FaderPort No Longer recognizes volume states

[Anthony Alves]

Since the last 2 updates my faderport has been acting up. Before I was able to have the FaderPort learn each tracks volume state by simply allowing the FaderPort to set each tracks volume then when the faderport scrolls through the tracks the FaderPorts volume slider adjusted to each tracks volume. Now it no longer does this as well as a few other glitches. Don't know whats being changed in Auria's HUI code that is causing priblems with my FaderPort. Anyone else experiencing this? Without this feature my FaderPort is not suitable for mixing anylonger as when I touch the FaderPorts volume the tracks volume sets itself to the new volume setting. So if the track volume was -18db andt the FaderPort is at 0db, the tracks volume jumps to 0db and loses my set volume for that track. The last update before this on began the glitch but the states were somewhat still working but after this update this feature is completely gone. So now the motor of the FaderPort never moves the volume slider in Auria at all. When HUI was first introduced to Auria my FaderPort worked great but somehow durring these Auria updates the HUI code has been either changed or corrupted in Auria. Very dissapointed as I really enjoyed my FaderPort experience with Auria.

[Rim]

I played around a lot with the HUI code, trying to get bi-directional fader movements working on the FaderPort (turned out in the end that the FaderPort simply doesn't support this when in HUI mode). So it's possible that I broke something during this time. I'll take a look and see what happened. Thanks for letting me know.

Rim

[Anthony Alves]

Thanks Rim for all your help. Good luck.
~~_/)~~~

[Washboy]

@Anthony Alves:

1) Have you updated your FaderPort's firmware since when it was working fine for you?

2) I thought one of the 'issues' has always been that FaderPort's fader does not follow Auria's automation. Are you suggesting that the fader did track automation for you in the past?

Not sure I understand what you're describing, Anthony

BTW, I do have a Faderport (as does @Rim now) and I'm happy to test anything for you

EDIT: Oops! @Rim got in before me.

[Anthony Alves]

@Washboy, hi there. What U'm describing is the Fader on my FaderPort used to change it's position to the track volumes as set in Auria by simply scrolling the left/right buttons on the FaderPort. It no longer does this. Even when I would first set the midi ti Hui and set-up the FaderPort in Auria's settings, the Fader would slide up to the volume set by track one but that stopped too. So now the fader never adjusts to any track volume wether I scroll the tracks to the keft or right direction. My Fader never moved with the automation, it only would move to the volume position if the next track but this was good as any movement of the fader was dead on so the FaderPort could be used durring live mixdown. When I mix a song I like to scroll thriugh the tracks and make minor adjustments to each tracks level while the track is playing without the fader changing any volume unless I move the fader on the faderport. In my YouTube video of the FaderPort with Auria this can be easily seen as when I scroll through the tracks the fader on the FaderPort moves to the acurate position. This is even vusible in my video called My Auria World when I show the FaderPort at the beginning. Hoping this describes what was lost in the update. Washboy if you can get your FaderPort to adjust itself to each tracks volume as you scroll through the tracks than you don't have the glitch. No I have not updated my FaderPort and I have all the original Drivers as well as all the latest druvers and none work. I belive I was running Ver. 1.3.5 and it worked great. I have the latest 1.3.8 that is to address the motorized fader problem but it didn't change anything. The priblem is still there. Wow that's a ton of info but it's the inlpy way I can describe it. Thanks Washboy and I look forward to any test results you may have. Cheers.
~~_/)~~~

[Rim]

I just checked, and all the code for remote control is exactly the same since its release, so nothing has changed on this end.

Could it be an iOS update, or a faderport firmware update?

Rim

[Anthony Alves]

Hi Rim, thanks for checking. Are you able to do what I was describing? I'm beginning to think that there may be something wrong with my FaderPort. I was always able to get the motorized fader to move in Logic but I can no longer do this so there may be more to my problem. I'm not sure how to finally test the motor if it won't respond to any software. I will let you know how it goes but if anyone can see their fader move from track to track or who are using it with Logic or Abelton could you please report your findings so that I know that indeed it is my motor not working. Thanks everyone for all the help. Thanks Rim.
~~_/)~~~

[Rim]

My Faderport was working correctly in 1.140, but I haven't had a chance to test in 1.141. If anyone else has theirs working, please let us know.

