Now that Avid Artist Mix control surfaces out in the field are all getting old and especially after they were made end-of-life by Avid when they released the Avid S1, users are finding that some of the faders are becoming unreliable. Although you can send your Artist Mix away to be repaired, if you are good with a soldering iron and you have the time, you can do it yourself and save a lot of money. We show you how…

What Is The Artist Mix?

The Avid Artist Mix has been around for many years. It was the first mainstream controller that brought the Eucon protocol to the masses and has proven to be a very popular device with Pro Tools users.

Think of the Artist Mix as the very essence of a control surface. Eight faders, clear digital displays, encoders for pan and plug-in control… sadly no transport but that can be accessed if used with the Pro Tools Control app.

Avid stopped selling the Artist Mix on 31st October 2019, with an end of support date of 31st December 2024 according to Avid’s End Of Life document.

Back in 2017, when it was already an old control surface the Pro Tools Expert community voted the Avid Artist Mix as the most popular control surface for Pro Tools, with 12.53% of the vote beating the free iPad Control app with 9.44% into 2nd place and the ‘Do Not Use’ (a control surface), third with 8.44%.

It was clear back then that in spite of their age and some grumbles from the community on their effectiveness, the Avid Artist Mix and Artist Control remained popular. This is understandable as they were at the time, still the most affordable Eucon control surface for Pro Tools.

You can still find them on sites like eBay or some dealers may still have stock, although they do seem to be holding their value, making it worth considering going for an Avid S1.

YouTuber Conner’s Corner has produced this excellent video tutorial that walks you through each stage, showing you how to dismantle your Artist Mix, remove the faulty, fader, fit the replacement fader, and reassemble the Artist Mix.

Where Do I Get The Replacement Faders?

Conner’s Corner does specify the exact fader you need as there are a number of variants ad need to get the correct one. You will need an ‘ALPS Motorized Fader RSA0N11M9A04 100mm Travel 10K Linear’, motorized fader.

Looking around you can get them from eBay either listed as an “ALPS 10K Motorized Fader 100mm Travel Linear Slide Potentiometer RSA0N11M9A04” for $24.75 plus $14 international standard delivery or listed as “Motorized Fader for Avid Artist Mix Series 100 Genuine Alps Faders” for £38.00 with a VAT invoice from a UK supplier.

Alternatively, we have found it listed as “Avid 7792-30053-01 Fader for Artist Mix and Artist Control” from US-based dealer Full Compass with free US shipping.