Ditched UF8 for Avid Dock / S1 

I say this with all of Ringo Starr's peace and love - I have a UF8 and will be sticking with it, NEVER again giving Avid my money for hardware (been down that road and I'm done-zo). I'm a bit shocked that you have veered back into that Avid lane. I agree with you - Pro Tools is stellar. Avid, on the other hand, is a dumpster fire company. Fight the urge, man. lol

worth noting, you can absolutely use UF8 as TotalMix controller (including custom channel names, signal gain indication etc..), it's not a flawless experience, but definitely more hands on control of RME interface :)

After using the avid s6 for years at the studio I picked up the dock for my home Setup and it’s super nice, you can custom map plug-ins so it’s easy to build muscle memory

Ha! They always come back 😅😅😅. Welcome back home Barry. Now we just gotta coerce you back into PT Ultimate and all will be right with the world 😅😅😅

I have exactly the same setup. S1, Dock and Console One. All with Nuendo. Works very well. ASAP moving the Console One to the MKIII. Also great advice to start with the Dock. Many will never need the S1

Hey Barry. It Reaaly looking forward to your very much needed tutorials on the S1/Dock combo. Keep up the good work

Gone back to Pro Tools - me too hopefully they will be a better company after the new acquisition. I love the Eucon app on my iPad.

Great video Barry, I've been using the same setup with Cubase for a couple of years now and find it to be more flexible that anything else out there for Cubendo... especially when you start customizing it to your own personal workflow. Don't forget to check out how well the Dock integrates with the Steinberg Control room.

Barry, thank you! I hope that you create some more videos covering the Dock and S1. Happy Thanksgiving to you and your family.

I use a Presonus Studiolive 32 with Studio One. I absolutely love it. It’s awesome when recording and awesome when mixing.

These are the kinds of vids that make me hope you stick with your channel. Very helpful stuff!

Great video. I've always liked Avid. Thanks for that quick run through on the dock. I can see it being overwhelming. Avid should have some courses available that really show you how to take advantage of everything it offers.

I’m a Pro Tools user, and this year I bought the S1 as my very first control surface. I love it. I enjoy riding the faders and turning the knobs waaaaay more than using the pencil tool. I find the S1 to be well thought out and easy to use. I feel a bit more connected to the music I am working on with a control surface, and can be much more nuanced and deliberate in making a mix breathe. Enjoy!

This was finally up my alley. Deep dive into the Dock/S1. Not a a lot of tutorials out there. Especially for the plugin control. Keep going Barry.

Glad to see you Barry!

Hey Barry! Just to add some new info, since the latest update from SSL, both 360 and firmware, the selected track in Cubase/Nuendo does follow. I use a UF1 and it does work that way and it should too with the UF8, since it is a common thing on the release notes of the update. As you well said it at the end of your video, I think the same applies to the SSL controlers: first go with the UF1 and then add the 8s (I know the 8 came out first, but as today...) Best regards!

Just the video I needed. I’m debating getting an S1 instead of an UF8. I have a carbon and I am hoping I can daisy chain the S1 off the 2nd port on the back of the carbon.

I’ve been using the s1 dock combo for a few years. The build quality is incredible and linked with Eucon tablet is great. I don’t think you can beat controllers built by the developers of your DAW. I also use Ableton and the Push2 (now 3) is incredible.

The Avid controllers look amazing. Thank God you build tables! Lol

I own a dock and an s1. Looking forward to having enough money to buy an S4!!

Barry, while I cannot justify (for myself) purchasing a controller which requires an additional viewing device (especially iPad which can generation out or be deprecated by updates or batteries). BUT, I do need to look it up to see if there are any other options (such as toych screen monitor or anything). BUT with ALL of that aside... GREAT review! And i am SO very glad that you are (at least for now) still with us, making your EXTRAORDINARY content! BY THE WAY... Can you share templates? Like, if we got one, would you be willing to share your template?

I enjoy your videos, Barry. I hope you will continue.

HI Barry. For what it's worth, HEAT does work in Cubase and Nuendo. It controls the built-in channel strip. Great Channel BTW.

I'd love to see a more comprehensive video re: S1/Doc..I just ordered the same stuff and totally agree..very few good videos out there. I've had a couple days to play w/ S1/Dock..insane.

Love my S1, I come from tape and consoles, I couldn’t automate a proper mix without it.

