We've been fans of Faderfox's controllers for years, but the new UC44 'universal controller' might just be the company's most ambitious and appealing effort yet.
Shipping in its own dedicated silver metal case - indicating that it could be suitable for life on the road - this sports eight push encoders, each with a 2-digit display, 16 60mm faders and 35 buttons. The encoders can be switched between 32 groups, meaning that you can theoretically have control of 512 parameters at a time
All the controllers are assignable, and you can store up to eight setups on the unit. If you're an Ableton Live 8/9 user, though, you can make use of the control surface script that ships with the UC44.
A feature list is below and you can find out more on the Faderfox website. The UC44 can be USB bus powered and is compatible with PC and Mac. It costs €599.
Faderfox UC44 features
- Universal controller for all kinds of MIDI controllable hard- and software
- Control surface script for Live 8/9 is shipped with the controller
- USB interface with bus powering
- class compliant / no driver necessary (consumption < 300mA)
- MIDI in and out ports with routing and merge functionality
- 8 push encoders with detents (resolution about 30 pulses)
- Encoder push buttons can send commands (fully programmable)
- 32 buttons with LED for switchable parameters
- 8 x 2-digit-display to show encoder values and programming data
- 14 bit high resolution encoder mode for sensitive parameters
- Programmable value ranges with min/max values
- Data feedback for encoders and faders avoid value jumps
- All controls (incl. push buttons) fully programmable in the device by channel, type, number, mode
- Different command types like control change (CC), pitch bend, aftertouch, program change, notes
- Advanced programming functions like copy, paste and group sets
- 32 independent groups for encoders
- 2 independent groups for faders/buttons
- About 608 commands per setup
- 8 setups with backup/restore function contain all controller settings
- Upgradable firmware by simple Sysex-dump
- Very compact and solid design in a silver metal casing (size 290x220x55 mm, weight 1.6 kg)
