The BCF2000 MIDI Control Surface is a cost effective way of adding a tactile feedback device to a DAW. When you look at a professional big studio, one of the most dominating features you will always see is the huge mixing console with rows of faders and knobs and lights. For us gear heads this is a dream position to be in but there is a serious need for this kind of mixing surface.

The BCF doesn't quite (or even closely) live up to these professional devices but does bridge the gap allowing the every day hobbyist to have just a portion of that control and automation in a very small and cost effective price.

Rode are an Australian company who manufacture microphones. That is pretty much all they do. From years of research and limited funds I am personally drawn to the Rode range for their high quality and affordable prices.

The NT4 is a high quality, condenser mic with matched capsules making it a convenient choice for recording stereo sounds. Apart from looking great, it is simple to use and does exactly what it is designed for. In the world of microphones there are many, many choices which cover a huge range of quality, application and price range. For single stereo microphones on a professional level though, the options are much fewer which makes the choice a little easier.

The Frontier Design Alphatrack is a single channel DAW control surface that offers channel and DAW control in a nice small footprint. One of the key features of the controller is the 100mm touch sensitive motorised fader that offers an immediate visual feedback and ability to adjust and automate a channel quickly. But is 1 fader enough?

We are still building things. You wouldn't want to see what is back here just yet. Check something else out.

Mackie have long been an industry standard between DAWs for mixing surfaces and many new knock offs use the Mackie protocol for talking with the DAW. The previous Mackie Control went unchanged for years and there was rarely a complaint about this as it was a great design and a winning control surface for many DAW applications. 

The latest release will have a keen eye notice that there is little that has changed apart from a new and updated style. The actual control options and layout are exactly the same. So how does it perform? Well I have updated my original review from 2 years ago to include information relevant to my last 2 years of experience with this product.

Last year I was involved in the location sound recording for 2 short films:

Reactions

Slow Take

Both films were produced by a good mate Chris who runs CLU Productions and I had agreed to do the audio recording for both projects. I also agreed to do the sound mix for Reactions but was not initially asked to help with Slow Take as this was not directed by Chris...

This page lists links to sites that we find interesting or have an association with. These are nothing to do with audio or music but have an interest all the same. If you have nothing to do and are looking for someting interesting then check some of these out

This page lists a heap of useful links to websites for Ableton and any DAW or music software user. If you are a user of Ableton, MIDI controllers (Push) or any other DAW software then you should find some of these links useful. Most of these links we use every week.