The Best All Rounder MIDI Control Surface | VS Faderbox
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- Опубликовано: 2 май 2021
- Not paid or sponsored by VS but its creator Robert got in touch with me and I've been beta-testing it for the last couple of months. It's a great product!
Check out VS Faderbox: nativevs.bigcartel.com/produc...
The Basics: Episode 1 - MIDI Control Surfaces: • MIDI Control Surfaces ...
I've had a few questions on the channel recently about the control surface that sits on my desk. In Episode 1 of The Basics, I showed two controllers ideal for different applications: the Behringer BCF2000, ideal for desktop use, huge faders, lots of features - but heavy and clunky; and the Korg NanoKontrol2, perfect for travelling, compact, lots of faders - but short faders that make it difficult to use accurately. I wondered if there was a control surface that could do both, and I think I've found it - the VS Faderbox.
In this video, I'll show you the VS Faderbox and how I use it within my workflow.
If you'd like to support my musical development, thank you so much. You can donate to my PayPalMe link here: www.paypal.me/dankeenmusic. All proceeds go back into the creation of my musical content. I really appreciate your support in advance!
I am a composer, producer and musician, based in London.
Email me at: dankeenmusic@mail.com
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IF you are doing professional music , the competition is brutal and if you are composing strings ... fades are critical... this fader-box could pay for itself in an afternoon of composing.
If it was motorized and higher resolution, sure.
This is the thing! Not to sound out of touch but... in the professional domain, cost comes secondary to functionality (within reason). I use this thing all day every day. I don't mind that it's a little more expensive if it's perfect for me, which it is, and, as you say, it pays for itself 😅
Would you guys please help me to find a distributer for VS Faderbox? I need it essentially, but can not find it in any webshop to buy.
@@trevormadsen Same question
Thanks Dan for your wonderful channel! All of your videos, which I've enjoyed are quite well thought out. You are a gifted composer/teacher and I wish you continued success. Thanks for sharing your insights with us on so many topics. Am currently enjoying your Gentle Grand samples as well... I also use LogicPro X and your insights to setting up symphony files/templates has been quite helpful. Currently using my FaderPort 8 as a MIDI controller for my Spitfire products. Works pretty well however I like the small footprint that Faderbox controller offers. Yes, your Neumann mic sounds quite professional (warm lush tones with nice subtle proximity effect). I've been an audio engineer for about 45 years now and the audio is probably the most important part of any RUclips video so kudos there. I've been a published writer for ages but scoring is fairly new to my writing arsenal, so I'm enjoying it quite a bit using Tundra, Abbey Road and Apassionata Strings... Hope to add the BBCSO on their next sale. I always look forward to what you have to share with us next...Thx... Klender
Due to your help, I got my VS Faderbox 2 weeks ago! Thank you so much! Very highly recommended.
I am also an M-Audio Axiom user (61 in my case), and have been using the faders on that all along. THIS is EXACTLY what I have been looking for! It is just enough controls, long throw, without too many channels (for my purposes, anyway) and extraneous controls that I won't use or are redundant since I have them on my controller keyboard. Thank you!!
For anyone interested, i ordered mine a few days after this video came out, it shipped from UK on June 16, arrived in Sweden on June 21 then the super slow customs in Sweden (your country might be better) held until recently and it was delivered to me on July 7. So far I really like it, I had expected a little more resistance in the faders but I think it’s probably for the best because recording two big faders simultaneously with one hand it would probably have been hat to do accurate fast movements if the faders were not moving quite lightly.
faders need to be motorized and knobs need to be endless encoders or you could just as well use a mouse because you will need to move the faders and knobs to their right place before they do anything in the software or they will jump when you touch them. and it's a nightmare
Underrated comment
just set it it to pickup mode
@@davidzubek5035 still you need to look at the screen to see when they catch up and useless to me. After I have used motorized faders and endless encoders I would never ever buy without again
@@humancaos but does motorized faders to control midi CC even exist ?
@@bensmirmusic yes they do all the icon qCon controllers and Behringer x-touch controllers use midi CC and some others too so yes motorised fader work with midi cc
At that extravagant price I would hope your new mic would sound freakin' incredible.
