for you.

Please note that I chose the monotone, icy blue for a colour scheme: There are MANY colours to choose from. This is a colour display, after all. At the time of writing, I created my own colour scheme: I adopted the brightest white for MOD, the most important CC for most libraries, and then I went with darker shades towards a dull grey based on their importance. Maybe I'll change my mind again.. it's easy to try something new.








*CONCLUSION*
MusioTech's Fader Pro is a thing of beauty. It cleverly uses a single button at the back in combination with the four faders to scroll through its many options. If you are a creator working with many CCs, you can simply create various scenes to accommodate your needs. Say your first scene contains CC1 11, 7 and 16, then the next could feature 5, 10, 31 and 72. As you can create 8 "scenes", you could potentially have as many as 32 CCs configured.

Again, for now I am more than happy with my four favourite CCs in a row. The faders feel right, they travel a good distance. The casing is sturdy and the anti-slip knobs on the bottom are very effective. The fact that you can configure every little thing, from CC numbers to colours to names and so on should be a godsend for left-handed creators, too.

Fader Pro completes my hardware requirements at a very affordable introductory price, built with passion and attention to detail by a fellow composer. Communication with Thundercat was quick, reliable, and honest. I can recommend Fader Pro to anyone looking for a simple but highly-customisable midi fader.


*Name*Fader Pro*Functionality*Midi CC fader (e.g. Mod, Expression, Volume, Pan) from 0 to 127*Producer*MusioTech by @Thundercat *Introductory price*£197 (€228 / $241 at current conversion)*Regular price*£347*Driver required*No*Connector*Micro to USB-A: Included with device (200cm)*DAW*Tested with Cubase 12, should be compatible with any*Installation*None, just plug it in*Warranty*Two years*Website*www.musiotech.com/product/fader-pro

Thank you for reading!
-gohrev


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## lucky909091 (Jul 8, 2022)

Great! Thank you very much for the review!

Did you order the additional "painting" of the unit?


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## gohrev (Jul 10, 2022)

Thank you, @lucky909091 

I kindly refer to this paragraph in my review:


> For my configuration, I wanted everything black, so that it would match all the other devices, displays and monitors. But on their website, you can choose from 6 colours for the case and 5 colours for the LED light on the back. I went with all-black and I don't regret it.


As far as I know, that's all there was to it. @Thundercat did I leave anything out?


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## lucky909091 (Jul 10, 2022)

gohrev said:


> Thank you, @lucky909091
> 
> I kindly refer to this paragraph in my review:
> 
> As far as I know, that's all there was to it. @Thundercat did I leave anything out?


It was my fault - my question was misleading.
My question concerning "additional painting finish" referred to the new finish option "glossy painted".
Thanks anyway!


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## Thundercat (Jul 10, 2022)

lucky909091 said:


> It was my fault - my question was misleading.
> My question concerning "additional painting finish" referred to the new finish option "glossy painted".
> Thanks anyway!


Hi Lucky, the standard finish is a smooth unpainted surface, not 100% free of imperfections but looking good and very functional, also very smooth.

I experimented with painting, and they come out great but it's quite time consuming and sometimes I have to redo them several times before I'm satisfied. Since they look so good painted, I decided to make the painted glossy or matte available as an additional option. But it literally sometimes adds a week or even two to the process. I don't have an enclosed paint shop so it's challenging in the windy Yorkshire hills where I live.

The standard unpainted are still great, and now you know the story. If anyone wants a painted one, just contact me and we can discuss.

Thanks,

Mike


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## bcslaam (Oct 13, 2022)

Hi Mike @Thundercat I just went to purchase a Fader 2100 and site says theyre not available. How do I order one?


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## Thundercat (Oct 13, 2022)

bcslaam said:


> Hi Mike @Thundercat I just went to purchase a Fader 2100 and site says theyre not available. How do I order one?


Oh dear, I'll get this sorted out for you! I'll post back when completed.

Thanks for letting me know, and sorry for the hassle.

Mike


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## Thundercat (Oct 13, 2022)

bcslaam said:


> Hi Mike @Thundercat I just went to purchase a Fader 2100 and site says theyre not available. How do I order one?


Hi @bcslaam, may I ask what country you are in?

The store seems to be operating correctly, so I'm guessing the country might be an issue. I can add your country if it's not in the current list...

I'll get you handled one way or the other.

Thanks,

Mike


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## bcslaam (Oct 13, 2022)

Oz. PM'd.


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## Thundercat (Oct 13, 2022)

bcslaam said:


> Hi Mike @Thundercat I just went to purchase a Fader 2100 and site says theyre not available. How do I order one?


Should be working now


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