# SSL UF8 DAW Controller



## ed buller (Feb 4, 2021)

Hmmm



best

ed


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## novaburst (Feb 4, 2021)

very Cubase friendly


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## pmountford (Feb 4, 2021)

Admittedly I've skipped through much of that video so I could be wrong but the fact that this device has banking buttons makes it look like a slightly more advanced Mackie MCU but without the transport controls ie. no track following/auto banking?

Hopefully there's a market for this...just not me. Unless I'm missing something?


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## Ryan (Feb 4, 2021)

næehh. Not for me...


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## novaburst (Feb 4, 2021)

It's very initiative basically can move nearly every part of Cubase I like it but with the controllers I have now I don't do much more than pots, fader, play, record, scroll wheel, asign, solo mute well actually that's quite a bit but very basic and it gets me by if I wanted to do more I can currently using the Qcon Pro and extension the 1st gen but does what ever you want it to I guess


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## colony nofi (Feb 4, 2021)

I was interested in this... but there's just a few to many "nopes" for me.

Simple things - like the encoder - which is awesome in that it can modify any parameter that you mouse over - is on the right side. Which is the wrong side from an ergonomic perspective. To use it, you need to mouse over the parameter, lift your hand to the knob, use the knob, then take your hand back to your mouse. Effective use of this kind of thing (see the NOB which works well when used with your left hand.)

Solo/Cut/Select buttons are in the complete wrong place. You will accidentally hit them when making fader moves. I find it hard to believe SSL don't realise this.

Surround is virtually unusable on it - why not have the encoder also be a joystick? Or just put on a joystick? Which can also be used for so many midi vst's for those who don't need surround.

Quickkeys / Softkeys - if you really want something to be usable, make any keys like these keys like a streamdeck. People need to be able to jump in front of the controller and know whats going to happen, not look deep into a manual. 

Still to figure out if you can have some of the faders as midi CC and some as audio faders, but nothing I've read / seen indicates that is possible. I figure that is mackie control restricted. Its why I wish Eucon was more open....


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## clisma (Feb 4, 2021)

colony nofi said:


> I was interested in this... but there's just a few to many "nopes" for me.
> 
> Simple things - like the encoder - which is awesome in that it can modify any parameter that you mouse over - is on the right side. Which is the wrong side from an ergonomic perspective. To use it, you need to mouse over the parameter, lift your hand to the knob, use the knob, then take your hand back to your mouse. Effective use of this kind of thing (see the NOB which works well when used with your left hand.)
> 
> ...


Great observations and I concur. What are using right now? Since you mention Eucon, which I too wish were much more widely adopted...


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## method1 (Feb 4, 2021)

I was also interested, but it seems to only be a DAW controller, not a midi controller.
It is possible to translate HUI to other controls but that's too much manual labour 
I scanned through the manual and it seems only the buttons can be custom assigned.


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## colony nofi (Feb 4, 2021)

clisma said:


> Great observations and I concur. What are using right now? Since you mention Eucon, which I too wish were much more widely adopted...


In my personal studio, I've got an S1 which I'm really enjoying (aside from the ipad holder which I wish could be removed) and some old MCMix's which I'm not using. I'm waiting to see what Yamaha do with the Nuage before changing things in our pres suite. 

I've been told by an SSL tester that these do midi control on the faders. I haven't read/heard that confirmed by anyone else yet, but there's lots of info still coming out.


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## Jack Weaver (Feb 4, 2021)

colony nofi said:


> I've been told by an SSL tester that these do midi control on the faders.


I'd almost consider it if that were the case. 

Looking forward to seeing how that works and how much of a workaround it would be. I don't really need a DAW controller per se. 

.


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## colony nofi (Feb 4, 2021)

Jack Weaver said:


> I'd almost consider it if that were the case.
> 
> Looking forward to seeing how that works and how much of a workaround it would be. I don't really need a DAW controller per se.
> 
> .


