A new Fader port 8 released...anyone got this....

[bayswater]

So, after some research it appears that this would work the same as any other HUI mode controller.

Is there anything about this specifically that you couldn't get with an old mackie control? I am trying to figure out what's unique or interesting about it other than being new.

I am in the market for something like this, but was leaning towards just getting a second hand mackie control+extender.

Unless MOTU comes up with it's own controller, aren't we pretty much stuck with someone's old controller protocol? This product looks really good, and appears to have a better layout than the Behringer which relies on a load of buttons in a grid that all look the same.

But I take your point about long term support. The Behringer, if the follow their past practise will last as long Apple supports USB and DP supports Mackie Control and HUI. The older Faderport needed some work in the way of drivers or configuration to keep it working with DP

[toodamnhip]

Being a user of Raven, this product still looks promising to me. I might have to get one.
I will add this to the subject of “controllers", I am bored of HUI, just bored of it.
Why?
Because in dealing with Raven’s limitations or difficulties with DP, (and in general it works well)....I am constantly hearing how HUI won’t allow Raven or Dp to do this or that. , ( and this same problem has occurred with other controllers I have had, not just Raven).
And thus, the HUI protocol limitations come into play when juxtaposed with DP. HUI, along with MIDI, may get stuck in the past foroever.
Our industry seems to “get stuck” in time with various protocols that were developed and then abandoned.
Whether HUI is updated presently is unknown to me, but I doubt much is going on with it.

So, when you guys talk of controllers and DP, I will tell you that the custom capabilities in DP’s windows, and fader grouping abilities, are sometimes OUTSIDE the realm of HUI’s design.
Realize that HUI is both a standard of communication, AND a pair of handcuffs lol..holding technology to the past.

So maybe MOTU hasn’t made a control surface all of these years because HUI protocol is too limited and won’t ever be updated?

[waxman]

Raven just released the windows version for PT. That was the hurdle they needed to get over. Now Slate's team can work on some things for the DP version of the Raven will take advantage of the dynamic windows in DP. The floating mixer sized to the DP mixer with icons will be amazing. That will allow endless groups of 24 channel banks, 8 banks or 1 channel at a time scrolling on a 27" hi def monitor. Projects with plus hundred tracks will be very easy to manage.

Recently I took time to go to a new level with the batch command. Unless DP comes out with their own touch screen system which would mean a new gui with larger components Slates Raven MTi2 owns the space.

I can't imagine going back to a controller that is not ergonomically integrated with a screen. We all work on screens. Having to visually go from looking at a vertical screen then look down to a hardware controller breaks the work flow. The Raven solved the problem. The customizable Batch Control integrates well with the dynamic layout of DP. Being able to customize my space depending on the project is a non-negotiable.

[toodamnhip]

Raven just released the windows version for PT. That was the hurdle they needed to get over. Now Slate's team can work on some things for the DP version of the Raven will take advantage of the dynamic windows in DP. The floating mixer sized to the DP mixer with icons will be amazing. That will allow endless groups of 24 channel banks, 8 banks or 1 channel at a time scrolling on a 27" hi def monitor. Projects with plus hundred tracks will be very easy to manage.

Recently I took time to go to a new level with the batch command. Unless DP comes out with their own touch screen system which would mean a new gui with larger components Slates Raven MTi2 owns the space.

I can't imagine going back to a controller that is not ergonomically integrated with a screen. We all work on screens. Having to visually go from looking at a vertical screen then look down to a hardware controller breaks the work flow. The Raven solved the problem. The customizable Batch Control integrates well with the dynamic layout of DP. Being able to customize my space depending on the project is a non-negotiable.

I hear you an. But whatever Slate will be able to update will depend on HUI. So you will need to hope that whatever it is you want improved is “do-able”. My guess many things are. But, for example, the issue of the trim function being stuck in whatever track slot you started it? That’s HUI protocol showing it’s limitations according to Slate. Do you know if HUI is still being developed as a protocol or is it stuck in time like MIDI?

[Robert Randolph]

Raven just released the windows version for PT. That was the hurdle they needed to get over. Now Slate's team can work on some things for the DP version of the Raven will take advantage of the dynamic windows in DP. The floating mixer sized to the DP mixer with icons will be amazing. That will allow endless groups of 24 channel banks, 8 banks or 1 channel at a time scrolling on a 27" hi def monitor. Projects with plus hundred tracks will be very easy to manage.

Recently I took time to go to a new level with the batch command. Unless DP comes out with their own touch screen system which would mean a new gui with larger components Slates Raven MTi2 owns the space.

I can't imagine going back to a controller that is not ergonomically integrated with a screen. We all work on screens. Having to visually go from looking at a vertical screen then look down to a hardware controller breaks the work flow. The Raven solved the problem. The customizable Batch Control integrates well with the dynamic layout of DP. Being able to customize my space depending on the project is a non-negotiable.

I hear you an. But whatever Slate will be able to update will depend on HUI. So you will need to hope that whatever it is you want improved is “do-able”. My guess many things are. But, for example, the issue of the trim function being stuck in whatever track slot you started it? That’s HUI protocol showing it’s limitations according to Slate. Do you know if HUI is still being developed as a protocol or is it stuck in time like MIDI?

HUI is pretty much locked in stone. It hasn't changed nearly 20 years.

[JSmith1234567]

I really wish that MOTU would come out with something integrated with DP.

Again, EuCon is vastly superior to HUI.

What I would love to see would be assignable faders, but then the thing where one fader jumps to the currently highlighted channel.

What I would REALLY love to see is something that would let you do cc-1 instead of cc-7 if you wanted to.

All the VI's these days seem to be cc-1.

