Slate Digital Raven MTi2 - Things I WISH I'd Known BEFORE Buying 

Nice honest review, thank you. I do keep looking at these periodically, but it's good to get a reality check.

The was one of the most honest and informative reviews I’ve ever seen of the Raven. Thanks for posting New sub

Thanks for your review. Been thinking bout it for a while. Now i know… Salute

Thank you very much for this info, I'm in Brazil and no only this costs 8x more (literally) but I don't get to try before buying, so your video comes extremely in handy for someone like me. All the best!

Thank you for this video I only had to watch a few minutes and knew that the raven was never gonna work for me. Slate is a good hype man he really can make things sound good.

Thank you Josh for sharing your insights! So often what looks good visually or on paper doesn't quite live up to expectations? I think the greatest lesson I've learned in this video is to learn your instrument whether it's musical or a DAW. The key commands or work around(s) often do the very thing we thought we needed in the product we spend our hard earned money on. If it doesn't work out for you maybe you can donate it to your church or one in need of a high end product? You might be able to get a write-off?

This saved me $1000. Totally agree with the main points here. Going to stick with the iPad pro and touchable / ONE control / Touch OSC; until I can get my hands on a proper control surface / mixer hybrid.

Very helpful video mate

Dope review.Appreciate your thoughts.Subscribed...

I really thought about getting a Raven until I made the realization that I only ever move one fader at a time. So I just kept using my old single channel FaderPort. All your points are very good here.

I know this is an old video. But I do believe it was more or less designed to be space saving rather than for faster working environment, I tried one and like you, I was way faster with key commands “15 years of Protools”, thus I spent the money and invested in a Control24 console, and loved it soooo much more to than I expected, mainly cause knowing the key commands, meant I was able to find them on the console and use them quickly, that got me to go back out and buy the update avid C|24, and this thing has absolutely sped up my work flow and creativity, I found myself listening more than look at the screen. Completely intuitive to use, I would always switch the screen off and listen back to a mix and make adjustments on n the fly on the console, very different experience. The tactile feedback you get from the motorised faders is just so lively. The raven would be more like a portable studio option for me than a fixed one. I hanks for sharing your thoughts, definitely highlights some of the misconceptions. Bless.

I have a setup with a 24 inch touch screen (Planar brand) and the primary use case I've found for the touch functionality in mixing is plugin control. Touch makes tweaking plugins much faster and more fun for me. Fader control is nice, but it's not a killer feature compared to plugin control, plus physical controllers do that better. I've been thinking about upgrading to a 27 inch and choosing between Slate Raven and the generic Planar product. The primary difference is the software that comes with the Raven, which basically makes up the $500 price difference (100 for the touch driver on Mac, 200 for V Control, 100 for Raven itself, 100 for batch commander). Your review is the first one that I've seen going in depth about the usability of the Raven software itself, specifically the fader controller and batch commander. Thank you for that, it's very useful specifically to someone in my position. To deduct more points from Raven, I'm on REAPER and LUNA for mixing, so to even get the multi-faders, I have to hope they add LUNA support soon. Looks like I'll be going Planar and saving on the extras to get myself a physical control surface. BTW, 100% agree on positioning the monitor, though not necessarily the verticality. I had my touch screen at the edge of my desk at about a 45 degree angle. I found the proximity to be the key factor for making it easy to use, not the angle.

Great, honest video. Thanks

Got 2 43in flatscreen TVs, placed the IR touchscreen trims on them and it works very well. Got 2 iPads to sync with all my macros for the key command shorts, templates, chords,and plugins. Around $1200 for the setup.

JOSHUa! Really great video and you nit the nail on the head so many times. I have been trialling just a touchscreen and only a 24" but its a lot of work to reach over etc...but moreso its about mixing with your ears and you cant do that easily with a touch screen. I am now using both ie touch and knobs/faders as well as an old n52 game controller. The biggest game changer was the n52 by far...no reaching and man than thing flys and is so comfortable (current model is razer tartarus...and is cheap. As mentioned by others...sounds like a great idea but the other thing I did was rewrite the mackie MCU protocol so you can drive a lot more by the control surface eg double click encoder button to select slot insert number, keep held down and it pages through the parameters, release and its the normal function, quick click to AB plugin/bypass etc...that reduces so much travel for ergonomics

They look amazing and futuristic. But I don’t like having to reach my arm out so much. I use Logic and also use Logic Remote on my iPad up close, and I have all my shortcuts on one page. Works great

Good video josh!