I'm crossing fingers and toes he's right, as it would be the only reason I'd grab one too.
I've spent a couple hours looking thru SSL documentation, and reviews and the like, and there's nothing in there about faders outputting midi CC in any mode.

I'll call the person who chatted to me about it....


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## emilio_n (Feb 4, 2021)

I think no Midi CC control right now but maybe could be implemented on the 360 software that comes with the UF8.


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## synthetic (Mar 5, 2021)

I read through the manual and didn't see anything about MIDI CC. I just submitted a support ticket asking if this could be added. If enough people ask for that feature I'm sure they'll add it in the future. That would be the feature that pushed me over the edge to buy it.


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## method1 (Mar 5, 2021)

SSL rep confirmed no midi CC (at this point) on the GS announcement thread.


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## Brobdingnagian (Mar 6, 2021)

method1 said:


> SSL rep confirmed no midi CC (at this point) on the GS announcement thread.


I was told the same and put in a request to SSL for this feature. Slightly confounded as to how with all the requests for easy CC control coupled with audio control on Avid controllers, other developers would not pick up on this as an added-value selling point. I understand the limitations of aging protocols, but still....


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## peterdebeer (Jun 10, 2021)

Brobdingnagian said:


> I was told the same and put in a request to SSL for this feature. Slightly confounded as to how with all the requests for easy CC control coupled with audio control on Avid controllers, other developers would not pick up on this as an added-value selling point. I understand the limitations of aging protocols, but still....


I have the same requirement. I don't need a DAW controller per se but do need a dedicated MIDI CC surface ie not a DAW controller with MIDI CC added on as an after thought. Seems leading options are/were the Behringer BCF2000 (no longer available) and JL Cooper Fadermaster (apparently v good but pricey and no display to confirm which slider is mapped to which CC channel). I had a note from Icon to say the Icon Platform M+ strong suit is not MIDI CC and Presonus Faderport 16 midi-mode is full of bugs, so by elimination Behringer X-Touch USB seems to be the last man standing. 
Shouldn't be this hard, surely....


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## pinki (Jun 10, 2021)

Faderport 8 is not “full of bugs”. The cc mode works.


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## peterdebeer (Jun 10, 2021)

We’re still waiting on Presonus to provide a fix to ‘MIDI mode’ which is not functional - hopefully it will work eventually but it seems Cubase compatibility is not high their priorities. Like many, I dont have the inclination to spend hours/days testing their product for them.


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## pinki (Jun 11, 2021)

With Cubase I don't know, but it certainly works with other daws.


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## peterdebeer (Jun 11, 2021)

PreSonus Forums | Faderport 8 MIDI MODE is Not Working | Faderport 8 / 16 - General Discussion







forums.presonus.com


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## pinki (Jun 11, 2021)

Works perfectly for me on the latest firmware.
Anyhow hope you find what you need. Over and out.


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## A3D2 (Sep 26, 2021)

The UF8 seems to be able to open any plugin (even 3rd party ones) and give you the ability to control them with knobs without having to map them manually with 'learn' commands like in Logic. Is this something (I'm new to the MCU stuff) that all daw controllers with MCU implemented can do? Or is this unique to the UF8? I'm tempted to buy this because of that feature.


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## charlieclouser (Sep 29, 2021)

A3D2 said:


> The UF8 seems to be able to open any plugin (even 3rd party ones) and give you the ability to control them with knobs without having to map them manually with 'learn' commands like in Logic. Is this something (I'm new to the MCU stuff) that all daw controllers with MCU implemented can do? Or is this unique to the UF8? I'm tempted to buy this because of that feature.


That's something that all MCU compatible units can do (or should be able to anyway). The MCU protocol is baked-in to Logic (no drivers or control surface profiles needed) and is the descendant of the protocol for the original Logic Control units, which were basically brown Mackie MCU units with an Emagic logo. Since that protocol was a little more robust and flexible than the HUI protocol (which came first and is very similar), manufacturers began adopting the MCU protocol and discontinuing support for HUI, and this picked up steam when the HUI units were discontinued. 