I have the dock and S3… I remember when the SSL stuff came out, I was like N ah! I am sticking with what I got. But I had to first learn the ins and outs of PT first. If I had to have just one controller it would be the dock with an IPad, it really is a great small but powerful unit. And I believe the reason AVID does not have more training clips online is because of there higher end units the S6 and S4…if people knew of all the bells and whistles of the Dock/s3/s1 combo is capable of doing , they wouldn’t be shelling out $40-80K for the high end units. I can’t see how the Dock could be any better actually. It sucks that support for my S3 ends I believe in 2026. But I don’t plan on upgrading my perpetual PT ultimate beyond 2018.4.

Thank you for the oppotunitys you showed.

Average Yukon was actually developed initially by Euphonix. When I had my studio in Franklin Tennessee, do you phonics CS 3000 was a console that we had in there. we chose it because of its digital control of the analog path as well as the ability to quickly do surround they were developing the Yukon back then for use with ProTools and other DAW‘s.

I love the S1 and Dock combination, I just wished the VCA spills feature worked in Cubase/Nuendo. Have you managed to configure the layout feature with Nuendo?

Welcome to eucon. So dope.

Very useful video Barry! Thank & God bless you...

I would love to mess around with a control surface. As a Studio One user i really want to try Presonus' Faderport 8 or 16. I know there are better options out there, but for the price and functionality i would be more than happy with the Faderport. I should note that i am just a hobbyist that only makes music for myself and i really dont need a control surface, but i would love to experience having more tactile control someday.

Control surfaces are very appealing but in reality they are so frustrating. Got seduced by the jaw breaking looking SSL and purchased the UF8, UC1 and UF1, they are really well built, but indeed Eucon is miles above, the SSL was super limited with its protocol and I can't say I was mind blown by the redundancy of buttons from one unit to another from the SSL trio. Also it was just too complicated and not straight forward to use. I guess thats the risk with these new modular units. Anyway, ended selling all three units and getting my Avid Dock out of its closet, looking forward to adding a couple of S1 to it. BUT I really wish there was a bit more options out there, there is a huge gap between letters say the SSL, S1,Softube solutions and larger solutions like s4 or s6.. I really miss the old surfaces like digidesign control 24 or avid d command. I know touch screen bring lots of possibilities, but isn't the purpose of control surfaces to get away from screens? give me encoders, buttons, things I can feel and touch, not another screen.

I recently bought the Avid Dock and I got the S1 and was happy to learn that it works with Logic and Cubase. Thanks for mentioning the Softube- I was wondering if they worked together

If Studio One supported EuCon, I'd buy S1 and Dock without thinking.

Amazing... over my head but amazing..

Good morning. Hope u have a great day brother

Please share your use for the Loopedeck CT with me- I'm looking for new layouts for the CT for various software.

I was just saying that the set up you have is the way to goright now because Avid has not produced a channel strip controller. The sorftube is the channel strip but only uses softtube and UA plugins. That is dumb but is what it is. If Avid gave us a channel strip controler with Eucon adding 10 to 12 knobs for aux / bankable encoders we would be set.

I use 3 older Artist Series (Transport, Control, Mix) controllers with Logic Pro and love the workflow. Eucon is awesome, however it is buggy. Avid, Please Fix The Outstanding Bugs!

Eucon is Boss and there is no better bones for a controller. If you use a lot of 3rd party plugins and have dug in to Avid then Eucon is it. If I was just starting out and not using a lot of 3rd party plugins I would go with the SSl UC1 with may be an s1. I get why you went with the Avid because like you said it is easy and more integrated. AVID NEEDS TO GIVE US A REAL CHANNEL STRIP SURFACE. PLEASE!!!!! The 8 knob banking controllers are crap as far as lay out. SSL has the hardware but Avid Eucon has the integration.

Nuendo 13 rocks. And nothing compares to Eucon.

Avid S1 and Dock user here - LOVE this setup. I’m happy with PT…just don’t pay attention to all the noise. I just want a studio environment that works so I can enjoy my creative time. Would you please consider doing more videos with how you use these controllers in conjunction with PT? Advanced…in detail, etc. there is not much great content out on these things since it’s just an extension of one’s workflow.

