My alternative device to the CC121 after the production has ceased

[butterfly]

I think the transport section of the FaderPort is more comfortable and more ergonomic than the Nektar CS12.

[butterfly]

@alexis

How would this compare with the new Nektar CS12 for those looking at buying their first controller?

Earlier - I used to think that the more knobs a DAW controller had, the better it was. But today I’m convinced of the opposite!
I much prefer a large, very stable rotary knob with a perfect grid to lots of small rotary knobs that gradually become defective, as this has already been reported for other controllers.

The Faderport has 8 buttons under the large rotary knob. This is also ergonomically perfect.
CKB has solved this very well, as he always assigns these 8 buttons to specific groups, which then belong to a “Mode” with its own LED color scheme.

For example, in “QC Mode” you select the Quick Control via the 8 buttons, and the respective button then flashes. I have compared this with another controller and I am actually faster and safer with the one rotary knob on the Faderport.
In addition, CKB has implemented some very good extensions. If I press the same button of a Quick Control several times, the value of the Quick Control switches between 0%, 50%, 100% and the previous value. This is useful and also important, as Quick Controls often only represent “switches”.
Such additions make CKB’s script very practical and there are many such additions in his
script. I love it.
Also the metal surface feels very high-quality and the smart design fits perfectly on my desk!

[alexis]

Wow, @butterfly , that was great, thank you.

I wonder if there is a vid, or maybe a manual, showing @CKB 's work. It must be challenging to figure everything out otherwise.

[butterfly]

@alexis
There are no videos yet, but what CKB’s script can do, can be found in his zip file in the pdfs “overview” and “release notes”. Here’s the post that contains a link to the zip file:

PreSonus FaderPort 2 (2018) midi remote script

@bensmir.hbs The link to the last update was repeated four posts earlier before your posting. Here it is again:

CKB actually wanted to have released a new interesting update already… hopefully that will come soon.

[CKB]

@butterfly

CKB actually wanted to have released a new interesting update already… hopefully that will come soon.

Yes, this comes after I tested the new update of fp-wizard with the upcoming new version of Cubase (14.0.20 ?) and that there are no problems with it.

[butterfly]

Hello everyone, if you can’t decide…
I like to look at the critical comments from all devices. Here is part of an interesting (not good) review of the Nektar Panorama CS12 that I read at Thomann (translated into English):

Nektar Panorama CS12 :
LEDs on the pots and channel strips are very weak, simply not recognizable in daylight, there is no setting for them. Some scratched the housing. The 3 knobs in the middle feel extremely cheap, the fader so-so, the transport buttons wobble. That’s not high quality. The pots are not push encoders, a waste of possibilities with all the many plug-ins that cannot be fully mapped and you have to resort to the mouse again…
Although I found the housing to be high-quality and attractive, it was far too large for me. Even more annoying when using it with a laptop: if you want to operate plug-ins with it, you place it to your left, but then you constantly need the Shift key for the plug-in slots. Or to the right of you. Either way, you have to reach extremely far. Not well thought out for me.
Translated with DeepL (free version)

When I compare these aspects with the FaderPort, I realize how super good the FaderPort is!
I can see the LEDs very well in daylight, no buttons wobble and the most important thing: you can operate everything with one hand and the device takes up very little space. In addition, the upper front of the FaderPort is made of solid metal.

Just my two cents.

[alexis]

@butterfly

Hello everyone, if you can’t decide…
I like to look at the critical comments from all devices. Here is part of an interesting (not good) review of the Nektar Panorama CS12 that I read at Thomann (translated into English): …

I have significant doubts about that negative review, because it is so different from the Sound in Sound review, which gives the Nektar CS12 such high marks:

Nektar Panorama CS12

For example, SOS says, " Good use of colour in both the display and the controls.", very different from the description of colors you copied.

SOS reviews are pretty much the gold standard, IMO. YMMV, of course!

[butterfly]

For example, SOS says, " Good use of colour in both the display and the controls.", very different from the description of colors you copied.

That sounds good, but it doesn’t say anything about whether you can or can’t still see anything properly when the sun shines on the device. That’s how I understood the evaluator at Thomann:

simply not recognizable in daylight

I can clearly see the illumination of the LEDs on the FaderPort in the sun.