So now everyone just supports MCU protocol, but it seems like the best implementation is in Logic, which supports main units, 8-fader expansions, and the 32-knob C4 (which is discontinued but still works). There's lots of cool features with MCU+Logic that not all other DAWs support, like jump to next+prev marker from the FF+RW buttons, jump to the first 32 markers by pressing the v-pots on the C4, select+instanciate plugins from the v-pots, fader flip so that parameters normally on v-pots can be on faders, etc.


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## A3D2 (Oct 3, 2021)

charlieclouser said:


> That's something that all MCU compatible units can do (or should be able to anyway). The MCU protocol is baked-in to Logic (no drivers or control surface profiles needed) and is the descendant of the protocol for the original Logic Control units, which were basically brown Mackie MCU units with an Emagic logo. Since that protocol was a little more robust and flexible than the HUI protocol (which came first and is very similar), manufacturers began adopting the MCU protocol and discontinuing support for HUI, and this picked up steam when the HUI units were discontinued.
> 
> So now everyone just supports MCU protocol, but it seems like the best implementation is in Logic, which supports main units, 8-fader expansions, and the 32-knob C4 (which is discontinued but still works). There's lots of cool features with MCU+Logic that not all other DAWs support, like jump to next+prev marker from the FF+RW buttons, jump to the first 32 markers by pressing the v-pots on the C4, select+instanciate plugins from the v-pots, fader flip so that parameters normally on v-pots can be on faders, etc.


Wow @charlieclouser thank you for your detailed reply. Really appreciate it. Which MCU controller do you like? I'm thinking of upgrading from my trusty old crappy but reliable korg nanokontrol 1. I use it to write automation on a selected channel, panning, pulling up the mixer window, automation window, modwheel, expression, master fader and plugin controls. Mainly because I use many virtual audio FX and instruments and I want knobs to control them without having to program them like on the nano... Would the UF8 be good for that? Or would a behringer x touch be equally good? They seem to be in the same ballpark function-wise. I suppose the UF8 will be more high quality and durable? At the same time if I just mainly want MCU for plugin control maybe even a cheap behringer touch mini could do the job? Hard to choose... I'd like motorised faders for mixing, but I record in the same room as I mix so if they are too noisy that would be a no no. Any advice would be welcome.


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## charlieclouser (Oct 3, 2021)

A3D2 said:


> Wow @charlieclouser thank you for your detailed reply. Really appreciate it. Which MCU controller do you like? I'm thinking of upgrading from my trusty old crappy but reliable korg nanokontrol 1. I use it to write automation on a selected channel, panning, pulling up the mixer window, automation window, modwheel, expression, master fader and plugin controls. Mainly because I use many virtual audio FX and instruments and I want knobs to control them without having to program them like on the nano... Would the UF8 be good for that? Or would a behringer x touch be equally good? They seem to be in the same ballpark function-wise. I suppose the UF8 will be more high quality and durable? At the same time if I just mainly want MCU for plugin control maybe even a cheap behringer touch mini could do the job? Hard to choose... I'd like motorised faders for mixing, but I record in the same room as I mix so if they are too noisy that would be a no no. Any advice would be welcome.


All MCU controllers have pretty much the same set of underlying features, but some skimp on either build quality or how many physical controls they put on the front panel to access those features. So units like the original Mackie units have pretty much the full set of buttons to access stuff, while smaller / cheaper units might make you use shift-key functions. That's how Behringer can have small+medium+large versions of MCU units like their X-Touch series. They're all MCU compatible but the smaller ones have fewer buttons, fewer displays, etc.

I haven't seen one in person, but I have no doubt that the SSL will be very nicely built and solid, with a fairly complete set of front panel controls.

