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Old 11-16-2017, 08:29 AM   #1
RussT
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Default Mackie Control Universal fader positions

Hello all,

I have searched extensively on this forum and on the web and cannot find an answer to this puzzle, so have joined the forum in the hope someone can help me.

I have a Mackie Universal Control Pro and Extender, hooked up to a Macbook Pro running the latest version of Reaper. I'm using the native Mackie control surface feature in Reaper.

My problem is this:

When I start a project, all the faders are in the "0" position as marked to the left of the faders (middle of the fader). However, they really need to be in the "U" position as marked to the right of the fader (indicating 0dB) which is higher up.

If I add a media file, the volume is set as 0dB. The fader is as described above. If I touch the fader, the volume of the track dips, indicating that the fader is in the wrong position. If I push it to the "U" position the volume returns to 0dB.

If I record a volume track using the fader, I have to push the fader to the "U" position to make the track 0dB. The fader then follows this track.

The issue is that the faders should all be in the "U" position by default. I have checked as many settings as I can think of and the units are practically brand new. I wondered if anyone had experienced the same thing and had a solution.

Thanks in advance for any help you can provide!

Russ
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Old 11-16-2017, 10:11 AM   #2
Geoff Waddington
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Welcome !!

You can go to Preferences->Appearance->Track Control Panels and near the bottom, you can adjust the fader scale, I think +12 used to work for my old MCU and Extender, anyway, play with that and see if you can improve the tracking.

Also there is a Control Surface Integration open source project that might be of interest: https://forum.cockos.com/showthread.php?t=183143
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Old 11-16-2017, 10:51 AM   #3
RussT
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Hi Geoff

Thanks for the reply. Unfortunately my setting was already at 12. I changed it to 10 as that's where the Mackie fader tops out but the issue persists.
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Old 11-16-2017, 11:00 AM   #4
RussT
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Further info if it helps...

When I launch Reaper all faders are reset and at the bottom. I insert two tracks as an example, and they both have faders set to the U position, all other faders remain at the bottom.

As soon as a I start playback, ALL faders move to the center (0) position.

Very odd. I checked to make sure as well, the main unit and extender are both in Mackie mode (not HCU or Logic).

Cheers.
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Old 11-16-2017, 02:37 PM   #5
Geoff Waddington
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Maybe install this: https://stash.reaper.fm/v/11712/WaddMCUC4.zip and see if it behaves differently
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Old 11-16-2017, 03:17 PM   #6
RussT
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Gave that a try ... still the same! It's very odd. Everything is fine then when I hit play, all the faders drop to the middle position, volume stays at 0dB until I touch a fader then it drops to match the fader position.

I'm really scratching my head. As a test I installed a demo of Reason and everything there works as expected. I'm also sure this worked perfectly well with a version of Reaper I had installed on my PC previously.
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Old 11-16-2017, 03:31 PM   #7
RussT
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Default Solved!

I solved the issue, well sort of.

I tried Reaper in a Windows VM on the same Macbook Pro and it worked perfectly.

So then I tried deleting and reinstalling Reaper on macOS and still no good ...

Then realised that deleting the app doesn't delete the preferences.

Deleted the folder ~/Home/Library/Application Support/REAPER

Relaunched Reaper and set up the control surface again ... and it works perfectly.

Very strange, and the problem solver in me will be frustrated that I didn't find the true root cause ... but ultimately I am happy that it is now working as expected!

Thanks for you help in leading the way, without the link you provided I wouldn't have discovered that App Support folder!
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Old 07-20-2019, 03:25 PM   #8
randrohe
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Hi RussT,
Any updates regarding this? I purchased a new MCU pro w/ the latest os 4.0.3 and it is having this same issue.
Strange thing is, I had a MCU unit that the same OS, and this one worked perfectly as expected.
Unfortunately I sent the first unit back since it showed up with some cosmetic issues.
Also, is there anything to be aware of by deleting the preferences folder that you listed?
Thanks for any input.
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Old 07-20-2019, 10:59 PM   #9
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Quote:
Originally Posted by randrohe View Post
Any updates regarding this?
There is a new subforum handling "Control Surfaces". Hence updates to that issue should be found there (including Geoff himself )
-Michael
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Old 01-31-2023, 11:04 AM   #10
mjfe2
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Quote:
Originally Posted by RussT View Post
As soon as a I start playback, ALL faders move to the center (0) position.
I'm experiencing the exact same behaviour with an Icon Platform M+ controller, configured to Mackie Control Universal (although it's the same for Extender).

Did you ever diagnose the true cause? It's maddening! Setting the controller to HUI solves this particular issue but then the master fader doesn't work and other bugs are introduced.

Thanks in advance.
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Old 11-03-2023, 02:29 PM   #11
cybclinic
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Default Possible cure for anyone with this issue.

I think the cause of this pernicious little problem is that the MIDI drivers that the control surface is using may also be in use for track input/output
Go to Preferences/MIDI Devices and disable the MIDI port for both the input and output that your controller is using (don't remove or ignore the port though!) and the problem should go away. The port should only be accessed via the control surface settings.
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