Good seeing you last night out at Omni. Cali was also very excited to see you and enjoyed visiting with you. What do you know about radio production and the tools they use on air at a radio station?

reaper is customizable to your needs and more powerful especially when it comes to in-between functions i left protools and innuendo

SSL UF8 even before the nice updates and Cubase IC Pro does it for me

Well, already just hearing it works with other DAWs is not something I can find information about. Really considering this now... plus the Console One MK3... Loopdeck I was looking at to, and will put that on the list now as well

No concerns that avid will discontinue support for the S1 docks? I always wanted to purchase one. However, the greatest deterrent has been watching their hardware become obsolete over the years. There are many ethical concerns with their business model. Hoping to see some real authentic change with their new ownership. Until then, I will not be touching their hardware.

Just can't get into control surfaces. I find that they just get in the way and slow down the process.

I do like my Artist Mix (especially now I’ve scraped off the rubbish plastic coating it came with, which just rotted) . But blimey Charlie, Avid are about 35 years behind the times in terms of their website and their software. It’s like having teeth pulled trying to get a software update or even register your product. For something that is such a long term investment to have a back end support that is that bad is really unconscionable. The impression I get is that Avid really aren’t interested in a consumer market, which means it’s almost impossible to get them to help you if you have any issues.

Holding out for Console One Mk III

Barry great video as usual! Have you thought about picking up a used HD Native card and a perpetual Pro tools HD license since you are using the S control surfaces? I am using two Avid Artist mix surfaces and one artist control surface with the latest pro tools ultimate with the perpetual license HD native card and 3 Digital 192 blue boxes. Works seamless even though the majority of my hardware is not supported anymore. This was my first jump to current Pro tools Ultimate in an almost a decade as I sat on High Sierra forever. Once the perpetual license was offered I jumped partly because of your video :) Thanks!

I wish the iPad holder was removable on the S1. I don’t use an iPad with it so it just gets in the way of keeping my monitor low.

Now that you can control 3rd party plugins from SSL, I wonder which way is the best to go

Have you put hands on of the Icon new surface VM1x or something like that?

Great video.

Plot twist... two months later SSL releases better third part plugin control haha We just can't keep up. The industry needs a Barry rant about an open plugin hardware control api standard.

!!Stop the presses!! Barry it ditching stuff! 😂 I wouldn’t invest in hardware from Avid, even if my life depended on it. Within a few years they will ditch support and f**k you over, just like they have done time and time again. Well I guess Barry will have to feed his system of rants and buying hardware from Avid is an excellent way to do that! 😂

By the time you buy both avid controllers and 2 iPads = 4k ,but they look great

Cubase 13 is a great update imo and the only niggles are visual and you can never please everyone, in terms of the actual functionality and productivity, brilliant update.

The Man!!! Thanks

The UF-1/UF-8 does not allow follow track with Studio One. Would go for the Avid Dock straight if it does...

There’s no usable videos about this controller. Thank you much 💪🏿. How does the console 1 integrate with the s1 and the dock ?

HI Barry, Have you had any experience with the with the ICON QCon Pro Daw controllers? any thoughts? Also with the Avid S1 & Dock, do you think Avid will leave these alone for quite a while...You know how they force you out of items like your Mixer you had, they did that to me with a couple items in the past years..... good video thanks Tony

Hi Barry, if you buy one of the 2 which one would you recommend first? The Dock or the faders? I know you mentioned somehow but it went to fast 😊. Thank you.

Are you planning on getting the new console 1 control service when it comes out? From the email updates that I’ve gotten it seems like they’re going to add a lot of those features into the Mark one and two so I’ll be curious how easy it is to use but if it’s nice, I probably won’t be looking to upgrade any anytime soon.

Hey Barry have you tried the StudioLive 32 or 32s? i decided to go that route and its a 32/in and 12/Out interface and DAW controller. You can map knobs and buttons. I just started it 2 week ago but loving it. I run a nice Neve Pre and 1176 inn it on tracking and its nice! Also can you post link to your UF8

Hi Barry thanks for this! Been considering getting a nice control surface for my Cubase. May I ask why you didn't think trialling the slate raven mi2? Great video btw!

Hi Barry, thanks for all your videos!! Two off topic questions: I’ve got a pair of Adam A77 (previous version). I saw your video about the new ones but my question is do you consider an upgrade worthwhile in terms of the experience on the desk. Second, what key points make you enjoy Nuendo more than Studio1 ? Thanks in advance and let me know if this is not the right forum to ask.