The Mackie units are also well made and solid but physically much larger (kind of clunky) and less ergonomic to fit into a tight workspace. However the master unit does have meaty transport controls (which are nice to jump to next+previous marker) and a jog/shuttle wheel (which I never used and felt was in the way). One nice thing is that their 8-fader expansion units are nice and compact so if you're laying out a 32-channel setup it looks more like a normal console that four SSL units next to each other. And if you can find one, the discontinued C4 unit is a 32-knob controller that lets you see a ton of plugin parameters at once, and has some other nifty features that you can't access easily (or at all) on the fader units.

The Behringer X-Touch units are much cheaper and maybe not quite as sturdy, but they're not crap by any means. The big X-Touch has basically every physical control of the original Mackie units (it's pretty much a 1-to-1 clone), and if you have the big one then you can use the X-Touch Extenders to add more faders eight at a time, and the Extenders sit nicely on either side of the main unit. The X-Touch Compact has a reduced set of buttons, and no displays to show track names etc. above the faders, but it does have an extra 8 knobs which I think can be used for standard MIDI CC control at the same time as the rest of the controls are being used for automation - in theory those 8 knobs are like having something like a NanoKontrol right on the front panel of your MCU, but don't quote me on that, I've never used one. The X-Touch Mini has only one non-motorized fader, so it's pretty limiting but it technically is an MCU controller. Finally, the X-Touch One is most of the controls from the right-hand section of the big unit with a single motorized fader that follows the selected track in your DAW. This is a great solution to automate mixes as long as you don't need to do stuff like manually balance 8 backing vocal tracks at once or whatever.

For a long time I used a one-channel Presonus FaderPort (which is very similar to the X-Touch One) and this was my ideal solution. With those units you get a single motorized fader that always follows the currently-selected track in your DAW so you can quickly grab it to adjust and automate volume, plus transport controls and the ability to use the fader+knob to automate one plugin parameter at a time (but I never used that function).

I used to have a giant setup with MCU main unit, three expanders, and a C4. It was large and cumbersome but was nice when I was making records and needed to balance a ton of audio tracks like on an analog console. Eventually I slimmed it down to just the main unit and the C4, and then got rid of it altogether when I got the FaderPort.

For me, editing plugins on a hardware controller is much slower and more cumbersome than just using the trackball. You still have to look at the screen, so your eyes are jumping back and forth, and the order in which the parameters map to the knobs is not user-definable on MCU, so you'll run into situations where filter cutoff is on page 1, knob 8, while filter resonance is on page 2, knob 1. This gets old fast. Ideally I'd want to be able to hold a modifier key and press-click a knob do hide a parameter, sliding the rest of them over one slot to the left, until I was only looking at a short list of favorites on the knobs. An example is the modulation matrix on Logic's EXS sampler - on MCU this takes up like eight pages of eight faders just to see a bunch of stuff that you'd NEVER edit using knobs because it's so much faster to do it on screen. And with no way to hide those parameters you're constantly hammering the bank knob to page past them. Hassle.

If I used a mouse or touchpad then I might prefer doing things on the MCU but with a trackball I'm so fast that the trackball is still the quickest way.

(Technically, there is a way to get under the hood and change the order in which parameters are spilled to knobs, but it's a bit of a hassle)

Another drawback to the MCU protocol is that the text that is displayed on the per-fader displays, for track names and plugin parameters, is limited to eight characters and this is set in stone. So this also gets old.

If the text strings could be made longer, and you could easily re-arrange what parameters were spilled to the knobs, to exclude some parameters so you only saw your favorites, I'd be all over the MCU units again. Currently I use no automation controllers at all. I just draw automation in by hand, and have a small four-fader box for MIDI CC controls like mod wheel and expression.

