I have made it no secret that I have a problematic relationship with control surfaces. I have had a Mackie Control Universal for over fifteen years and barely turn it on. Sure, it's easy enough to turn it on, use the jog wheel to scroll around, use the transport buttons to navigate, and even use the faders for some volume automation. The whole experience falls apart for me when attempting anything other than these basic functions. 

Like most of us, I am a jack of all trades. One day I am tracking, another editing, another mixing, another working on something not requiring my control surface, etc. I often go for long stretches where I am not involved in a deep mix. I have my key commands together enough to not benefit from using a control surface when tracking. You know how it is. And they are not much used when editing. It is mixing where control surfaces earn their keep.

I ideally want tactile hardware control when adjusting EQs and compressors (and other plug-ins). The problem is that accessing these functions requires menu diving that, for me at least, is difficult to commit to memory when used so infrequently. So I end up adjusting my EQs and other plug-ins with the mouse. And I end up leaving my big control surface off. 

After much thought, I decided that I needed to accept that I won't use control surfaces for these deeper plug-in tweaking functions. Given that, I wanted to simplify my setup with something easier to use for what I will be using it for, without all the bells and whistles that I will ignore. 

Enter the PreSonus Faderport 2. It is a lightweight (and I don't mean in the sense of lbs or KGs) control surface. It's not trying to be something it isn't. It is about the basics. Transport functions, a single solid fader for volume automation, a multi-function knob for panning and navigation, and a few useful track-based functions like solo, mute, record enable, automation mode selection, etc. 

Logic Pro is my main DAW, and the FaderPort is made by PreSonus, predominantly with Studio One in mind. Not a problem, though. A couple of button presses at stat up enable functionality for various DAWs. As you will see in the video above, it works beautifully with Logic Pro.

I like the FaderPort because it is not trying to do everything. I've been using it for a few months now, and I am automating volume in real-time more than ever because it is so easily accessible. My brain can get on board with that without feeling overwhelmed. Will the FaderPort 2 "stick" in the long run with my workflow? Time will tell. But so far, so good. All I need now is a second multi-knob control surface that magically updates to display and control any selected plug-in. I can always hope!