Which MIDI controller should you use with a Zoom F8?
Soak Up Sound · 3 min read
Korg nanoKONTROL, Behringer X-Touch, iCON Platform M or anything else. What works out of the box and what needs mapping.
Work out of the box
- Korg nanoKONTROL (1st gen) and nanoKONTROL2: faders 1–8 are the input faders, knobs are trim or pan (switched with CYCLE), S / M / R buttons are ARM, PFL and pan centre, transport works 1:1. The smallest and lightest choice for a bag.
- Behringer X-Touch and X-Touch Compact in MC (Mackie Control) mode: motorised faders travel to the recorder's values by themselves, the displays show timecode, channel names, level in dB and meters. Good for a cart.
- iCON Platform M and Platform M+ in Mackie Control mode: the same ready-made map as the X-Touch.
Any other USB-MIDI controller
If the controller works on a computer without drivers (class-compliant USB-MIDI), you map it with the wizard on the Fader Bridge screen. It asks in turn: MOVE FADER 1, TURN KNOB 1, PRESS ARM 1, PRESS PFL 1. Fewer faders on your controller? Wait 5 seconds and the wizard moves on to the next row. The mapping is stored in the unit, separately for each of the two recorders.
Controllers that need their own drivers will not work.
How to choose
- Bag, working on the move: nanoKONTROL2. Small, light, 8 faders and 8 knobs.
- Cart, many channels: X-Touch or iCON Platform M, with motorised faders and displays.
- You already own a controller: check that it works without drivers. If it does, you will map it in a few minutes.
Questions and comments
- …