I was thinking about getting the Raven but I passed. I have spent years working as FOH engineer. When it's time to get levels you gotta move fast. I like to work fast in the studio to. I have a Softube console one and a behringer xtouch and a small Korg nanokontrol2. So last week it was time to clean the desk and i decided that I had everything i needed but because of placement I was not utilizing the gear. I arranged the controllers and spent time working on midi mapping. I should have spent more time thinking about the ergonomics because it's effected my work flow.

I wouldn’t use it to track in (already have a console with nice Pres) but I think I could mix comfortably on this thing lol. I like the two screen setup

I did some research into the raven for my new room. At first I was very interested but after looking at it for a while I decided it was actually going to be more cumbersome than a UF8 or something like that. Most of what I saw was hype. And some of the reviewers had to try more than once to grab a fader or a control. Passed on it.

Have you run a room EQ analysis from your listening position since installing your new desk? Slate specifically warns that flattening the angle of a Raven below 40 degrees introduces comb filtering at the listening position (due to the large surface area of reflective glass between you and your monitors). Great video and very informative regarding ergonomics. Just read that bit about the screen angle earlier today and wanted to make sure it wasn't messing with your mixes.

thank you that was i was looking for // not getting those things thanks

Raven, SSL Uc1 and Uf8….perfect combination!

Interesting enough i had a computer that did this like years ago, it was made by openlabs called a miko and a neko , so im confused what slate is inovating here

Get one of those wall TV mounts and just pull the screen to you when you need it and push it back in place when not. Mount it to the desk behind where you have it now so when not needed you can have it in the same position you have it now!

Have you considered how you are going to resolve the issue yet? Hoping the desk can be modified to bring it vertical and closer.

Thanks for this video Josh, one of the most important points you made is the fact that you DON'T FEEL the fader(s) moving when swiping on a touchscreen. The same issue happens with knobs. Turning real knobs doesn't feel the same as making a swipe on a touch screen. So in a sense you are replacing the issue of mixing with your eyes (instead of your ears) with another issue which is not FEELING the controls (faders, knobs) the same way you would on a real console or hardware. That's why I think that for a lot people who are used to hardware it's better to buy a good CONTROL SURFACE. Touchscreens may be a good option for people starting out in sound engineering but it will not be an improvement for more experienced people who have worked on hardware and keyboard/mouse setups for a while. Personally I think it's very hard to replace real motorized faders and tweaking real knobs. When you become accustomed to this type of setup you can just close your eyes when doing critical monitoring and critical adjustments. Its really a personal thing. Everybody is different. The Raven concept is very cool and I am sure it can be useful to some people. Your video is very helpful for folks trying to decide if the touchscreen approach is right for them.

A few points to ponder: 1- Using your ears only is equally inefficient as using Eyes only. Using both speeds up workflow. (EX:You can identify where you need to punch-in/out visually much faster- You can spot sonic anomalies, noises etc faster by looking at the screen- even an EQ with an analyzer can help you zero in on what you’re after faster) 2- Don’t use the Raven for all those key commands that you instinctively use. Think Macros, or menu items that don’t have key commands, etc- (ex:with one swipe of a finger you can Cut a section, create a fade, copy to the clipboard, and paste to several other tracks and then save and then start playback from the beginning) Think about all the combinations of key commands you use in succession all the time. Now imagine doing that by a simple swipe or tap on the screen or touching just one button on the Raven console. When you have to do that maneuver over and over- that kind of macro can save your soul. 3- You’re correct that the monitor needs to be more vertical and closer to you- It's do-able. 4- You’re correct- that “skin” over the PT window is just silly. However, the Raven has a floating mixer that has some possibilities. It needs further development, but for us, it’s the best feature so far. 5- You're correct- any type of hardware console gets in the way of the DAW monitor. 6- Even if you use one fader at a time, you might be accustomed to running your finger across the mute, solo, or record buttons.- You can’t do that with just an ordinary touch screen. 7 - Plugins. Easier to adjust with your finger than the mouse or rotary knobs on a digital desk. 8- Software maintenance/updates are more economical than hardware maintenance. The product will improve over time. So yes- you have to use it for all the things that you can't do now. It does have its uses and its problems. It's not a perfect world.