Thanks you for your hint about SOS. I’ll have a look there more often…

[CKB]

Note:
The new update of fp-wizard (Version from March 25, 2025)
was published here in the Steinberg Forum.
[ topic: PreSonus FaderPort 2 (2018) midi remote script ]

[butterfly]

PreSonus FaderPort 2 (2018) midi remote script

new update available - March 25, 2025 Dear friends, here comes the new major update (complete version) of fp-wizard… [fp-wizard_logo] What’s new and how it is operated is described in detail in the release notes. Note: The instructions in the release notes are more extensive than usual, as many things have to be taken into account for everything to work. Beginners should first look at the readme pdf. Here’s a compressed overview of what’s new: GPS - Global Project Scroll, with operating…

I tried out the new update at the weekend. It is fantastic. With the new “Quick Tracks” I get the feeling that a single fader is all I need. Fascinating to see on the screen how the script finds the desired tracks by itself. Someone should put a video online for this, because no one else has ever programmed anything like this as cleverly as CKB.

Thank you very much.

[CKB]

@butterfly

I tried out the new update at the weekend. It is fantastic. With the new “Quick Tracks” I get the feeling that a single fader is all I need. Fascinating to see on the screen how the script finds the desired tracks by itself. Someone should put a video online for this, because no one else has ever programmed anything like this as cleverly as CKB.

Thank you very much.

Thanks, butterfly.
Nice to hear that you’re having fun with it.

[butterfly]

When I tested the Nektar Panorama CS12, I noticed one unpleasant thing about its operation. There is also a Shift button on this device, which you have to press simultaneously with another button for many functions. However, the Shift button is so far away from the other buttons that you need BOTH HANDS to perform theese functions. That really annoyed me.

The FaderPort is much more comfortable because I can operate the whole device with only just ONE HAND.

[AlanP]

So, I’ve been wondering what I might replace the CC121 with (though it continues to satisfy my needs today…) and watching the CS12 story with interest. But I think you nailed the problem - the two handed use. That combined with the lack of an obvious big AI-knob style control and the physical desk space it takes up.. is making me lean towards the Faderport and CKB’s script as my next device..

[AlanP]

And then I watched this excellent review of things the CS12 can do… Pity it’s such a long reach from left to right, but it does do a lot.. I like the Clip Gain knob! Is that a native midi remote thing that could be in the Faderport script?

I Found The Perfect Cubase Controller | Full Walkthrough

[butterfly]

@AlanP

And then I watched this excellent review of things the CS12 can do

I think the video is just a promotion for the CS12, but not a critical discussion to be able to judge the device definitively.

Here is another video that shows how loud and scratchy the CS12 fader is:

Nektar CS12 Fader Problem

[alexis]

@butterfly , having used the Faderport as extensively as you have, do you think there are any problems with it, along the lines of those you’ve identified with the Nektar Panorama CS12?

[AlanP]

yikes, that doesn’t sound good… And the reviewer who liked it (and claimed he wasn’t sponsored) specifically noted it as quieter than the Faderport. I wonder if the video you shared was a dud or early unit, or is truly representative of the device?

[CKB]

@AlanP

I like the Clip Gain knob! Is that a native midi remote thing that could be in the Faderport script?

Hi @AlanP,
this function will be included in the next update of the script (fp-wizard) for the FaderPort, which I will publish soon.
There will be a new mode (called “Audio Mode”). This will allow you to adjust e.g. the volume (= gain) and also the lengths of fade-in and fade-out for an audio event with the knob. It’s already working for me, but I’m still testing it for a while before the publishing.

Best regards

CKB

[alexis]

@AlanP

I wonder if the video you shared was a dud or early unit, or is truly representative of the device?

Yup, gotta be careful with online reviews. Everyone may have an angle.

[butterfly]

@alexis

@butterfly , having used the Faderport as extensively as you have, do you think there are any problems with it, along the lines of those you’ve identified with the Nektar Panorama CS12?

I’ve never had any problems with the fader from the FaderPort, but of course it’s not noiseless either, but perhaps a little quieter.