Keep in mind that MCU units, or anything with a motorized fader, is *NOT* for doing mod wheel, expression, etc - they're ONLY for dealing with actual *automation* in your DAW, which is a separate layer from the MIDI stuff. So if you're looking for a motorized fader that tracks mod wheel / expression from your DAW you're out of luck (join the club). MCU controllers will let you automate the channel volume faders on individual tracks in your DAW, and edit+automate plugin parameters, but that's in the DAW's automation layer and not recorded as MIDI events into the tracks like controls from a NanoKontrol or other "dumb" MIDI fader boxes. But if you want to automate eq sweeps, compression threshold, reverb decays, delay feedbacks, etc. - and you really want to do it from a knob or fader, then MCU units can definitely do that. For me, when I want to automate that stuff I just draw in the events from the trackball. Way quicker than finding which knob controls which parameter, enabling automation record, running the track, and moving the knobs during playback. Instead, I enable automation read, pick the parameter from the on-screen list, click a couple of times to enter values on the timeline, done.

The only scenario in my workflow where I do miss having at least 8 faders is when doing a real-time mix down of a preview of a tv episode for producers to approve - but that's something I haven't done in years. In that situation, I'd have all of the rough mixes of the cues for the entire episode in a single long Logic project, with the dialog and fx coming in on two separate aux audio inputs, and I'd record the video (coming from a separate computer running VideoSync) with the mix of audio coming out of Logic, onto a standalone DVD recorder (in the old days) or on another computer capturing audio and video in real time. Then, with 8 faders, I could manually ride the levels of the score against the dialog+fx as the recording progressed. I'd do a whole episode in a single, 42-minute real-time pass, and it was nice to be able to just grab faders to dip the music behind dialog to simulate what they'd be doing on the dub stage. But these days I just send my rough mixes to the picture editor and make them create a preview for the producers.

The noise from motorized faders won't be an issue. They're basically silent.


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## A3D2 (Oct 4, 2021)

@charlieclouser Thanks again for sharing your experiences with these types of controllers and your workflow. It really helped me to narrow down what I'm missing exactly in my current setup. I think the lack of options to quickly zoom in Logic, easy transport controls, and the lack of a motorised fader for my automation (I only automate 1 track at a time. And yes I also hoped this would exist for modwheel data, so that's a pity.) is something that bothers me now and I'd like to adjust parameters of plugins faster. So based on your experiences I think a trackball (never used one before, always just used a regular mouse) or a Presonus Faderport (or even better both) could fix my workflow issues better than buying a SSL UF8 or an X Touch. I could keep using the nanokontrol for my MIDI modwheel, expression etc duties (although I also have a Touché SE for this) and use the other 2 for the other tasks. 😊 Good to know these motorised faders aren't that noisy! Thanks again for your advice, really appreciate it.


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## Steve Wheeler (Jan 24, 2022)

charlieclouser said:


> All MCU controllers have pretty much the same set of underlying features, but some skimp on either build quality or how many physical controls they put on the front panel to access those features. So units like the original Mackie units have pretty much the full set of buttons to access stuff, while smaller / cheaper units might make you use shift-key functions. That's how Behringer can have small+medium+large versions of MCU units like their X-Touch series. They're all MCU compatible but the smaller ones have fewer buttons, fewer displays, etc.
> 
> I haven't seen one in person, but I have no doubt that the SSL will be very nicely built and solid, with a fairly complete set of front panel controls.
> 
> ...


Just wanted to bring this up in case anyone else was wondering, because I recently searched high and low for it with my new control surface (and I don't think it's documented in Logic's manual at all). Was kind of driving me nuts, so I hope it helps someone.

Turns out you can reorder and delete the plugin host automation parameters and how they appear in an MCU setup within Logic. It's basically a matter of editing a plist file for the default instance of the plugin (for Logic at least). 

The process is more or less this:

Open the plugin you want and save a new "default" preset for the plugin and it'll make a plist file for that plugin in its presets folder. Navigate to it and open it in a plist editor (even a text editor would work; it's basically just XML). Then reorder to your heart's content. 

