I picked up the Presonus FaderPort 8 today. Running Reaper v5.76/x64 under Win10, fully patched.
Just to see what would happen, I downloaded the drivers and plugged it in out of the box, no firmware update. Stock firmware on this was 1.01, v10899M build date Nov 24, 2016.
Had to dink with the controller to put it into MCU mode, as the "Presonus Faderport" control surface type in Reaper /did not/ work for me, and it came in "Studio One" mode by default. Faderport protocol options under v1.01 are:
STUDIO ONE
MCU
HUI
Putting the FaderPort in MCU mode and selecting the "Mackie Control Universal (Dev 9.7)" in Reaper worked.
Once I tested it (results below), i ran the firmware updater bringing it to 2.01, rev 13123, build date nov 16, 2017. Firmware updater worked easily, and factory reset took me back to v1.01. Have done this reliably several times.
On v2.01 when in the mode-select option (holding down "Select" on tracks1&2 as you power it up) there are several options:
Studio One
MCU (Logic)
MCU (Cubase)
MCU (Sonar)
HUI
I wasn't sure which option to use, so I did some research. Found someone who submitted a ticket because they weren't sure which option to use with Ableton Live (
https://forums.presonus.com/viewtopi...aa849854d8925d). PreSonus took a while to get back to them but said to use MCU for Logic. The manual lists some other DAW's and options, but does not include Reaper (
https://pae-web.presonusmusic.com/do...N_07022018.pdf section 9.1)
Here's what I've tested. Note I'm only looking at the basic workflow stuff, not any custom macros etc. MCU mode worked best for me. The other protocols were either unresponsive, or garbled text on the display and features/functions didn't work.
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Faderport Set As: MCU (Firmware v1.01, build rev 10899M, nov24 2016)
Reaper set to: "Mackie Control Universal"
- Faders read/record correct
- Automation read/write works with tracks selected
- Shift+Save button works
- channel mode scrolls the the tracks through one by one (1-8, 2-9, 3-10...)
- zoom mode works
- scroll button has two modes: fine and wide, indicated by whether the scroll button is blinking or steady.
- Bank mode scrolls the tracks through 8 by 8 (1-8, 9-16, etc)
- solo/mute clear works but only on tracks in the bank - not the whole reaper track list
- undo works
- master mode uses knob to master fader
- Transport/record controls
- Arm & select functions
- Marker button & mode (note that if you press it while somewhere there isn't a marker, it will place one. and if you go out of marker mode somewhere there isn't a marker, it will place one - even by pressing another button.)
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Faderport Set As: MCU (Logic) (firmware 2.01, build rev 13123, nov16 2017)
Reaper set as: Mackie Control Universal
track "Select" lights are green, were blue.
track button has two modes
mode 1: (bypass light off) faders controls track volume, pan controls track pan, of any selected
mode 2: (bypass light on) pan controls the track volume, faders control pan
solo/mute clear ONLY adjusts solo/mute on track 1 - won't set any other tracks
read/write automation works
scroll works in wide mode, in narrow mode only first move is performed, does nothing until mode change.
channel mode
click on/off
marker works
bank mode
master mode uses knob for master fader
zoom does NOT work
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Faderport Set As: MCU (Cubase) (firmware 2.01, build rev 13123, nov16 2017)
Reaper set as: Mackie Control Universal
faders read/record correct
read mode/write mode works
transport and loop controls
record button
scroll works in only 1 mode
bank works
channel works, but is backwards scrolling
mute clear & solo clear works (only tracks in bank)
master works
track selects & arm work
track mode (pan/levels)
left shift does NOT work
zoom does NOT work
click does NOT work
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Faderport Set As: MCU (Sonar) (firmware 2.01, build rev 13123, nov16 2017)
Reaper set as: Mackie Control Universal
levels and faders work
play/pause/stop/record
solo clear/mute clear work as expected
next/prev scroll up and down in the track pane (haven't seen that one yet)
bank adjusts bank as expected (1-8. 9-16.)
markers work
channel select does NOT work (1-8, 2-9, etc)
zoom does NOT work
scroll works, single mode only
click does NOT work
LOOP button turns metronome on/off
Audio and VI buttons seem to be undo/redo, but not 100% sure.
(stopped testing given the click/loop buttons)
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What does NOT seem to work in any mode or firmware version:
'Edit Plugins'
'Sends'
'Pan' button (tho pan is set thru "Pan/Param" knob or faders, depending on "track mode")
'Audio/Inputs' button
'VI/MIDI' button
'Bus/Outputs' button
'VCA/FX' button
'All/User' button
'Macro/Open' button
'Link/Lock' button
They may be configurable or customizable, I just haven't dug in that deep yet.
The Bypass button light is a visual indicator in firmware v2.01, telling you which track mode you're in. Is not the case in v1.01. (A shame, as that's useful.)
The solo/mute clear functionality was a dealbreaker for me, so I reverted back to the factory firmware, v1.01. Plus I like the blue track select lights better.
There's a difference between v1.01 and v2.01 in the pan and levels indicators on the display. Solid bars in v1.01, empty bars in v2.01. Minor but notable.
In testing it I can occasionally get it to do something weird - the displays get stuck or the scroll function doesn't work. Usually going to Options and picking the control surface and hitting edit, then hitting ok will reinitialize it (no changes necessary, just open the device config and hit OK again. You'll see the faders snap back to attention.)
In the 2 hours or so I've played with it, yeah - totally worth it. Not 100% functional, but does 95% of what I care about. Looks sharp, feels solid, I could get talked into the 16ch version.
Cheers.