Out of curiosity, did you mess around with customizing batch commander at all? Most people I’ve talked to who love BC say they make custom batches for naming stems or multiple key commands on a single button

I've had a studio for 15 years, and the MTi2 since it came out. I use Studio One PC. Raven was the easiest, fastest change for me and I'd never go back. I don't touch that klunky mouse to ride faders, turn knobs/parameters . I don't set it nearly' vertical,' just at it's max extension. Mine sits at the very end of my desk. To reach the top of the touch, it's a 5" reach. My speaker height and 2nd monitor height means I look slightly down at the Raven, straight across to the 2nd mon. I'm always in perfect mix position. I don't see where you're coming from as a result of 5 years of use - and pretty much no problem adapting to it. I never look away from the screen while you spend your time between the keyboard and screen. Fine fader is a hold down of ctrl, but you never really took any time top learn it. Bottom line, your opinion is yours, seemingly based on looking back over your shoulder because you didn't pick this up like many Raven owners have. I think the opinion expressed here to others deserves a proper rebuttal. Thanks for istening.

I’m a UI designer and this is one of the main reasons iPad and Mac have separate OS’s. The touch experience on an iPad is just superior and they would never slap a touch screen on something that was designed for keyboard and mouse. Many large companies have tested this, and probably went thru the same experience you did. I know raven is trying to compromise by using the overlay feature and batch commander etc, but since we’re all used to iPads and tablets with optimized OS’s for touch, we expect more. And I’m not sure if raven could ever get there. Aside from the UI, ergonomics seems to be the other issue. I dunno, maybe it’s a use slate for some things and keyboard/mouse for everything else type workflow. But is that worth 1,000? 🤷‍♂️

Ergonomics are so important when using a touch screen. I would cut off 6” from that desk or cut a half circle so you can easily access the touch screen, then you will see how much better using touch is..

Sorry for that frustrating experience. And thank you for sharing it. So better just try a regular touchscreen and combine it with presonus faderport which I already have. Right?

Great video. Chiming in late, here, just curious if you were aware of the Acer T272HUL? Virtually the same form factor. Now discontinued by Acer, but if you can find one new in a box it'll cost you around $650. Used on eBay for around $400. It obviously will not come with the Raven software, but since you're not using it anyway... And, hey, did you say the raven is only 1080p? The Acer is 1440. Not to be confused with the lower resolution 272HL. Make sure the product number has the letter U in it 😎 And I like the PreSonus FaderPort One. I personally would not go for a control service with multiple faders because I would rarely use them. Both the PreSonus and the behringer devices allow you to effortlessly move between Banks and tracks and so forth so why bother gobbling up desk space with faders you won't be using. Thanks for the honest review!

I just bought one today, so I guess I'll wait and see for myself.

You can do the same with any touch screen monitor for 200 bucks, or 400 if you want a fancy Chinese touchscreen panel.

I have a brand new one in the box, it doesn't fit any more on my desk, but I remember you can configure faders for very small increments. I think the configuration is little tedious, but once you have it set, it's very nice tool.

I’ve had mixed results with touch screens myself. Great for ease of use but terrible for efficiency. Those milliseconds really add up once you get proficient at your app.

thanks for your input here. I am a composer who knows Logic- Not sure the Raven will be helpful

Hi - great dokumentation - thx a lot - i will create a new table - based on your information . i have an idea for you: why you are nor shorten your table, to get closer to the Raven - the cut could be straight or in a long curve. greetings - alexander

Just curious if you have an opinion on SSL's UF8 daw controller. It has a similar pricetag to the Raven. It's really tempting but I also don't want to make a regrettable purchase. (I made that mistake already buying a Console 1)

I think you mentioned the resolution was better. Perhaps you mentioned but what screens does church utilize? Is live mixing significantly different from music production? I’m assuming so. The angle seems like your setup at church so I’m thinking that those ones are just a different technology and a different way they are utilized.

I have both monitors and the raven Desk with both side carts I run 3 Apallos with Adam Monitors and Adam Sub along with about $80,000.00 worth of additional gear and really love the set up as well as the looks. Such a professional looking studio as well as sound. I come from a family and bloodline of famous musicians and they all love it. Everyone's different though. Peace... J. CROPPER

There's nothing Tactile about a touch screen unless it provides haptic feedback on the volume steps.. So Ravens are always waste of money until the add the Haptic feedback that also tracks touch extremely well

