PreSonus FaderPort 16 DAW Controller with Studio One Pro Software

I'm enjoying the FaderPort. I love that it came with the latest version of Studio One 7 Pro. After a firmware update the FaderPort works perfectly in Studio One 7 without requiring any modifications or reprogramming. It's very intuitive to use. The physical fader feels nice to the touch. The build quality is solid. This is compatible with Studio One 7 DAW, which came with the FaderPort. I simply had to register my unit to be able to download the DAW software. The buttons are responsive. This is a solid value if you love Studio One and it's your DAW of choice. This lets me work with sound more efficiently without taking up much desk space.

This controller comes with Studio One Pro, and the motorized fader works perfectly for automation control. The included software alone makes this a worthwhile purchase. While there are occasional connection issues, solutions are readily available on YouTube, making them easy to resolve. Making and editing music with Studio One Pro is an excellent experience, and I highly recommend it.

A simple hardware store rubber grommet as shown will turn the otherwise miserable knob into a jog/shuttle-style wheel you can easily turn with one fingertip. The knob will grind a bit (by design, sadly...this is an audio product and should be silent) but loosen up over time, as will the motorized fader. I like the design, have used the Faderport 2 for a few years, stayed with it for my podcast rig, which brings us to the audio side. It's fine enough, nothing special, the headphone amp cranks but does get a bit of harmonic distortion when cranked. The mic pre is commodity, it has enough gain for the SM7B but no phase invert. I didn't try a guitar, no idea of the input impedance. Comparing, the SSL2 is more euphonious than this certainly, but doesn't have the nifty controller of course. This lacks the SSL2's stereo control button, I think the low-latency input monitoring lock both channels as mono, but I didn't test that. Both have 115dB dynamic range spec, the SSL2 does sound better, but I can live with this Presonus audio for simple use cases. The SSL2 headphone level doesn't get as loud, but the preamps do have the somewhat handy "4K" mode. Testing further, the audio section on the ioStation is pretty poor. There are error spurs (continuous high tones) in the ADCs, and the main outs are unbalanced. This is sloppy corner cutting consumer gear quality. The PCB traces were made for manufacturing convenience and not for performance. Read the instructions next time. Presonus does read the instructions on their Quantum units fwiw. The DACs are OK, and the headphone amp, while getting some 3rd harmonic when cranked, is quite usable. I would probably prefer a USB Mic like the Shure MV7 over these ADCs if possible. But just to listen back in headphones while editing/mixing, or even over speakers, this works fine. The SSL 2 is far far better on the bench though. But no Faderport included unless you buy a UF8.

This interfaced with my DAW (Waveform Pro) almost immediately. Just needed to download the driver and put it in Midi mode (hold the "Next" button as it boots, then hit the "Solo" button while in your DAW" and I'm able to swap channels, pan, scroll the timeline, adjust master, turn metronome (click) on and off, solo or mute whichever channel, and arm for recording. It's a fairly nice piece of equipment. I was initially shopping for an 8 or 16 fader device, but having a single fader that I can swap to whichever channel is very handy. I would recommend this as a cost effective alternative. I can also start, pause playback, start or stop recording. I can't speak for the software included, honestly for items like this I don't think they need to include it. Kinda a waste for most people looking at this, as they will be intermediate or advanced users.

I could not recommend one of these more. Once the software is installed and I opened Studio One for the first time, the board lit up like Times Square. It's so easy to use, I don't think I looked at the manual for a week or so. Even if you don't use SO, it's compatible with many other DAWs. PreSonus has incredible customer service and the quality is superb. I heard reviews about it being loud, but I've never even heard a fan turn on. It's seamless integration with SO got me into their world and I am loving everyday of it. For the money, an 8 motorized fader controller, that comes with a cutting edge DAW with 200GB of goodies is a steal. Spend your money on this first!

Good product

Oggetto che non ha bisogno di presentazioni ed arrivato nei Tempi previsti. Per chi necessita di una superficie di controllo senz'altro la consiglio, anche se per un'uso con altre daw che non siano studio one. Questo anche perchè si possono avere 16 canali di controllo, anzichè i classici 8, in uno spazio tutto sommato ristretto. Personalmente non la uso con una DAW ma svolge perfettamente la sua funzione. A mio avviso ha come UNICA "PECCA" il fatto che, almeno al momento ma spero sia possibile con implementazione firmware futura , Presonus non dia di fatto la possibilità di regolare della grandezza dei caratteri (troppo piccoli) all'interno dei 16 "scribble script" (cosa presente nel manuale ma di fatto non si capisce bene come poterlo fare) che di fatto rende la loro presenza praticamente inutile.

Great for controlling Studio 1. I don't use any other DAW so I cannot comment. Works amazing!

Love this product once I updated the firmware. Works really well. Delivery to Australia from the UK was awesome came a week earlier than expected. Very happy.

You will start to love your workflow using this 🥰