Just received notice that his next batch has shipped. Looking forward to receiving one soon! Thanks for your review, Dan!
Mic sounds good, Dan. I'm listening with my studio speakers with volume around 40% - and you're coming through with lush bass tones and excellent clarity.
Thanks for the hidden gem 💎 been looking for a fader midi controller like this!
Nice review thanks Dan, looks like a useful piece of kit
been looking for something like this for a while! great find. a bit pricey sure, but if it works without issues with Ableton (which should just leverage the standard MIDI CC) then it is perfect for my needs. I recently got (and then returned) the SSL UF8 and that was an absolute overkill (and crazy expensive) . thanks for bringing this to us!
Mic sounds great. Your tutorials are excellent!
Feel like I’ve searched years for something like this! Always a few products out there or custom made, but a company that could provide a sleek box like this (and larger), is set to do well in the composer market!
Saw this first time a while back, thanks for reminding me to get it :) when something is exactly what you need it doesnt hurst the slightest to pay 100 pounds extra compared to if it was mass produced.
Hi Dan, as a voice over artist who has used Neumann for many years, delighted with your choice sir.. it sounds great!
Hi Dan, it’s hard for me to tell regarding the mic. You’ve got such a good sounding voice so every video sounds great so far. Thank you for the overview and demo of this midi controller!
I was using the Korg myself because of Oliver's videos. It was great for travelling, but I did struggle with the size. I recently set up TouchOSC on my iPad and phone. It's ideal for me because it's customisable, fairly easy to set up, you are only limited by the size of your screen, and it's cheap. But I guess the main downside is the screen, if you need that tactile aspect, it might not be for you. Having it on my phone for when I can't take my iPad around with me is great too.
Agree! TouchOSC on iPad (and iPhone!) is such an elegant solution to controlling Spitfire plugins. Smooth, reliable, precise and customizable!
finally. i spent ages to find something like this. but now i need one with 6 faders
Buil it yourself with arduino
I'm really shocked that there isn't more of a competitive market for faders and midi CC controllers, seeing as almost all composers now use VSTs and most good mix engineers rely so heavily on fader moves.
Check out 16n faderbank!
I'm looking to using Expressive E touché for that, the only device I found which seems to offer a better way to handle vst's controls. I really hate using a fader or pot for expressing emotion !
I think it's actually a pretty heavy competition -- the issue to me is that most think they need to solve every problem and adds plenty of features. Which is good for some. But what I miss is a really high quality fader box just like this one where you focus on just having very good faders and not anything else. There are a couple of "boutique" developers and I hope the do well and sell plenty so they can continue and improve the software etc.
@@simona6670 Looks awesome!
I don't think it's for me as it's too many faders, and I don't like DIY-ing equipment, but that's a good shout and I'll pass the recommendation on to some of my more techy friends. :)
@@dirtyandnasty9011 I don't mind faders at all, but the Expressive E looks awesome, gonna look into that one, thanks for the advice!
The Neumann is very nice. Full, round, warm. Thumbs up!
😊 🙏 😊
what a great find!
thank you so much for sharing
This makes sense to me, for orchestral music I need 4 faders at max. Only thing I personally really would like to have seen on there is a pitch bend.
Nice, I like the stripped back format of it. I think the price needs to come down a fair bit though.
Nice video. If the faderbox has a motorised version I might pick one up
I love my BCF. It sits on the table next to me. Bitwig recognizes it automatically. It is big though. Can't fit it on my desk, so I have to reach for it. Subscribed.
For that price, they should be at least MOTORIZED faders....
Sounding good Dan!
This mic sounds great!
5k mic for podcast?
For that money it should have at least motorized faders and the ability to change the midi channel from the interface.
Hey Dan! Great video/review! This MIDI control looks promising. I like how compact and streamlined it is. I wonder if you can sync, or link multiple units together to expand the number of faders even further. Is that something that can be done?