Thanks Joshua for this video, I'm considering a Raven as I actually do presently have a desk and set up that would be beneficial with the Raven, and I truly don't mind the thought of transitioning into a more touch screen environment in Pro Tools, but I appreciate your honesty and in depth info. Funny, I actually have a PreSonus single fader (like you mentioned) that I use all the time and really love it for fine tuning the mix, so I recommend them and they're pretty affordable. I know you mentioned more about the quick keys and mixing, but I'm wondering if you found the actual editing of audio tracks to be easy or again more of a pain with the Raven? I'm usually editing dialogue for VO work and thought this might be a good way to be more hands on with editing and perhaps faster, but do you find it too "clunky" for zooming in and editing tracks fast? I'm with you as I've been PT user since they came out 20 years ago so I am fast with my trackball and keyboard, but again like the idea of touchscreen editing of single audio tracks and adding crossfades etc.. Like your T-Shirt in this video, as the voice of Obi-Wan Kenobi for the last 18 years I can say that the Force is strong with you indeed! God bless and thanks again! JAT

Interesting, . What was the Raven like to use when you moved it closer to your mix position i.e toward you? It would be the sort of in between solution I would be looking for, primarily to use the faders,.

I have been a musician most of my life. I left the recording to the experts till now. I am building my own studio so I can create on my own. I am used analog mixers from doing shows and rehearsals. Anyhow, I considering the raven slate to be my 1st gear addition for the studio. Wondering if it will be user friendly or am I in over my head by considering this?

Great video man, very informative. And yes it seems that you were using it too far from you :)

what about for editing? i just want to use it to quickly zoom down to a frame and then back out to a full project

If you put a TV mount side ways on your desk you can pull it up to you... think about that?

I feel you. Just had the MTZ for almost 2 Weeks and thinking about. OMG 😱 what have i done. Do I need to sale and get a personas and Big Screen Monitor???

I use FL Studio, which has been optimized for touch for several years now. So, all I need a large (upwards of 22") touch screen monitor (they range between 300-550),which are all much, much cheaper than a Raven.

Hey there, I hope you still follow this video. How's the resolution and overall workspace? I've been using high resolution monitors (4k and ultrawide 3440x1440) and what keeps me from buying something like that is the 1080p resolution (and also the proabbly slow refresh rate compared to 100-120Hz monitors that I use). I'm curious if the mac you have has more space or gives you different opportunities on your workflow.

I have an Mti 2 I love it - after set up really have had no issues set was not that difficult there support is great. I am a home studio guitarist/drummer songwriter for me as time goes I keep finding more and more short cuts with the Raven software. I do not regret the purchase at all. Great Product.

If I were you I would just cut a few inches of wood off the desk to make it shallower if you have problems reaching the screen. That said, good review.

What size is your desk or where did you get it

Touch Screens are cheaper, & probably have similar issues, I just got a 27in for 380 quid, thought it a better buy than multiple control devices, a space saver, its not in front of me in a desk situation its on an arm that can barely support it but I have it where its best for now. It does mean arms outstretched but I kinda wanted some exercise anyway as my mouse arms normally locked in a mad position. Reason isnt multitouch so not much help there, clarisse or gimp aint either, Blender not really, a little more than others. Yet to put some daw app on, but it will have better control. Kinda wish i'd gone for a 24 or 21 in just for ease of placement, the 27 is a little too big for using on your lap, something nice & slim needed with 4k cant be too far over the horizon. The need to touch it wanes quick.

I have a question. How did you connect the iMac to the raven? I have a thunderbolt to HDMI adapter but its not connecting to the display. Its a 2015 iMac. When i connect it to my with 2 port to HDMI adapter to my 2021 MacBook it works

is it easy to manage the different knobs of a synth ? Know I need to ake templates for each.

I've never been keen on the idea of using touchscreen as the main interface because I'm used to working with shortcuts all the time. However, I just realized that mounting a normal monitor in such way should be more common. It baffles me that I've not seen it anywhere else other than studios. Having a monitor mounted on the bottom is so natural, like looking at a paper, and touchscreen can come in handy sometimes as well. Btw I just love how unbiased you are in this video. Appreciate that :)

Does anyone have a photo of the powersupply of the MTI2, when i moved houses someone put them together with other ps in a big box, now i do not want to try the wrong one.Or do you know the brand and voltage on it? Thanks! Support saddly does not answer the question at all.... i am waiting now since months.

He should have bought the proper Slate desk for it. It was designed for ease of use for the screen(s). Seconds, the desk adjusts for 1 screen or 2 screen same desk. You have to buy side cars separately on each side of desk for hardware rack gear. Wish it came with rack space.

