Mackie Control Universal Pro Controller

Unfortunately, I got a defective unit that wouldn't do anything after it powered up. It wouldn't allow me to choose any of the 3 DAW protocols or do anything else. I returned it for a Presonus Faderport 8 which works perfectly for far less money.

Aesthetically pleasing to the eye. Professionally built top last and functions as designed with all the Major DAWS, a little pricey but it's worth it.

I have one Mackie Control Universal Pro unit and three extensions, great price for having 32 available channels. Used with a Mac and Logic Pro 9, very easy to set them up once you have read the Mackie and Logic Pro Control surface section. Big issue with the LCD Display, after around 12 months of use, the LCD display starts losing brightness and finally it blacks out. You need to change the complete display. All my units are presenting the same problem. I would highly recommend and rate as excellent product, if Mackie would solve this issue.

I bought this to use with Pro Tools LE 8, and for the most part it has lived up to my expectations. The Good... It's very solidly built, hardly a piece of plastic visible anywhere... nice metal enclosure with clearly printed graphics. Faders are much quieter than some older units I've seen in videos, you can barely hear them moving. Everything seems very robust. I really love having actual faders, buttons, etc., it's nice to be able to actually control several facers in real time instead of mousing the faders one at a time. I was concerned that paging back and forth across the mixer would get to be confusing but actually it brings more clarity to the process than paging back and forth on the screen. If you are creative in your track naming (scribble strip displays only 4 characters per track)it's pretty easy to keep track of things, especially if you are consistent from session to session about where you put things. One concern I had was that in previous models, evidently it didn't always play nice with hidden tracks - in my case that works exactly as you would expect, so that was a relief. Reasonably logical arrangement of Pro Tools functions, although it would be really nice if there was a button where you could just jump from one marker to the next, or drop a marker while the transport is running. Doesn't seem to be a way to do that. I like being able to toggle various floating palettes on and off, and flip easily from mix to edit screens. I wish those two buttons were more prominent, since I use a single screen. Overall I'd give it a "B" for functionality with Pro Tools. Other software might be better integrated. Can't speak to how it works with newer versions. The Bad... I have not been able to get it to work with my DAW when connected thru USB. Followed the directions to the letter, but I keep getting a message that PT can't find the control surface. Hooked it up to my 003R with midi cables and it works fine. This is not a big issue to me but I could see how it could be a deal-breaker to some people who have several extenders connected. Documentation is weak. When something is called "universal" you would think that more information would be provided regarding how to make it work with most major software products. The reference manual is very brief in its description of hookup, possible issues, and how the device works with various software. There's a document available that actually pre-dates the "universal" version of the Mackie Control that is specific to Pro Tools, and most of it still applies, but there are some things that don't work as described in the document. So you're on your own there. I've not been able to find anything more current. The text on the Pro Tools overlay is so small I can barely read it even in good lighting. On frequently used controls this is not that bad because you memorize things, but it's really annoying to have to lean over the unit to read the teeny type below the buttons on rarely used controls. The puzzling: There are a couple of functions associated with the rotary controls across the top that are pretty much useless. In particular, the procedure to select and tweak plug-ins seems very complicated and tedious compared to just doing it on-screen. Maybe I'll grow to love it but right now it seems like something I'll never use. Overall, I give it 4 stars although it probably sounds like I'm griping a lot about it. I'm so tickled to have physical control of the transport, various channel functions, and so on that I can live with the occasional clunky implementation.

I purchased this item based at the Sacramento store. Wow! What a great time saver. I agree with one of the other reviews about the manual but you can download it from the Interweb. Too bad, I would have paid $10.00 for a good copy of the instructions. This is an excellent machine and works great. I would recommend it to anyone.

This is an excellent product. I recently purchased one for my home studio work (I do it on the side) when a co-worker told me about it. We work on a digidesign dcon and this machine can do everything the dcon can. I run mine with additional fader packs, but even if you get just this, its super fast and super efficient in scrolling from bank to bank. Works wonderfully with Pro Tools, and is just a great overall controller.