- The FaderPort™ 8 is a production control surface with 8 touch-sensitive, motorized faders,
- monochromatic digital scribble strips and more than 60 buttons with fixed labels.
+ The FaderPort™ 8 is a production control surface with 8 touch-sensitive,
+ motorized faders, monochromatic digital scribble strips and more than 60 buttons
+ with fixed labels.
Connecting the FaderPort 8
@@ -19,17 +21,19 @@
in both Ardour and other similar software.
-
- Ardour uses the FaderPort 8 in what PreSonus calls "Studio One" or
- "native" mode.
- (If you would like to change the mode at any point, power on the unit while
- holding down the first two Select buttons, see the FaderPort 8 manual
- for further details, also note that at least Firmware version 1.01 is
- required.)
+
+ Ardour uses the FaderPort 8 in what PreSonus calls "Studio One" or "native"
+ mode. To use the FaderPort8 with Ardour's FP8 Control Surface, make sure that
+ the device is in "Studio One" mode. (If you would like to change the mode at
+ any point, power on the unit while holding down the two leftmost Select
+ buttons, see the FaderPort 8 manual for further details. Also note that at
+ least firmware version 1.01 is required. NB. "factory default" resets the
+ firmware, see the PreSonus FaderPort8 Owner's manual chapter 9.4.)
- While the FaderPort provides a Mackie Control Universal (MCU) mode,
- MCU does not support various elements available on the FP8.
- e.g. colored buttons, and the custom mode scribble strips.
+ While the FaderPort provides a Mackie Control Universal (MCU) mode, which
+ works with Ardour's Mackie Control Surface, MCU does not support various
+ elements available on the FP8 (e.g. colored buttons, and the custom mode
+ scribble strips).
@@ -46,16 +50,20 @@
saved, the connections will be made automatically in this and other
future sessions.
The FaderPort's controls can be divided into five groups:
-
+
+
Transport buttons
Session Navigation controls
Fader modes
@@ -70,15 +78,20 @@
- All buttons act on release (not press), exceptions are mentioned below.
+ Buttons generlaly act on release (not press), with exception
+ of transport-control (since 6.0pre) and individual exceptions mentioned below.
Transport Buttons
+
-
+
+
+ FaderPort8 Transport Buttons
+
-
+
+
Stop: Stops the transport. Press twice to return to
session start.
Loop: Toggles loop playback. A loop-range needs to
@@ -95,69 +108,85 @@
Record: Toggles the global record enable
setting.
-
-
Session Navigation
+
Session Navigation
Session Navigation allows quick navigation and provides access to
session-wide controls. Each of the eight buttons alters the function
- of the push-button encoder and the "Prev", "Next" buttons.
- With exception of "Click" the seven modes are exclusive (radio buttons).
+ of the push-button encoder and the Prev, Next buttons.
+ With exception of Click the seven modes are exclusive (radio buttons).
+
-
+
+
+ FaderPort8 Navigation Buttons
+
-
-
-
-
Channel: The Prev/Next
+
+
+
Channel: The Prev / Next
buttons select the previous/next mixer-strip. If no strip is selected,
Next selects the first, Prev the last mixer-strip in
- the session. Pressing the encoder moves the most recently selected
- mixer-strip into view on the FP8. The encoder scrolls the editor-canvas
-up/down.
+ the session. Pressing the encoder knob moves the most recently selected
+ mixer-strip into view on the FP8. The encoder scrolls the editor-canvas
+ up/down.
Master: The encoder controls the master-bus level.
If a session includes a monitor-section, the encoder controls monitor-out by
default. Hold the button to control the master-bus level. Press the
- encoder to reset the gain to 0dB. The
- Prev/Next navigation buttons bank the visible strips on
- the FP8 by one track left/right.
+ encoder knob to reset the gain to 0dB. The Prev / Next
+ navigation buttons bank the visible strips on the FP8 by one track
+ left/right.
Zoom: The encoder controls horizontal zoom of the
- editor. Press the encoder to zoom to fit the session.
- Prev/Next navigation buttons zoom selected track(s)
+ editor. Press the encoder to zoom to fit the session.
+ Prev / Next navigation buttons zoom selected track(s)
vertically (or all tracks if none are selected).
Click: Toggle the metronome on/off. While holding
the Click button, the encoder modifies the volume of the
- metronome click (press the encoder while holding Click
- to reset the metronome level to 0dBFS).
+ metronome click (press the encoder while holding Click to reset
+ the metronome level to 0dBFS).