What model touch pads are you using with them they look big?

Hi Barry. Can you share your setup or make a tutorial please?

NUENDO is the BEST!!!!

Great video and information. What iPad are you using? If it is not the most recent released iPad do you know if it supports them?

Wouldn’t be awesome to have a daw controller with voice recognition and all we do is just name a track and ask whatever we want/need like routing, plug-ins, parameters, etc ???

Well they're okay but I'd rather sell both the UF8 and Avid Dock/S1 for a Behringer Wing

I dont use Protools, I dont like avid as a company, I thought I wanted a UF8 but after seeing the limits of what it can do, Ill stick to my artist mix and an amazon fire tablet with avid control. I mean really, just being able to use layouts and locking tracks to faders is just way important for my workflow. I dont see the need to use faders if you cant lock tracks in a specific fader and have them there everytime you engage the controller to do that. I wish vca spill is on other daws as well, UF8 doesnt have that, its not even close., but Groups plus layout or a workaround to have a VCA Spill like controls in any daw is just to important for me for why you would use 8 faders and up. without that, I dont see the need to use such, just use the mouse. And thats just faders, we aint even talking about softkeys. being able to put them where you want with almost unlimited number, stock multiple keys together. and with certain use of other programs, you can turn avid control to a streamdeck. I used the old transport,mix and control to control the whole workstation, not just the daw. I hate that its an avid company. but for a controller,its just way too far from everybody else whos still and mackie protocol or midi and cant really do much than move things even a mouse can do.

My money is on Barry going back to Avid and being sucked into their voracious appetite for money. Too bad.

Barry, you mentioned not being a mouse guy. Can I do everything a control surface does with a mouse? Therefore, directing my funds to more pressing matters.

Welllllll .... ok. I like the UF8 and family but everyone likes something different.

Damn I wish reaper would support eucon..

sell-out! barry!

I love my s3 and dock but the iPad app doesn’t seem to like 5ghz WiFi. Apparently in 5ghz it’s very stuttered and my WiFi router doesn’t have independent modes. Are you experiencing any issues with that?

I Honestly think that the dock is not that practical for mixing. Avid ecosystem itself is a bit too much for what audio engineers try to do imo. Too many options within that small screen, making the whole process kind of confusing. Ergonomically, the control knobs on each side look and feel weird; I couldn’t possibly see myself controlling any plugin with those, you spend unnecessary time selecting and assigning parameters to knobs, etc… but that’s just me, some people might enjoy it, and if that’s you, i would like to know why !? thanks for the video mister Johns! 👍🏾

At first I thought you ditched UF8 for a $1...

I'm curious, is Nuendo pronounced "new-endo" or is it "En-you-endo". I've always pronounced it the second way thinking it's a play on words by pronouncing the N as a letter. But I've heard other say it like you do. I've never heard a Nuendo rep / employee say their name, so I'm curious.

does this man ever make music all he does is talk please do a song creation video we tired of positive and negative views on music stuff

I use Eucon with Reaper.

Wait ! I thought you ditched AVID ? you back ???

I dunno, that looked like a nightmare to me. Felt like squeezing your nice big monitors onto iPad screens instead. Ever wanted to use your iPad as a DAW? Yeah, me neither.

Sorry, but I just can’t see how this is faster than using a mouse on the computer screen

Protools is such a joke u cant upgrade from a pt studio Perpetual license to a pt ultimate Perpetual version ud need to uy a new licsense iv been pissed for multilbe reasons at pt but im not updating pt anymore next year im switching to mac and ill prob switch to logic or abelton

Don't like ipads for meter bridge ...no thx

Makes a video about quitting YT. Doesn't quit.

"I never have to look at the screen", but there you are looking at the touch-screen the entire time. ??? And, instead of using the plugin, now you have to use a nondescript facsimile of every plugin. What a pain. I'll stick with the mouse. None of these clown controller manufacturers have a clue. Look, I can scroll through 5000 pages to adjust this plugin instead of just adjusting the plugin itself. ???

Dont,work wit- plugins in cubase liar

Hey Barry, thanks for the video, hey do you have multiple DAW’s running on the same computer?? Looking soon to buy into 32 channels using the controllers. Thanks Tony