For that price you might as well make one yourself. I made a fader box with 16 smaller faders using an arduino last week and it cost me far less than this and I still had to buy a lot of general stuff like wires and other equipment. Was also fun and a great learning experience if you're into this kind of stuff
what faders did you use? i'm planning on doing the same thing. I bought everything from arduinos, potentiometers, wires, midi connectors etc... except for the faders
@@MennoHoman I got part number "PTA3043-2015CPB103-ND" on digikey
@@Luigi64 did you get a custom pcb or did you use breadboard or just the old straight wire to component? I'm in the process of designen my own midi controllers with faders and knobs but am new to this and am wondering if I would have to design a pcb
@@Luigi64 I made a similar 4 fader version faderbox using a teensy and alpha long faders in an old intercom. Very similar to this but not as ugly
Good shout. Thanks.
Hi Dan, the mic sounds nice and clean 👍🏻
If there’s version of this controller with 1 (one) fader for as little as about 60 British pounds, I’m sold on it. Such a great unit, so many uses and prised reasonably.
Fabulous. Just what I need.
I'm curious why there aren't more "long and small MIDI faders only box" type of products?
There are some I guess but they're not really meant for music making
Box looks great, motorised faders would be the next step up
Wonderful video, thank you Dan! I was wondering if anybody knows the length of the faders?
When talking about long or short faders, its always good to think about audio taper...
Sounds good Dan for your voice. We have about 120 different mic’s in our cabinets, and Neumann’s that are properly maintained are great, ARA ribbons are terrific, Earthwork’s are amazing; and so are many others- depending on your voice, style and situational needs. Generally, I find many focus far too much on their mic and preamp choice, and far too little on the room.
I recommend that you first fix a few obvious room issues (locally, or in the room as is possible) and then see what mic fits your needs.
Hi Andrew, thanks for your comment. If this were solely my room, I'd love to treat it and ditch the headphones. Sadly not much I can do there right now
Thanks for the video Dan. These are currently sold out. Any idea if they might become available again ?
the 2 mics you got are my go too
This, combined with a MIDI Fighter 3D & MIDI Fighter Twister = ultimate rig
my first video of yours..
but the mic sounds great to me!
Christian Henson's gonna want one of these I reckon haha.
Damn I wish I saw this before I ordered my Monogram kit. I would have rather had the long faders. Great video btw
Sound good Dan
LOL Showing my age here but, when you said "normal printer cable", for a split second I saw in my mind's eye one of those old centronics printer leads!
At first I thought it was too expensive, and it is if it was a mass production unit. But since is one guy making them seems reasonable. I do see the use of it for composition. Can't really justify the price in my case. I do have an old KORG PadKontrol and it's X-Y has served me well.
Dan,
I must say first, the piece you presented in "5 ways to make String sounds more cinematic" is outsatranding, the way on which you manipulated the orchestra, through mic positions, the ways in which you created an overall sense of depth, feel and every other parameter on the table, was what inspired me to move forward to purchase the exact library you were using. That being said, I would like to purchase this VS Faderbox asap. I've been searching online for days, yet Im not finding much on it, or how to purchase it. I've seen another video discussing how good it is, also relating to this video, yet, I cant seem to find a way in which to purchase it. I literally have been searching for days, ultimately I found one page, which looked as if, well, lets just say, it wasnt accomadating so to speak. Do you have any further information on how I might purchase this Faderbox? Its exactly what I'm looking for, nothing even remotely comes close, aside from Icon Platform X, however, Ive heard it has sporadic problems running in Logic Pro X at this time, that could be false, however, Im more interested in this Faderbox
Any thoughts, or ideas on how I might apoproach this?
Thanks, and keep up the great work,
Rick
Hi Dan! The VS Faderbox looks very light weight. Does it move around at all when using the faders, or does it stay in its place?
The Allen & Heath XONE K2 is a much better buy for not a lot more (I got a mint used one for this price), with a bunch of extra knobs and buttons but not much bigger footprint. Makes for a great 4 track mixing deck for a DAW.
do you still feel like the behringer is a good option for the price range being that its pretty old by now? besides the vs faderbox (which is now sold out i haven't found anything else in the price range that has long faders like the faderbox and behringer
This is exactly what I am looking for
For 175£? Are you sure?
