More is more? Now, you can show up at your next gig armed with a box full of pots – 68 of them.
Faderfox is a controller maker who works in extremes: either extremely tiny controllers, or massive cases full of faders and knobs. The PC44 is very much in the latter category.
The PC44’s sibling is and predecessor is an unassuming 4×6 grid of pots called the PC4. The PC44, though, is maximalist by comparison. You get an 8×8 matrix of potentiometers with rubber knobs. And there’s a single push-button encoder with detents (labeled “value,” at the top). Four bigger knobs at the bottom are accompanied by big keys.
Advanced users are likely to go for the programming features, which let you do various assignments (beyond just sending CC values), and switch to a high-resolution 14-bit mode.
And it is insanely programmable: min/max, pitch bend and after touch and program changes and notes, copy/paste/duplicate, and other features are all accessible. You can create a whopping 78 commands per setup times 64 setups, and there’s feedback on the LED display.
It’s still portable, too: 290x220x55 mm, 1.6 kg.
Anything with this many controls is going to balloon in price, even without being a boutique shop like Faderfox. So I’m unsurprised by the price: you’ll pay 461€ (that’s 549€ with VAT if you’re in Europe, or if Trump adds an import tariff to Germany or something).
But there’s very little on the market like this. And even if I don’t personally have a need for one at the moment, there’s something comforting about knowing that it exists.
I could imagine it having both music and (maybe even more so) visual applications.
Full specs and ordering direct from Mr. Faderfox himself:
http://www.faderfox.de/pc44.html
Me, personally, I’d have this one with faders.
I like it! Maybe some custom templates could be lasercut with the local hackspace’s laser with 64 holes for the knobs and some labels…
I like the cut of your jib…
Controller technology is surpassing human ability to remember what the hell I mapped everything to!
special labels for PC4 and PC44 are enclosed.
they fit perfect between the pots
Now if I only had more hands and fingers to control stuff like this!
would love to see faderfox get into some eurorack products
This is what I’ve been looking for, perfect for my software modular setup using reaktor blocks, softube , and oscillot in ableton next to push! Thank you
That’s hilarious! From the post title I guessed it was Faderfox, even though I haven’t heard from them in a while. I must be getting good at this CDM thing.
Nice and well worth the money!
And again, they did not think of how to label the knobs, which is a must here….
special labels for PC4 and PC44 are enclosed.
they fit perfect between the pots
Faderfox has always been so insanely great. Wish I could grab 3 of these.
With that many knobs I’m kind of surprised it’s not also an analog sequencer.
2 Behringer BCR2000 units would do the trick for half that price, no ? And that’d be 64 *encoders*, not knobs..
you know somebody likes more the direct feeling of standard pots
I have a BCR2000 and a Faderfox PC4. The build quality, feel, and accuracy is not comparable, Faderfox wins hands down. Not having recall or led feedback doesn’t bother me.
I have 2 LD2’s that I use whenever and wherever I can. iPad, Analog Rytm, DAW… It’s almost perfect. Only thing that’s missing is ability to custom set the cc per encoder (they are selectable hard coded ranges), but mapping in software like Midiflow on iOS is no biggy.
If this was a box of encoders as opposed to pots, I’d be all over it!
Such well designed stuff.
doepfer drehbank… that did it 20 years ago..