Faderfox MX12 / PC12 discontinued? Good alternatives for control?

Faderfox MX12 / PC12 discontinued? Good alternatives for control?

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For faders, have you checked Fader controllers?

For pots I don’t think we have an equivalent topic. Just these days there is some discussion on E16 - Another new Oxi Controller?. There is also vivid conversation on Roto Control (MIDI controller by Melbourne Instruments). These are different approaches to have a bunch of pots at sight. Instead, you can reuse the same physical pots for multiple functions. Whether this is better than many more physical pots (taking much more space), that is subjective. :slight_smile:

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In addition to the ones icaria mentioned these are on my list:

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Is Faderfox UC 4 also discontinued? If not, iā€˜d recommend that one. I have two of these, which gives me 16 vertical faders and two horizontal ones (think OT). Plus 16 knobs that you can also push to do stuff. Also saves space compared to the bigger Faderfoxes. Super easy to program.

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think i’ll go for Launch Control XL

Any word if there will be an updated models? He did updates for the smaller models so could be the same for these?

IMO: endless encoders are cool in principle, but it really does require you to look at a screen (either on the controller, or PC) while twiddling. The ā€œfeelā€ is totally lost as to where you are in a parameter change. Terrible when twisting several knobs at the same time as well (imagine a 303 with endless encoders). I’d never get the Launch Control XL 3 compared to the previous one for this reason alone. Roto Control solves this, I guess.

I have the Faderfox PC12 and EC4 and I almost never use the EC4 for this exact reason. PC12 is absolutely great, though, highly recommend getting it (if it’s still in stock anywhere). Super sturdy and the settings are easy to change. They doubled in price overnight a few years back, thankful I got one before it.

The best knob based MIDI controller ever would be a PC12 with 16 columns instead of 12 (so PC16…) with a screen strip for every row.

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Agree potentiometers/faders fixed to parameters are ideal for performance. But it’s a trade off if you want your controller to have several banks of mappings, for this encoders are better.

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Yeah, I guess. I’d love to see some real world uses of this as I’ve tried setting up systems like this before, but end up dropping it because stuff (i.e. gear, available parameters, chains) changes around too often.

Has Mathias (FaderFox) confirmed that the MX12 and PC12 are now discontinued rather than simply out of stock from FaderFox directly? MX12 was in stock at Thomann when I last looked.

The MX12 is one of my favourite controllers of all time. It is built like a tank and excellent in every way. It would be a real shame if it’s now at end of line.

I know the Neuzeit Drop and other new gen MIDI controllers make the MX12/PC12 look very old school, but the same could be said of the Octatrack vs Tonverk (as an analogy)… sometimes the older gear remains just as brilliant as it was when launched.

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Ohh… So I more or less bought the last PC12 from Thomann… It arrives tomorrow… I hope they launch a new gen built on the same principles…

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Not if it launches tomorrow at the same retail price, you don’t.

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Faderfox controllers are truly exceptional, there’s no question about that! Personally, I wasn’t fond of the 12-fader layout on the fader version. I had been searching for a 16-fader layout for a long time until I stumbled across the new edition of the Atov 16n Rework: Faderpunk.

AtoV Faderpunk

This is not just a MIDI controller, but, like its predecessor, also offers a CV output per fader that can be used to control analog equipment. Unlike its predecessor, however, you can place functional modules (so-called ā€œappsā€) per fader (slot) via a browser-based web app (can also be installed locally, thereā€˜s a Git repository). There are LFOs, MIDI to CV, CV to MIDI, sequencers, and much more, which you can then save as a device configuration with parameter presets for live setups.

The developers are super nice, as is the Discord community. Atov is currently working on new firmware that will bring many new and requested features. This thing blows me away every time I use it. But I have to admit: I can’t (and don’t want to) do without it anymore. Super nice for all kind of Synths, also for the Elektron boxes.
And yes, the Faderpunk isn’t cheap, but honestly: these features and flexibility, coupled with the build quality, justify the price for me - plus I use it regularly, which isnā€˜t the case for a lot of HW experiments I did over many, many years… :wink:

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Imo the flexibility to customize for roughly the same price here is fantastic - however, it might take time for it to ship.

The screenshot from @fixme is from the Faderfox site.

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Hunh! From the photos I’ve seen I thought at first that this was just for CV stuff. But looks like it does a lot.

Can you tell us about how you have it set up for Elektron gear?

There is a bit of discussion here on Elektronauts: ATOV Faderpunk.

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This thing can really do a lot. For a ā€˜classic’ Elektron Live set, I almost exclusively use simple faders (as a ā€˜fader’ module per slot = per fader). Here, I usually distribute the volume CCs to the MIDI channels of the individual tracks involved in a set. Since I make a lot of tracks in the style of industrial/EBM and (hard/dub) techno, I mostly use the faders as mixer faders for the volumes. Adjacent faders also take over filter cutoff, attack and release times, FX sends, etc. for key parts. It’s also cool if you want to use additional MIDI LFOs. That works too – even in sync with the master clock (which can be internal or external).

I ā€˜come from a time’ when fader movements were normal. That’s why I love faders that feel good and allow for precise implementation – it’s also easier for me to visually grasp a quick change with faders, unlike recognizing the position of an encoder.

The faders on the Faderpunk feel very good; they are high-quality Alps faders. Incidentally, the buttons below a fader are used to mute a fader or the slot it has been assigned to. So if a fader is assigned to the volume of an Elektron track, pressing the button sets the CC to 0. You can configure in the web app whether the value is initialized when the button is pressed or released. So the purpose of the buttons also depend on their job in the assigned app - it’s not always a ā€˜mute’.

Incidentally, you can use the Faderpunk’s preset button to save and recall up to 16 presets (as preset buttons you then use the buttons below the faders). With the current firmware, only VALUES of a slot configuration can be saved—not entire setups with different configurations of apps on the fader slots. But the guys at AtoV are currently working on that. It will be possible to configure one setup for your analog synth, one for remote use of your DAW, one that is only there to run MIDI LFOs, or even a setup for Elektron boxes.

Currently, variable use still requires a little time for ā€œreprogramming,ā€ but even that is feasible once you’ve internalized the web app. I’m happy to accept the extra work at the moment. For ā€œseriousā€ projects that need to be completed, I first create a roadmap of how the journey should proceed. But I have to say, with this thing in combination with an Elektra One, I feel better equipped than ever before.

Sorry for this overly long text. But it’s simply not possible to explain it concisely. It’s best to watch videos here to see what people are doing with it. There are already a few, albeit mostly in the context of modular synths. But I’m looking forward to the upcoming firmware updates and think that will complete the thing for quick changes during improvisations. :slightly_smiling_face:

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Yes, spotted that, but I wish Mathias were more clear about it TBH… if both are discontinued then I think he should say something on his website. Not just a ā€œdiscontinued/out of stockā€ badge, but a bit of text to explain what’s happening.

I am a big fan of the MX12 and have been thinking about buying another one. I may still go ahead with that but if this is now a legacy device I may pause on it.

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What about the new SHIK S32 with optional modular addon https://presale.shik.tech/

If only they had a fader one to go along…