Here's an ancient thread on it that still works for me on latest Logic version: https://www.logicprohelp.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=9&t=54956

Downside is that you have to do this for every plugin you want to use this way. But if you're inclined to do it, it can be done.

Don't remember if using other presets beyond default messes with this or not (I don't usually use mix presets), but I found it a bit easier to work this way than trying to page around for parameters. Kinda nuts that this isn't better documented or just an editor built right into Logic, but hopefully it'll help someone out.


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## samphony (Jan 24, 2022)

I had the same experience like Charlie. Over the years even with eucon controllers only the Faderport v1 stayed. I still use it to this day although it probably has to go soon as it doesn’t work in logic natively any longer (not apple silicon compatible)


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## charlieclouser (Jan 24, 2022)

Steve Wheeler said:


> Just wanted to bring this up in case anyone else was wondering, because I recently searched high and low for it with my new control surface (and I don't think it's documented in Logic's manual at all). Was kind of driving me nuts, so I hope it helps someone.
> 
> Turns out you can reorder and delete the plugin host automation parameters and how they appear in an MCU setup within Logic. It's basically a matter of editing a plist file for the default instance of the plugin (for Logic at least).
> 
> ...


NOOIIICCCE!!! That's fantastic info, thanks for that. I vaguely remember someone telling me this was possible, but I never got into it because all of my MCU boxes have left the building. Bookmarking this thread so I can find it later.

Recently I was over at Rich Patrick's studio (from the band Filter) and he's got the UF8 and UC1 and I was super impressed by the build quality and feel - and he loves that setup. He uses Logic btw.

Thanks again!


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## Steve Wheeler (Jan 25, 2022)

charlieclouser said:


> NOOIIICCCE!!! That's fantastic info, thanks for that. I vaguely remember someone telling me this was possible, but I never got into it because all of my MCU boxes have left the building. Bookmarking this thread so I can find it later.
> 
> Recently I was over at Rich Patrick's studio (from the band Filter) and he's got the UF8 and UC1 and I was super impressed by the build quality and feel - and he loves that setup. He uses Logic btw.
> 
> Thanks again!


No sweat. It was driving me absolutely bananas that something that seems like a no-brainer would be overlooked like that. I got the UF8 to try and get away from clicking in every fader move. Still wrapping it into the workflow. Quite dig it so far, but for one thing:

Cubase doesn't auto-bank like Logic does for MCU stuff. Control surface doesn't auto-magically follow channel selection in the DAW. Logic does this perfectly. Think there's a hacky workaround on the forum here, but it breaks if certain visibility things with channels are met. I don't think Eucon stuff has this issue though. So it may be worth looking at the S1 if you're already looking at the UF8 if you're not working solely in Logic. 

It's annoying, but I'll have to live with it for now having only just begun making the switch to Cubase. There's always some damn trade off.


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## clisma (Jan 25, 2022)

Steve Wheeler said:


> Cubase doesn't auto-bank like Logic does for MCU stuff. Control surface doesn't auto-magically follow channel selection in the DAW. Logic does this perfectly. Think there's a hacky workaround on the forum here, but it breaks if certain visibility things with channels are met. I don't think Eucon stuff has this issue though. So it may be worth looking at the S1 if you're already looking at the UF8 if you're not working solely in Logic.


Confirming that Eucon indeed provides this functionality and it can be turned on or off via software control. One can also ’reserve” certain faders for certain channel strips to be permanent while others change their assignment. I do not much like the plug-in manipulation in Eucon via S1 (or Artist Mix) due to the way the controls spill onto the strips and the order they are presented in, not sure if it’s editable. But it all works very well in Logic overall, and you get assignable buttons at the bottom that can do nearly whatever you like.


