;tldr - Since it's a bit of a long read, with a bunch of background info... skip to the bolded part if you're in a hurry 
Since I just bought some new monitors and am building a new desk, I figured I'd look into some outboard gear, but quickly found it's quite expensive for good gear, and I already own plugins that should get me great results. I own tons of plugins, including Waves Gold, T-Racks and a few other good, paid plugins. However, I really miss being able to turn knobs on gear and hear the results quickly, rather than using a mouse to slowly change parameters. I went completely digital long ago, but for me, the interaction between the programs is a bit tedious at times, when it would be MUCH more simple with hardware.
I had pretty much given up on getting outboard gear or a console until recently I saw an ad for a used Mackie Universal Control. After looking up how much they sell for on the used market, I was quite surprised! It seems there's some decent Behringer ones out there that get some praise as well (though I'm quite hesitant to buy Behringer, as I'm sure most are - Though, I do own an ADA8000 and FCB1010 that are great pieces of gear), but it looks like there are some features that are really lacking on them?
I'll be using Pro Tools 9 (and Reaper) on Windows 7 Professional x64 with a Focusrite Saffire Pro 40. I'd be using the console to control parameters in plugins (In general, all the plugins included in the Waves Gold package, if possible), automation and general simple tasks, like adjusting track volume/pan, etc. I just feel like I'd be able to mix much more efficiently, easier and most importantly, better, if I could adjust things at my finger tips, than clicking all over shit with a mouse.
Can the Mackie Universal Control do this? Are there any other out there you'd suggest in the <$500 range (used)? It looks like the Universal Controls are going for $300 or less on eBay, which is more than workable, and the Pro version is going for ~$5-600. Any downside to using a DAW controller, or more importantly, one of these cheaper ones?
Since I just bought some new monitors and am building a new desk, I figured I'd look into some outboard gear, but quickly found it's quite expensive for good gear, and I already own plugins that should get me great results. I own tons of plugins, including Waves Gold, T-Racks and a few other good, paid plugins. However, I really miss being able to turn knobs on gear and hear the results quickly, rather than using a mouse to slowly change parameters. I went completely digital long ago, but for me, the interaction between the programs is a bit tedious at times, when it would be MUCH more simple with hardware.
I had pretty much given up on getting outboard gear or a console until recently I saw an ad for a used Mackie Universal Control. After looking up how much they sell for on the used market, I was quite surprised! It seems there's some decent Behringer ones out there that get some praise as well (though I'm quite hesitant to buy Behringer, as I'm sure most are - Though, I do own an ADA8000 and FCB1010 that are great pieces of gear), but it looks like there are some features that are really lacking on them?
I'll be using Pro Tools 9 (and Reaper) on Windows 7 Professional x64 with a Focusrite Saffire Pro 40. I'd be using the console to control parameters in plugins (In general, all the plugins included in the Waves Gold package, if possible), automation and general simple tasks, like adjusting track volume/pan, etc. I just feel like I'd be able to mix much more efficiently, easier and most importantly, better, if I could adjust things at my finger tips, than clicking all over shit with a mouse.
Can the Mackie Universal Control do this? Are there any other out there you'd suggest in the <$500 range (used)? It looks like the Universal Controls are going for $300 or less on eBay, which is more than workable, and the Pro version is going for ~$5-600. Any downside to using a DAW controller, or more importantly, one of these cheaper ones?