Scroll: The encoder scrolls the timeline (hold
- Shift for finer steps). Pressing the encoderzooms
- to fit the session. The Prev/Next navigation
+ Shift for finer steps). Pressing the encoder zooms to
+ fit the session. The Prev / Next navigation
buttons bank the visible strips on the FP8 by one track left/right.
-
Section: The Prev/Next
+
Section: The Prev / Next
navigation buttons nudge the selected region by the time configured in the
nudge-clock. If no region is selected the playhead position is nudged. The
encoder always nudges the playhead position.
Bank: Encoder and navigation buttons scroll through
- mixer-strips in banks of eight. Pressing the encoder moves the
- most recently selected mixer-strip into view on the FP8.
+ mixer-strips in banks of eight. Pressing the encoder moves the most recently
+ selected mixer-strip into view on the FP8.
Marker: The encoder scrolls the timeline (hold
- Shift for finer steps). The Prev/Next
- navigation buttons jump to prev/next markers. Press the encoder
- to drop a new marker.
+ Shift for finer steps). The Prev / Next
+ navigation buttons jump to prev/next markers. Press the encoder to drop a
+ new marker.
When combined with Shift, the eight buttons will access custom
functions, which can be configured in the Preference Dialog. The buttons will
light up if an action has been assigned to a button.
-
+
+ The following tables shows a condensed overview of the session-navigation modes:
+
+
+
Prev / Next
Encoder knob
Encoder Press
+
Channel
Select prev/next mixer-strip
Scroll Editor up/down
Bank to show selected strip on FP8
+
Master
Bank visible strips on FP8 by 1
Adjust master/monitor level
Reset master/monitor to 0dB
+
Zoom
Vertical zoom (editor track-height)
Horizontal timeline zoom (time)
Horizontal zoom to session
+
Scroll
Bank visible strips on FP8 by 1
Scroll the timeline (move playhead)
Horizontal zoom to session
+
Section
Nudge the selected region
Nudge the playhead
-
+
Bank
Bank visible strips on FP8 by 8
Bank visible strips on FP8 by 1
Bank to show selected strip on FP8
+
Marker
Move to prev/next marker
Scroll the timeline (move playhead)
Drop a new marker
+
Press and hold Click
(mode dependent)
Adjust metronome Level
Reset metronome level to 0dBFS
+
-
Shift Button
+
Shift Button
-
+
+
+ The FaderPort8 Shift Button
+
The two Shift buttons are identical, they're copied to provide
@@ -172,36 +201,62 @@ up/down.
The Shift button engages directly on press. Activating an action
while the button is held will void the shift-lock mode.
-
-
Fader Modes
+
Fader Modes
The eight faders on the FP8 can be assigned to various automatable
controls present in the current session. The four fader-mode buttons
change the behavior of the mixer-strip and scribble strip displays.
(Note: with the 1.01 firmware these buttons always act on press.)
+
-
+
+
+ FaderPort8 Fader Mode Buttons
+
-
+
+
Track: In Track-mode, the motorized faders display
and control a mixer-strip's signal level. The Pan/Param encoder modifies the
azimuth of the panner (hold Shift to control the width, if the
track's panner supports it). Mute and Solo affect the
respective mixer-strip.
Edit Plugins: When Edit Plug-ins mode is active, the
- motorized faders will control the parameter settings. Press the Edit
- Plugins button to view all available plugin-inserts on a strip. If
- no plugins are available, Edit Plugins will not engage and the
- FP8 automatically switches back to Track-mode. Use the Select
- buttons under the scribble strip to pick a plugin to edit. The faders and
- Select buttons will respectively control the parameters and toggles
- of the selected plugin. Press the Edit Plugins button again to return
- to the insert select view. (Once a plugin has been selected, it stays in edit
- mode regardless of selection). If there are more than eight, the Pan/Param
- encoder allows to scroll through available control-parameters.
+ motorized faders will control the parameter settings of a given
+ plugin-insert.
+ Press the Edit Plugins button to view all available
+ plugin-inserts on a strip. If no plugins are available, Edit
+ Plugins will not engage and the FP8 automatically switches back to
+ Track-mode.
+ Select Plugin Mode:
+ Use the Select buttons under the scribble strip to pick a plugin
+ to edit.
+ The Select button color indicates the bypass/enable state of
+ the plugin (red: bypassed, green: enabled). Use Shift +
+ Select to toggle the bypass state.
+ Selecting a plugin enters Parameter Edit Mode: The faders
+ and the Select buttons will respectively control the parameters
+ and toggle controls of the selected plugin (once a plugin has been selected,
+ it stays in edit mode regardless of track selection). If there are more than
+ eight parameters, the Pan/Param encoder allows to scroll through available
+ control-parameters (hold Shift to bank by 8).
