CM Labs MotorMate

MotorMate/MotorMix2 upper mixer controls:

The LCD Display top row shows your track labels, plug-in names and parameter names. The bottom LCD row shows your rotary pot settings for pans, sends, and plug-in's.

NEVER buy a console without a display for track names and plug-in parameters ! Without track or parameter names on the surface, the controller is WORTHLESS !! You would be better off to mix with a mouse than a controller without proper displays on it !

Without this display, every time you wanted to make a fader, mute, solo, or any other change, you would have look at the computer screen to figure out where that channel is on the control surface. You would have to revert to writing track names on strips of masking tape - - just like they did in olden days !

The bottom 2 rows of switches are dedicated to MUTE and SOLO functions. These are primary mixer functions, so these switches do not have other functions.

The third row of switches are used as channel record readies or channel automation mode controls. Additionally, they are used to access our SixtyFour router.

The fourth row of switches are called the MULTI switches and they are context sensitive to what you are doing. If you are accessing sends, they automatically become the Send Mute switches or the Send Pre/Post select switches. If you are accessing Plug-in's, they automatically become the Plug-in bypass switches or the Plug-in channel select switches. These switches are put there for your convenience. No other console has these controls !

The rotary pots (Rotaries) on are actually smooth analog pots, not the cheap clicky low resolution encoders seen on other products. In 300 degrees of rotation, they move through their entire range just like an analog mixer. These pots are endless and they are fully automation compatible. Other products use very low cost mechanical encoders that require up to 10 turns to do the same thing. Can you imagine having to turn each pot 10 times to move a pan from side to side ? Once again, this is cheaper for them, clearly not better for you!

The setting of the Rotaries appears on the bottom row of the LCD and is not obscured while you are operating the pots. Other products have LED's around their low-res encoders. When you operate these, the LED's are completely obscured by your hand. Utterly useless!

The switches above the Rotaries are the all important channel select switches. They are right below the LCD channel labels where they belong. They are used to select channels for Plug-in assignment or control, grouping and many other uses.

There are 2 ways to access all the channels in your DAW mixer.

At the top left are the VIEW and BANK switches.

The left and right arrow switches move the view left or right by 1 or 8 channels at a time depending on the state of the Bank switch/LED.

At the top right is the View Stick and Rotary Display.

Moving the View Stick left and right moves the view left or right by 1 or 8 channels at a time depending on the state of the Bank switch/LED.

Moving the View Stick up and down moves the rotary pot control through all your pan, sends and plug-in's.
Pressing the stick in flips the rotary sends down to the motorized faders.