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Why does nobody make a compact, inexpensive USB MIDI fader controller with three or four 100mm faders?

Justin L. Franks

Senior Member
Everything on the market is large and/or expensive with 8+ faders, designed more for mixing than controlling an orchestral sample library, or cheap with much smaller faders (like the Korg Nanokontrol 2). All I want is something small, with three or four 100mm faders. No extra buttons or knobs. With the surge in popularity of affordable orchestral libraries that sound great, it seem surprising that no companies are making a compact fader controller with just a few full-size faders.

Imagine taking something like the Softube Console 1, which already is only 16" wide with 10 faders, and chopping off all but the first four faders. You'd end up with something less than 5" wide. Then just have simple software to assign the faders to different CC's. Just like this, with non-motorized faders, and without the buttons or meters:

Untitled 5.png
 
I've often thought the same. I guess it is build price in the end? Making a smaller unit at a cheaper price might not be worth it for their profit margins?

Still, I think this could be an interesting area for a small start up company to enter the market.
 
You'd think PreSonus would pop one of those out, they already have the CC bit sorted, a la FaderPort 8/16 firmware.
 
You could look into this. It's modular so you can just buy the parts you need. I have one arriving in a few days:-


Great concept, but the 3 fader block, and all bundles with a 3 fader block is sold out, and it only has 60mm faders. Priced nice at $119, but requires the $149 "Core" block to make it even work.

Korg and Behringer I think have some. Or for a modest expense, the Faderfox UC4.

Small 40mm faders on the Korg. Giant beast with 8 or 9 faders and many, many more buttons and knobs for the Behringers. Eight tiny 30mm faders on the Faderfox, and again, lots more buttons and knobs.

I just use the ones st the top of my Launchkey.

My Keylab also has faders, but yet again, only 30mm.

Still, I think this could be an interesting area for a small start up company to enter the market.

Exactly! It would be a very simple build with inexpensive components. I'm on the verge of just making one myself (I have a bit of experience with electronics, having built a few guitar pedals and a couple of Arduino-based machines)
 
Naked Boards should really make a square 3 or 4 fader version of the mc8. And have it available in black or white. It could cost exactly the same. I’m sure many of us would choose it anyway!
 
Great concept, but the 3 fader block, and all bundles with a 3 fader block is sold out, and it only has 60mm faders. Priced nice at $119, but requires the $149 "Core" block to make it even work.



Small 40mm faders on the Korg. Giant beast with 8 or 9 faders and many, many more buttons and knobs for the Behringers. Eight tiny 30mm faders on the Faderfox, and again, lots more buttons and knobs.



My Keylab also has faders, but yet again, only 30mm.



Exactly! It would be a very simple build with inexpensive components. I'm on the verge of just making one myself (I have a bit of experience with electronics, having built a few guitar pedals and a couple of Arduino-based machines)
Oh. You’re looking for one solution only. Got it. Good luck!
 
This is easy to build, but leaves a lot of flexibility in the design you need. It is not cheap, but worth the money, I would think. The only thing I am missing is the software that makes it as easy to configure the controller to your needs that is as easy as the building process. They say they are working on it. I will be waiting for that and then buy a first kit. You can have a group of 4 motor faders- both 60mm and 100mm.

 
Twice as wide as the OP requested, but it still looks slim and handy:

-> https://iconproaudio.com/product/platform-x/
I thought these looked great once, too - until I bought one! ;) I’d say now, beware a typical Chinese manufacturer with the typical problems. They are cheap, but ...

... many units have problems and their faders are notorious for being noisy and faulty.

... their software is not up to the standard and bugs are not fixed in a timely manner or at all.

... Their faders are only 128 steps resolution (midi CC). This is not a problem for riding midi CCs, of course, but as soon as you want to use it as aN MCU emulation to grab your DAWs faders, these lack the precision. If you don’t plan doing that, why choose motor fader in the first place?
 
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