+ If the plugin has any presets, pressing the Pan/Param encoder switches to
+ the plugin-preset display: Plugin preset names are
+ displayed on the scribble-displays, the Select button below each
+ loads the preset. The "Pan/Param" encoder can be used to scroll through
+ presets if there are more than seven (right-most, 8th, slot is reserved to
+ unload/clear a loaded preset, hold Shift to bank by 7). The
+ Select button color is used to indicate the currently loaded
+ preset (if any) and blinks if a parameter has been modified since loading
+ the preset. Loading a preset or pressing the Pan/Param encoder again
+ switches back to the Plugin Parameter Edit Mode.
+ In Parameter Edit Mode, the "Open" (Shift + Macro)
+ allows to toggle the Plugin GUI visibility.
+ Press the Edit Plugins button again to return to the Select
+ Plugin Mode.
+
Sends: In Sends mode, each of the faders is mapped
to the send-level of aux-sends of the selected track. If there are more than
eight sends on a given track, the Pan/Param encoder can scroll through them.
@@ -211,21 +266,31 @@ up/down.
will display and control the panner's azimuth. The Pan/Param controls the
pan-width of the selected mixer-strip.
+
Shift + Track toggles timecode display on/off (middle
- row of the scribble-strip).
+ row of the scribble-strip). The timecode format can be configured in the
+ Control Surface Preference Dialog (Timecode, musical-time: bar/beat/tick).
-
-
Channel Strip
+
+
Channel Strip
+
-
+
+
+ The FaderPort8 Channel Strip
+
-
+
+
Touch-Sensitive Fader: The fader can be used to control
volume levels, aux send levels, panning, or plugin parameters, depending on
the fader-mode (see above).
+
Pan/Param: The encoder controls panning in Track and Pan
+ mode. In Plugin and Send fader-modes, the encoder banks parameters. See
+ Fader modes above for details. When "Link" is engaged, the encoder can
+ control any automatable parameter (see Miscellaneous below).
Mute: Toggle the mute-control of the corresponding
mixer-strip. Mute engages on press, and disengages on release. Press and
hold the button for at least 0.5sec for momentary.
@@ -233,54 +298,61 @@ up/down.
of the corresponding mixer-strip. Solo engages on press, and disengages on
release. Press and hold the button for at least 500ms for momentary.
Select: In Track and Sends and Pan mode the Select
- button select/de-select a given mixer-strip. Since selection is not limited
- to a single mixer-strip, the button acts in tri-state. A mixer-strip light
- indicates selection:
-
+ button select/de-select a given mixer-strip.
+
+ Since selection is not limited to a single mixer-strip, the button acts in
+ tri-state. A mixer-strip light indicates selection:
+
Any Selected Track: The select button is lit with the
track's color.
Any Not Selected Track: The select button is off
(dimly showing the track's color).
Most Recently Selected Track: Only one track at a
- time. The select button is blinks width the track's color.
+ time. The select button blinks with the track's color.
Operations such as Edit Plugins or Sends use the
- most-recently-selected track. To modify the selection, the button's action
- depends on the current selection:
-
-
Select any unselected track: The track is
- added to the selection and becomes the most-recently selected.
-
Select the most-recently-selected
- (blinking): Removes the track from selection (most-recent
- falls back).
-
Select any other selected track: Make it
- most-recently-selected track.
+ most-recently-selected (focused) track. To modify the selection, the
+ button's action depends on the current selection:
+
+
Select: The track is exclusively selected
+ and also becomes the most-recently selected.
Shift + Select any selected
track: Deselect the track.
Shift + Select any unselected
- track: Exclusively select the given track (and make it
+ track: Adds the given track to the selection and make it
most-recently selected).
- While holding the ARM button the Select button light changes to red
- and the Select buttons controls the record-arm of the given track.
- Mixer-strips that cannot be record-armed have a dim white light.
+ In Track-mode, pressing the Select button of the most recently
+ selected track (blinking Select button) will reset the fader-gain
+ to unity (0dB). (since Ardour 5.11-207, Mixbus 4.2-66)
+
+
+ While holding the ARM button the Select button lights
+ change to red and the Select buttons controls the record-arm of
+ the given track. Mixer-strips that cannot be record-armed have a dim white
+ light.
+
+
Shift + ARM record-arms all tracks in the session.
-
-
Mix Management
+
Mix Management
These buttons allows to select which mixer-strips are spilled on the FP8
channel-strips.
Shift + AllUser:
Display all currently selected mixer-strips only.
