MIDI controllers are big business these days, and it’s hardly surprising given the popularity of software in both DJing AND music production. Software is only so good before you wish you were back in the physical world again.
Big name brands dominate this market, but independent upstart Faderfox has been firm outside favorite since their launch. Now back with their third iteration of controllers are they ready to take on the big boys at their own game?
One of the stand-out ideas behind the Faderfox controllers is that they take a modular approach to performance. Each model is a stand alone performance tool in its own right but with its own area of specialty. This means that two or more models can be combined to cater for almost any user style or preference. Naturally all of the controllers are fully assignable to any configuration you prefer, but once you see how well they have been thought out you might not need to.
The FT3 appears to have been built very much with Traktor and Ableton in mind. The former being the obvious focus as all of the text/markings on the unit refer to their function in the Traktor environment. The device has the Ableton and Traktor configurations actually built in meaning they are accessible easily through a simple key-press combination. Small in their design – about the size of a paperback book – Faderfox have managed to cram in an unbelievable amount of buttons and faders.
On the model we have there are nine pots, four upfaders, a crossfader and twenty buttons. One of the said buttons is actually a shift mode meaning that you can use most things for at least two functions, sometimes more as all the poys are clickable buttons also.
We set this up with Traktor first of all to see how tight the integration is. Not being accustomed to using purely software and a controller for DJing made this an excellent test of its real world functionality and ease of use. To start off it was a little daunting, the sheer number of buttons and modes seemed overwhelming, once I had taken a few moments to run through each one in turn and get a feel for how the controller is designed to work with the software I was up and running.
Five minutes later I was starting to feel like a controllerist of many years. Simply put this device injects a LOT of fun back into DJing. Initially I was worried that the lack of a central jog wheel or pitch control might have been frustrating, but with all my faith in Traktor this soon proved not to be a problem. All the buttons, pots and faders feel tight and well built, as does the units housing and fascia. Due to the amount of space and controls the design is very stripped back visually, no pretty grid of multi coloured lights to impress your friends etc, just straight down to business. The pots are endless which I think is necessary in a controller that isn’t tied to one platform, but it does mean that sometimes the ridge to let you feel where it is set has no relation to the setting on screen – a small detail common to many controllers.
Use with Ableton is a very similar affair, and a down-loadable Ableton live set is available with a suggested workflow template. Possibly more scope for manual configuration with Live due to it’s multi faceted use. To test the controller in more unfamiliar territory I set it up with Deckadance. Configuration was easy which is more a feature of Deckadance, but you soon find yourself mimicking the layout used for Traktor as it is ultimately the most logical.
All in all this little box of tricks is deceivingly comprehensive. It feels solid and reliable and is so small it’s not going to add any size or weight to what you already carry around. An independent company naturally doesn’t have the buying power of the larger corporations, but still it manages to price itself at about the same level as a Novation launch pad at 250€. This might seem higher that you would have hoped for, but as the company grows I would expect this to change. It’s definitely worth it in terms of build quality and functionality, and that is all we want really isn’t it?
Buying into Fadefox is more than just a controller though, these devices somehow speak to you a little bit more than some of the other brand options out there. They appeal to the enthusiast in all of us, and that is a quality natural to all DJs by their very nature.
For more information and to view the rest of the range head over to their official web-site:
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[...] a lot of research and discussion we finally decided on a Faderfox FT3. In the end, it was a close call [...]
Posted on July 15th, 2011 at 2:14 pm
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