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## Steve Wheeler (Jan 25, 2022)

clisma said:


> Confirming that Eucon indeed provides this functionality and it can be turned on or off via software control. One can also ’reserve” certain faders for certain channel strips to be permanent while others change their assignment. I do not much like the plug-in manipulation in Eucon via S1 (or Artist Mix) due to the way the controls spill onto the strips and the order they are presented in, not sure if it’s editable. But it all works very well in Logic overall, and you get assignable buttons at the bottom that can do nearly whatever you like.


You wouldn't happen to know if the S1 auto-banks in Cubase, would you? Apologies if you just answered that, but you mentioned Logic here, so I was unsure.


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## whinecellar (Jan 25, 2022)

Man, I love the look of the SSL but I have the same concerns others have raised. In the meantime, I’m still absolutely LOVING the Behringer X-Touch & X-Touch Compact together. The main unit is dedicated to mixing/automation, and the “Compact” (dumb name) is custom mapped to all my CC needs. It’s a brilliant setup, looks and feels great. They’re made by Midas, so IMO, not a hint of cheesiness. Faders feel wonderful.

The Compact is especially great because it’s got 2 layers, so every control can have 2 assignments. The only downside is still no Mac editor, but even if you have to borrow a PC to program it, it’s worth it. 

And as @charlieclouser points out, they use the standard MCU protocol, which works great. You can choose to ignore it though; I use it on the main unit for mixing, which is flawless. I honestly can’t think of a better solution than these boxes.


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## clisma (Jan 25, 2022)

Steve Wheeler said:


> You wouldn't happen to know if the S1 auto-banks in Cubase, would you? Apologies if you just answered that, but you mentioned Logic here, so I was unsure.


Indeed, I meant Logic, don't know about Cubase. I would presume that the behavior is the same as the Artist Mix (they both behave they same for me in Logic), so perhaps those users could chime in as well.


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## ALittleNightMusic (Feb 7, 2022)

Anybody using the UF8 with Cubase? Does it follow track selection?

I have the Console 1 and Console 1 Fader which work pretty great on Cubase and Studio One, but not very well at all in Logic - and I may be moving back to Logic. UF8 seems like it could be a solid X-DAW control surface.


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## Shad0wLandsUK (Feb 8, 2022)

Looking at the UF8 and the UC1 here myself

I purchased the SSL Channel Strip 2 and Buss Comp 2, so thinking I should get the bundle
All this time for mixing I have looked into software/control surface alternatives for this, but I really like the feel of real control over levels and parameters

Perhaps it comes form my time in College/Uni in the studio
And those SSL units look rock solid too


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## SupremeFist (Feb 9, 2022)

What I really want is the SSL Big Six but I absolutely cannot justify it...


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## cedricm (Feb 9, 2022)

I was thinking of going Faderport until I read that one can't choose which Midi CC is linked to which fader. 
So I'm still using my Tascam FW-1884, launched in 03 or 04. It does Midi CC on faders and much more.


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## StillLife (Feb 9, 2022)

cedricm said:


> I was thinking of going Faderport until I heard no Midi CC on faders.
> So I'm still using my Tascam FW-1884, launched in 03 or 04. It does Midi CC on faders and much more.


Faderport does have midi mode. At least fp8 has.


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## StillLife (Feb 9, 2022)

cedricm said:


> Are you sure? In the documentation I read:
> 
> And in MIDI mode you can't change the CC assignment of the faders.


That seems to be contradicting info. If you know it can't change the cc-assignments in midi mode, than it does have to have that mode at least, doesn't it?
There was an update about a year ago that added midi mode. Check google/youtube/sphere.


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## cedricm (Feb 9, 2022)

StillLife said:


> That seems to be contradicting info. If you know it can't change the cc-assignments in midi mode, than it does have to have that mode at least, doesn't it?
> There was an update about a year ago that added midi mode. Check google/youtube/sphere.


No. The first info is in DAW mode, the second for the MIDI mode you have to switch to. 
In my opinion, if you can't choose which CC is controlled by which fader, it's useless.