-
-
+
+
-
Automation Controls
+
Automation Controls
The Automation Controls provide access to the currently selected mixer-strips.
The automation enable lights indicates the mode of the most recently selected
@@ -316,11 +388,15 @@ up/down.
Track and Pan fader modes where they affect the fader
and pan automation modes respectively.
+
-
+
+
+ FaderPort8 Automation Buttons
+
-
+
+
Latch: Currently not available in Ardour.
Trim: Currently not available in Ardour.
Off: Select "Manual" automation mode.
@@ -330,12 +406,12 @@ up/down.
mode.
Touch Select "Touch" automation mode.
-
+
The Automation Controls also double as session state controls
when combined with Shift.
-
+
Shift + LatchSave:
Save the session. The button lights up red if the session is modified.
With Shift, the bottom row allows to bind three custom user
actions.
-
-
Miscellaneous
+
Miscellaneous
+
-
+
+
+ FaderPort8 Misc Buttons
+
-
+
+
Solo Clear: Reset all solo controls in the
- session.
+ session. If the FP8 was used to clear solo-state, pressing the button again
+ will restore the previous state (unless solo state was modified manually
+ since).
Mute Clear: Unmute all mixer-strips in the
- session.
-
Bypass: A/B bypass toggle any plugins on all
- selected mixer-strips.
+ session. If the FP8 was used to clear mute-state, pressing the button again
+ will restore the previous mute state (unless mute-state was changed manually
+ since).
+
Bypass: The behavior depends on the edit-mode:
+
+
Track + Pan Mode: A/B bypass toggle any plugins on
+ all selected mixer-strips.
+
Edit Plugin Parameter: Toggle bypass of of the plugin
+ that is currently being edited. Bypass state is indicated by color: red
+ for bypassed, green for enabled (not bypassed).
+
+
Shift + BypassBypass
- All: currently the same as "Bypass".
+ All: A/B bypass toggle any plugins on all selected mixer-strips.
+
+
+
Macro: Toggle Editor and Mixer Windows/Tabs.
+
Shift + MacroOpen: The
+ behavior depends on the edit-mode:
+
+
Edit Plugin Parameter: Toggle Plugin GUI visibility
+ (if it has a GUI) of the plugin that is currently being edited.
+
all other modes: Show the Import Audio Dialog.
+
+
Link: Activate Control-Link Mode (only available in
+ Track and Pan modes).
+ The Pan/Param encoder controls the element over which the mouse-cursor
+ hovers in the GUI. One can access any parameter which can be automated.
+ Pressing the Pan/Param encoder resets the control-parameter to the default
+ value.
+ The buttons color is used to indicate the link-state:
+
+
orange: Link is enabled, but the mouse-cursor is not
+ over an element which can be controlled.
+
yellow: Link is enabled, and the cursor is hovering
+ over a controllable element.
+
green: Link is locked to a given element (see
+ below).
+
turquoise: Link lock is possible (when pressing
+ Shift while link-mode is enabled).
+
red: Link-lock is not possible (only when pressing
+ Shift while link-mode is enabled without a valid element to
+ control.
+
+
+
Shift + LinkLock:
+ When in Link-mode (see above), this allows to lock the current control to
+ the Pan/Param encoder. Link will no longer follow the GUI mouse-cursor.
+ If Link-mode is not enabled, Lock, locks the GUI (alike Session > Lock)
+ to prevent accidental changes.
- The labels of the following buttons have no direct corresponding action in
- Ardour and are currently mapped to convenient functions:
+Link and Link-Lock mode will automatically disengage when entering
+Sends or Edit Plugins mode.
-
-
Macro: Show the Editor Window.
-
Shift + LinkOpen:
- Show the Import Audio Dialog.
-
Link: Switch to the Mixer Window.
-
Shift + LinkLock:
- Lock the GUI (alike Session > Lock) to prevent accidental changes.
+
+
Harrison Mixbus
+
+The above also applies to Ardour-derivatives Harrison-Mixbus and Mixbus 32C with a few subtle differences:
+
+
+
+ Mix Management Bus shows Mixbusses only, while FX spills Aux-busses.
+
+
+ The Mixbus built-in EQ and Compressor are present on every track and bus and always available. They are displayed as special plugins on right-side in Select Plugin Mode.
+ When editing those processors, the parameters follows track selection (for other plugins this is not possible since they may not be present).
+
+
+ Fader mode Sends shows mixbus-assigns first (before any optional aux-sends). The master-bus-assign is available on the "S"olo button of the right-most strip.
+
+ 
+ 
+ 
+ 
+ 
+ 
+ 
+ 
+