That position above created bilateral carpal tunnel for me. Your hands have to be able to reach mouse or touchscreen from where your arms fall - without pushing the arms and elbows forward. Took me 6 months to work pain free again. No bueno ;(

laser mouse is op i spent 8 bucks on my mouse and it works amazing

Question how did you connect your raven to your imac ???

that font color overlay is so awkward, cant read what is on the screen due to having that ghosting looking

nice tutorial was thinking of going this route. But $500.00 for a plywood desk 3/4 inch plywood 4X8 sheet $45.00 Rack Rails $20.00 Stain $10.00 Fasteners $$10.00 hardware $20.00 Labor $400.00.

Softube Console 1 & Fader.

I seen someone use it with a control surface too u don’t have to sell it

Do u have plans on how you built ur desk?

Video begins at 3:17

I have two of these in my studio. And his VMS etc. And to sum Slate hardware (and software) products: 90% marketing 10% quality. I regret everything I bought.

I wish I used my MTi more than I do. Better than buying an Avid S3

I bought one a few years ago. It was okay for a while, but I quickly grew frustrated with trying to align it with Logic. I recently bought a Faderport 16 to use instead. The Raven does seem like solid hardware, but the resolution isn't good. At that size, it needs to be 4k to make the text on those buttons readable. Can't imagine what the bigger ones are like if they're only HD too. The software seems duct taped together. So many background utilities to run and set up. It's clear that they've just bought in a touch solution and just used the manufacturer's software instead of integrating the hardware with their own software.

Good video and good points but bro you need to fire your barber lol

I sold mine and bought a mixer

use macOS catalina? thnks

Idk why you'd want more screens. I hate looking at screens.

Why wouldn't you use Logic Remote on an iPad?

Bro Butvdo you really use it cause I love this shit

I wouldn’t buy Raven, I might buy DTouch but I would for sure buy a touchscreen (optionally with Tuna Knobs), be it just for controlling the plug-ins which is cumbersome to do with hardware controllers. Even if I bought DTouch, I would probably not use its buttons and macros because they reduce the screen real estate, instead I would probably use on an iPad something like MetaGrid or ZenDaw or TouchOSC or Lemur.

I wish it was more showing and less talking but either way - did you talk about plugins? I bought One years ago and returned it quickly but I’m back to the same place where I want to be able to touch plug-ins and virtual instruments. Be able to see the whole channel strip and have all the parameters on one page. The iPad is as close as I’ve gotten but too many clicks and awkward awkward swipes. If I were you I’d go back and make another video the talks may be more evenly about the product and actually show it off what does it do well, you know…

What you do is turn your eyes off while your mixing. No lie. I can literally look at a screen and mix but I don't register what my eyes are seeing. I always trust my ears. Always. People come to me for my ears. Not my eyes. If your reading this always use your ears.

Well.... I just bought a Raven and it increase my workflow in less two days like hell. I think you don't optimised your desk, just up the raven, who cares about the Apple Logo????, the automatic alignment process is easy and the internal mixer is really good. Gestures are crazy. Conclusion, you are a noob who don't take the good decisions to understand this amazing product...

Does Raven really works with Video ? Like final cut pro x. Etc?

Honestly

You started this saying you made a purchase mistake but what you’ve described is more your operational errors.

How much was the Desk

the solution for not looking at the screen so much is to buy another one lol

But can you mix is the question.

Raven was made for mixers not editors.

Ummm.... remember that even on an actual console, you still have to initially look for the _right_ knob/button/fader....._then_ you use your ears. Same with a touchscreen.

ill save everyone 20min of life: if you run a pro studio the raven will save you time and money, if your a hobbiest like Luke Skywalker here, it will not be understood and never utilized fully.........Your welcome.

I never liked that Raven thing.

Bro sell it and get a 5K screen instead.

What you're saying doesn't make any sense... the controls operates the same ~ the visual is the same, and you're responding to the audio. Your set-up is centered around the Keyboard and Mouse and not utilizing the benefits that the Slate Console offers. Technology advances some people don't. I have both an analog console and work in the Box using the Slate. Using a DAW and quality Plug-ins saves thousands in required studio hardware going with a Analog Console. SLATE DIGITAL has succeeded in linking the new state of the art computer technology with a familiar Analog "Visual Experience" A very cost effective Home Studio solution for aspiring artists... I'm 70 and the learning curve is not all that bad ~ brain surgery it's not.

look in the camera .. not urself

Church ,reverse ,I'm out

you think $1000 is a lot to spend WAKE UP

Thank you for this honest review! I agree with all your sentiments as I was considering a Raven. I purchased a 15” touch screen monitor to work with studio one as an experiment. Faders definitely work better for me and trackball 🖲️ mouse.