@@kodah7586 ouch. that's higher than I thought. I really like how long the faders are. but that is $$.
The Gefell m930TS is my fav. voiceover mic. Im doing german TV recordings on a weekly basis.
yes, very warm sound on the mic must keep
The U47 FET is an amazing microphone. I would guess very few "RUclipsrs" have a mic of that quality for video production.
Hi, Dan!
I was interested in this midi controller. Will it work in Studio One with libraries in NI Kontakt and VST Swam?
Can I buy it in Russia?
Thank you in advance for your help!:)
Hello, see you in Brazil, I liked that 8-channel mixer behind you. what is his brand?
Are the faders motorized to follow the automation to tweak later with small adjustments?
Currently sold out. Any idea of when they will have stock? Thank you.
What if you have multiple midi interfaces ? Now do u choose which one to send to?
PLEASE do a Tutorial on the BCF2000.... I can't find clear instruction for Nuendo/Cubase and I JUST bought them.
I'm not against faderbox as well, but the faders seem PAINFULLY close together for my huge hands (i'm 6'4" and my hands are proportionately as large).
What MIDI keyboard do you recommend?
Hi Dan, many thanks for all your videos and the great content. I just received my VS Faderbox. I've installed the software which confirms that the Faderbox is connected. Unfortunately, the faderbox doesn't work yet with my DAW. I'm using Cubase 11 on a PC. Do you know if it's just plug&play like any other hardware or do I have to do a setup within Cubase? Thanks again very much, Michael
Hi Michael, the software is only necessary for reassigning midi CC so it should be plug and play. And I’m not too familiar with Cubase but I’d recommend restarting your computer, trying a different USB port, going to Studio Setup and resetting all midi. Question: is the transport panel detecting midi from other devices, but not the fader box?
@@DanKeenMusic Hi Dan, now it works perfectly. It really just needed another restart of my computer. Thank you again very much :)
Love the device! One day. Meanwhile, my mouse and a couple of clicks cost way less.
Hi Dan, thanks for the great info and channel.
I’m considering buying a CME WidiMaster (midi over Bluetooth - wireless) device, and wondered if you or any of your subscribers have any experience of using it for midi CC 01 and CC11 faders to input slider data. I suspect there might be dropouts, but would love to hear if anyone has real-world experiences. Yamaha seen to do similar item, but it’s specs seem poorer.
Many thank s to anyone who can help in any way.
Cheers for now, and keep up the great work!
Nice!
Oh dang, I got a Platform X+ last year and I like it, but that Faderbox looks closer to what I was after. I guess I could sell mine and buy one! One question though: Whenever I use small stuff that gets touched a lot, it moves around more than I want. Is that thing heavy? Would I need to velcro it down?
It has 4 rubberised feet on the base and, being an all metal construction, it's heavier than plastic. It does occasionally move a little, but I haven't resorted to velcro yet
Just chiming in on the U47, it seems to accentuate the sibilance of your voice. You might consider adding a de-esser in your chain if possible.
Look like they are sold out. How do I get one shipped to Arizona?
I need something with actual an midi input (no usb), and individual midi channel per input. Faderfox devices might work, but they are not cheap...
Any other suggestions? I also found Ann's Tweed controllers which are cheap and have din midi but no indiviual midi channel I think.
Im spoiled I want motorized faders, I wld love a little box like that with automated faders!
Does it work with cubase for channel level control?
I absolutely love the idea, but for 175 I'd expect motorized faders honestly.
Hi Dan ! Too late it seems to buy this fader... Do you have a special recommendation for another great device ?
This one appears to be out of stock, but you might like the Viper Synths Harmony. You can get 10% off with code PETRICHOR at www.dan.vipersynths.com
I was thinking of making one of these only with knobs. Though now I'm thinking a few sliders too might be nice. Funny part is almost all the expense is in the quality of hardware, the interface controller is only a few bucks (already have some STM32 boards with 16 analog inputs and usb out). Plus programming this is fairly trivial if you have any experience at all.