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## StillLife (Feb 9, 2022)

cedricm said:


> No. The first info is in DAW mode, the second for the MIDI mode you have to switch to.
> In my opinion, if you can't choose which CC is controlled by which fader, it's useless.


Fair enough. I just wanted to point out that the faderport 8 does have midi mode (you mentioned it did not). Assigning your own cc's to the faders is a feature request, I saw.


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## cedricm (Feb 10, 2022)

StillLife said:


> Fair enough. I just wanted to point out that the faderport 8 does have midi mode (you mentioned it did not). Assigning your own cc's to the faders is a feature request, I saw.


I corrected the original post.


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## ALittleNightMusic (Feb 10, 2022)

Should be receiving my SSL UF8 tomorrow. Will be interesting to see how the workflow is vs. Console 1. From what I understand thus far, it smokes C1 in Logic thanks to the hybrid MCU + SSL 360 integration. I'll also test it in Cubase (but Cubase has some issues with its MCU implementation - as does Studio One).


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## Steve Wheeler (Feb 11, 2022)

ALittleNightMusic said:


> Anybody using the UF8 with Cubase? Does it follow track selection?
> 
> I have the Console 1 and Console 1 Fader which work pretty great on Cubase and Studio One, but not very well at all in Logic - and I may be moving back to Logic. UF8 seems like it could be a solid X-DAW control surface.


UF8 does in fact NOT follow track selection without a really funky workaround you can find on the forum somewhere.


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## ALittleNightMusic (Feb 11, 2022)

Steve Wheeler said:


> UF8 does in fact NOT follow track selection without a really funky workaround you can find on the forum somewhere.


Guess Cubase’s MCU implementation still sucks.


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## ALittleNightMusic (Feb 17, 2022)

Returning the UF8. Decent integration with Logic but it is essentially a pricey MCU controller. The 360 profile / integration is not as useful as it could be (I’m sure the UC1 is better here). The Cubase integration is pointless IMO without track follows selection support. I ended up with an Avid Artist Mix and it is half the price and stellar integration in Cubase and Logic thanks to Eucon.


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## Steve Wheeler (Mar 7, 2022)

Looking a bit more into it, I think I may be selling the UF8 and replacing it with an Avid S1. 

It takes care of the PList editing hassle for host controls on its own in a far more intuitive way I feel: 

You can check it out in the free Avid Control app too. Doesn't even require the S1. 

Gotta think about it some more, but so far, it seems pretty rad.


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## Shad0wLandsUK (Mar 7, 2022)

ALittleNightMusic said:


> Should be receiving my SSL UF8 tomorrow. Will be interesting to see how the workflow is vs. Console 1. From what I understand thus far, it smokes C1 in Logic thanks to the hybrid MCU + SSL 360 integration. I'll also test it in Cubase (but Cubase has some issues with its MCU implementation - as does Studio One).


I wonder how that fares now with the Cubase Pro 12 update...

Might be time to put away some cash for the UF8


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## Steve Wheeler (Mar 7, 2022)

Shad0wLandsUK said:


> I wonder how that fares now with the Cubase Pro 12 update...
> 
> Might be time to put away some cash for the UF8


Unfortunately can confirm: they didn't add auto-banking for MCU in 12.


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## ALittleNightMusic (Mar 7, 2022)

Shad0wLandsUK said:


> I wonder how that fares now with the Cubase Pro 12 update...
> 
> Might be time to put away some cash for the UF8


From what I’ve read, Cubase 12 doesn’t fix the MCU implementation for auto-banking. I ended up returning the UF8 as it was a lot of money for limited functionality and bought an Artist Mix instead for 40% of the price and it works fantastic.


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## mscp (Jun 2, 2022)

SupremeFist said:


> What I really want is the SSL Big Six but I absolutely cannot justify it...


The fact the compressor is locked to a specific AR e Ratio, and the interface is limited to 96khz (among other things) is a huge turn off. I'd say: "back to the drawing board".


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