Thanks,
Rim

[Washboy]

I'm not convince that anything has changed. One of the issues I've always been aware of is that, when a project is loaded (and/or) the FaderPort is configured for in Settings), the current state of the first bank of tracks is not immediately communicated to the FP (assuming the that's the way it supposed to work with HUI). As a consequence, the status of Mute, Solo, Read, Write and fader position are not reflected for a selected track until a setting is changed via the FP. The Rec button is an exception to this.

I get the impression that the FP maintains an array of settings for the currently selected bank and will 'remember' changes to a track's settings within that bank. It seems as if Auria isn't updating that array of settings.

So, use FP to make changes to a track's settings and they will be reflected in Auria and remembered by FP. Don't make any changes, and FP will reflect only whatever was last set for that track position within its bank array (with the exception of the Rec button). That could be from the previous project loaded (or from the last bank of tracks modified)!

There's some seriously misaligned stuff going on in there. Hope the foregoing provides a clue for you, Rim.

[Rim]

Auria follows the HUI protocol exactly as it should (we have the official spec from Mackie), and it does send the entire state to the FaderPort at init. The problems seem to be on the Faderport's side. If you connect Auria to an official Mackie MCU or HUI, everything works as it should. The various HUI emulator apps available for the iPad also work great with Auria. In my opinion, HUI mode doesn't seem very well implemented in the FaderPort. There are several other modes which work fine (proprietary modes used by the FaderPort to communicate directly to various desktop DAWs), but the HUI mode seems to be flawed.

It might have something to do with the fact that the HUI spec isn't designed for one-fader devices. It calls for eight motorized faders, so Presonus probably worked around this limitation, and in doing so, might have introduced some incompatibility.

Rim

[Washboy]

@Rim: Oops! Apologies, Rim. I didn't mean to imply that Auria's at fault and I can see that my choice of words was poor Having said that, I suppose I was rather hoping that a fix would be within your gift because I reckon there's no chance of Presonus addressing FP's HUI implementation issues.

@Anthony Alves: To clarify, regarding your experience with the FP fader; FP's fader should (and does for me) jump to match Auria's fader setting for any track BUT ONLY if you've recently set that fader using the FP. FP doesn't, and never did, learn a track's settings from Auria (with the exception of the track's Rec button). It's as if FP can update Auria but Auria can't update FP.

I'm using iOS v7.1.0, Auria v1.142 on an iPad3/64. I can't remember what my FP firmware version is and I don't know how to find out!

[Rim]

No worries, I just wanted to clarify. Unfortunately, if the FaderPort doesn't follow the spec there's nothing I can do as a developer to trick it into working. I've spent a few days experimenting with various hacks, but it's just not working.

Rim

[Anthony Alves]

Thanks Rim & Washboy, I really appreciate the help. I think there is something wrong with my faderport although it has always been on my studio desk and never dropped, moved or mistreated but the Flying fader is now grounded. Lol. Well I am going to see if I can't spring for a Mackie MCU Pro or get another FaderPort to replace this one. Thanks again for checking into this for me. Cheers.
~~_/)~~~*

[Washboy]

...but the Flying fader is now grounded...

Asking the obvious, Anthony, but you do have your FP's PSU plugged in and working, yes? The fader won't be motorised without it. Just a thought.

[Washboy]

@Rim: There's something I've wanted to ask (having never used a Mackie), regarding HUI and the FP. Presumably, there's no such thing as Channel Select buttons on a proper Mackie (only bank select?) because all 8 channels within a bank are available simultaneously. So what does Auria 'see' (i.e. think HUI is telling it) when one of FP's Channel Select buttons is pressed?

Thanks for taking the time to battle with the FP, Rim. What I'm inferring is that, on iOS at least, the FP is of only a little more use than a glorified remote transport control. What a waste. Oh well, one lives and learns!