Indeed the price is determined by the enclosure and some of the overpriced hardware (Neutrik!!! arrrrggh!!!!!), plus economy of scale of course.
@@nativeVS I hear ya. Though there's also a big diff in programming for yourself and making a UI that other people can use. This looks like a good product and I hope you make some $$$.
COOL!
what is the throw on the faderbox?
Yes, one of the finest microphones ever made is suitable for youtube voice over.
I use cubase pro12 with east west simphonic orchestra. Is compatible? Thank you
Yes I’m sure it would be
@@DanKeenMusic thank you 🙏
Hi Dan Your link shows "sold out" Do you have any info where to get this great tool? Best Alex
Hi Alex, I'm afraid the developer of this product vastly underestimated how popular this video would become, and it seems he doesn't have the resources to keep up ! I'll let you know if I hear anything
@@DanKeenMusic thank you si much!!!
A bit boomy ...sounds good, but needs a bit of EQ around the bottom mid. Also there’s a bit of ‘metallic’ room bounce back sometimes, on the “ap”, “un”, “eye”, “ice” sounds.
Christian Henson was given a better one that this a while ago. I will stick with my BCF2000 for now. The BCF2000 is hard to get hold of now, which is a pity. The nanoKontrol is great once you programme your own brain to use it. lol. Nice one Dan. 🎶😎
Uh yeah!!! It’s a 47 and it sounds great
Hey Dan Great Vid But that Faderbox translates into 257.00 Canadian. Plus the cost of shipping... Waaaayy to much for me. Guess I'm back looking on line!!!
May I ask what are those headphones you're wearing?
Looks like beyerdynamics, could be DT990 Pro's
Is this available in India?
how to buy it
It's a good thing. I need it very much. It's a pity that I'm in China. Can I receive it?
What microphone do you use in you video? Is it an older SE Electronics?
Or a United Studio Technologies UT FET47?
Found it - you state that it is a Neumann U 47 FET...
I can not find VS Faderbox in market. I need it to buy.
Ive been looking at getting the Icon M
I've been making my own printed vinyl overlays for these kind of things... Dan, let me know and I can make you some!
Tell me more!! Email me at dankeenmusic@mail.com - that's mail not gmail
Hi, 1 year later. It seems it’s not available anymore. Has anyone a alternative? Looking for something similar, not to big and not more faders. Cheers!
I know, pretty disappointed about this! I’d recommend Nuances by Pierre
@@DanKeenMusic June batch is sold out! 😂 The midimaker (3d printed) and naked boards mc-8 are 'pretty good' and available alternatives.
@@DanKeenMusic But thanks! I keep an eye on that one!
I have been looking at the sparrow from the midi maker. It's pretty well priced at a 100 dollars for 4 faders so I might give it a try. Though a metal encasing would have been nice.
$175 for this?? It's great to support a small developer don't get me wrong but damn, that's a bit much for something so basic
One arduino pro micro for 5$ four faders for 20$, a case for 10$ and 20 lines of code.. a "bit" overpriced.
&SEEING the arduino on the homepage is absolutely insulting considering the price. its called PROTOTYPING for a reason. He could get just that arm chip running that code for cents. (or you or I could)
Do you sing or just use the mic for videos?
"It's not very pretty"... It's black. All we need 🙃.
I understand why this is such a game changer for automations. Been watching you and the Spitfire guy, don't remember his name, but what about control surfaces that already have lots of long faders? Saw the Behringer. So I'm wondering if you think this is a better option even for people that already have a CS or plan to buy one soon or if you are promoting this kind of devices for composers to use out of a mixing enviroment?
This is appealing to me. I use Console 1 as my channel strip and would like to add a C1 Fader as my main control surface. Sadly, Softube doesn't allow us to map the device to other functions outside the C1 software. Anything it does in the actual daw is pre-mapped. So it could make sense for me to get a little device like this as a producing tool or just forget about the C1 Fader and get a Faderport since I'm a Studio One user. Any thoughts?