I did try some IPad touchscreen type apps, but it really wasn't as tactile as an actual motorized fader.

[waxman]

Raven just released the windows version for PT. That was the hurdle they needed to get over. Now Slate's team can work on some things for the DP version of the Raven will take advantage of the dynamic windows in DP. The floating mixer sized to the DP mixer with icons will be amazing. That will allow endless groups of 24 channel banks, 8 banks or 1 channel at a time scrolling on a 27" hi def monitor. Projects with plus hundred tracks will be very easy to manage.

Recently I took time to go to a new level with the batch command. Unless DP comes out with their own touch screen system which would mean a new gui with larger components Slates Raven MTi2 owns the space.

I can't imagine going back to a HW controller that is not ergonomically integrated with a screen. We all work on screens. Having to visually go from looking at a vertical screen then look down to a hardware controller breaks the work flow. The Raven solved the problem. The customizable Batch Control integrates well with the dynamic layout of DP. Being able to customize my space depending on the project is a non-negotiable.

I hear you an. But whatever Slate will be able to update will depend on HUI. So you will need to hope that whatever it is you want improved is “do-able”. My guess many things are. But, for example, the issue of the trim function being stuck in whatever track slot you started it? That’s HUI protocol showing it’s limitations according to Slate. Do you know if HUI is still being developed as a protocol or is it stuck in time like MIDI?

I hear you TDH but I don't give a $#%@$ about HUI... A skinny floating mixer is THE high priority. Just using the sends and inserts on the DP mixer works better. I figured out a nice little BC for automation on/off per channel with a BC command. So I don't need to much more integration. I don't need machine control. I rarely used scrub on the hardware controllers. So the RAVEN imo is perfect for DP. Many of the posts on the other DAW's using the Raven are about the template overlays and issues from static layout.

DP's dynamic layout is an advantage. Slate could not do template overlays with DP because of the dynamic layout and boarders. From there the batch command does most everything else you would get with static options on a HW controller. Sometimes I need to open the send mixer for fine level send adjustments. I would like to see that come up on the same space as the floating mixer. It's overkill on the big mixer layout imo.

Sometimes I don't get to the big mixer to finish a mix at all. Just end up finishing on floating mixer. I would like to see banking in 8 channel groups which is HUI a protocol I think. I would LOVE to see a user definable monitor option where a plug opens. I can do automation on/off from either the RAVEN or DP but DP crams automation option in with m/s/r which is a DP problem. MDave said he would look into it. But it's only one mouse move or a windows layout on a BC to have the choice on automation so it's not a big deal.

Really for my needs this touch screen OS is really close. It never crashes. I can't get the hang of sound bite editing on the Raven. But it's more my paws are to big. I'm so fast on the magic mouse with soundbite editing it does not matter. I mouse to the spot and use the BC's or quick keys to function and edit.

You are probably by now aware the RAVEN has a learning curve mostly due to a paradigm shift. By now you are probably using most of the features and getting pretty fast.. After 8 months I finally took it to another level and made a new set BC's for every feature that was more then on mouse click. That gave me another huge workflow step up. The Batch Command makes it so I only need to remember a few keyboard shortcuts. If I had vertical space I would add another rack of BC's.

[danatkorg]

Note that HUI protocol (developed for the original HUI) is different from MCU (Mackie Control Universal) protocol. Mackie Controls come with the option to use either one. Third parties typically use the older HUI protocol, as opposed to the newer MCU; not sure why, but perhaps because it's easier to find the documentation for it.

I've been a happy user of Mackie control surfaces with DP for many years, starting with the HUI, then the original Mackie Control, and now the MCU Pro. Very reliable and stable, touch-sensitive faders are great for automation punch in/out, dedicated buttons for automation modes, nice big transport controls. It would be nice to have more than 6 characters for channel names - that's workable, but sometimes requires a little thought!

Plug-in automation in DP currently works well only with native MOTU plug-ins, but as noted elsewhere that seems to be part of larger issues with DP's plug-in automation; hopefully MOTU will address these problems soon.

[JSmith1234567]

Note that HUI protocol (developed for the original HUI) is different from MCU (Mackie Control Universal) protocol. Mackie Controls come with the option to use either one. Third parties typically use the older HUI protocol, as opposed to the newer MCU; not sure why, but perhaps because it's easier to find the documentation for it.

I've been a happy user of Mackie control surfaces with DP for many years, starting with the HUI, then the original Mackie Control, and now the MCU Pro. Very reliable and stable, touch-sensitive faders are great for automation punch in/out, dedicated buttons for automation modes, nice big transport controls. It would be nice to have more than 6 characters for channel names - that's workable, but sometimes requires a little thought!

Plug-in automation in DP currently works well only with native MOTU plug-ins, but as noted elsewhere that seems to be part of larger issues with DP's plug-in automation; hopefully MOTU will address these problems soon.

I can understand this and agree with you.

I don't know that anything I've used, including ProTools with the various controls surfaces they have, really do anything other than gain automation well. Plug-ins, because of all of their varied interfaces, really just don't work that way with a control surface.

If the motorized faders work well for gain, that really is all I want to do on a control surface.

I DO wish that I could have motorized automation with feedback for cc-1.

[waxman]

I would love to have user defined space for the opening of plugins. According to Slate that is a function of the DAW and has nothing to do with HUI or Mackie Protocol or the Raven. Checking with MOTU to see if their engineers can do that...

I use vi's on my 2nd monitor and mix on the Raven. However they only open in the last spot so lots of dragging or closing plugs... especially when I like to leave some vi's open during the session.

[Krakadon]

taxman your set up sounds so sweet. Can you post pics? Any chance you can post a video?