How do you control a Zoom F8 with faders, without a cable to the recorder?
Soak Up Sound · 4 min read
MIDI controller on a cable, recorder in the bag, Bluetooth in between. How it works and what you need.
Zoom F8-series recorders have good preamps but small knobs. Zoom discontinued the FRC-8 remote with real faders. The recorders still accept commands over Bluetooth, the same way as from the F8 Control app on a tablet, and that is what Fader Bridge uses.
How it connects
- MIDI controller (e.g. Korg nanoKONTROL, Behringer X-Touch, iCON Platform M) plugs into Fader Bridge with a USB cable.
- Fader Bridge translates the faders into F8 Control commands and sends them over Bluetooth.
- The recorder moves faders, trim, pan, track arming and transport; meters and timecode come back to the Fader Bridge display.
The controller sits on the cart or next to you, the recorder stays in the bag, and there is no cable between them.
What to enable on the recorder
Turn on F8 Control: MENU › SYSTEM › Bluetooth. When switched on, Fader Bridge looks for the recorder and the controller by itself, and if something is missing the display tells you what to enable. The recorder panel keeps working together with the controller, although in F8 Control mode Zoom turns off some of its own functions.
Soft takeover
Faders and knobs only move a parameter once they “catch” the value set on the recorder, so levels do not jump on the first touch. On the X-Touch the motorised faders travel to the recorder's values by themselves.
Power and size
Fader Bridge needs 5 V USB (at least 1 A): a charger, a power bank or a D-Tap/Hirose → USB adapter. The whole set with a Korg draws under 0.6 A. The unit measures 81 × 45.5 × 20.5 mm, smaller than a payment card.
Which recorders
Zoom F8-series recorders with F8 Control, one or two at a time. Other series (F3, F4, F6) are not supported.
Questions and comments
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