Mackie Control: Fader Bank Zone

This Mackie Control zone contains two sets of left and right buttons (for switching between individual or grouped channels) as well as the FLIP and GLOBAL VIEW buttons.

Mackie Control: BANK LEFT and BANK RIGHT Buttons

The Mackie Control provides eight sets of channel strip controls, allowing you to edit eight corresponding channels. The BANK LEFT and BANK RIGHT buttons let you move between “banks” of eight channel strips. For example, if you are editing channel strips 1–8, pressing the BANK RIGHT button moves to channel strips 9–16. Pressing BANK RIGHT again moves to channel strips 17–24. Pressing BANK LEFT returns to channel strips 9–16, then to 1–8 with one more button press.

If you are using a control surface group, the BANK LEFT and BANK RIGHT buttons shift the active channel strips by the total number of channels in the control surface group. For example, if you have a Mackie Control and two Mackie Control XT units, the view shifts by 24 channels—the total number of channels in the control surface group.

The BANK buttons always change channel strips in groups of eight, unless the last channel strips do not make a complete group of eight. For example, if a project has 19 channel strips, and the Mackie Control is controlling channel strips 1 to 8:

  • Pressing the BANK RIGHT button shifts to channel strips 9 to 16.

  • Pressing the BANK RIGHT button again shifts to channel strips 12 to 19.

  • Pressing the BANK LEFT button shifts back to channel strips 9 to 16, not 4 to 11.

This way, you always revert to the channel strips you expect to find, and are comfortable with.

Notes on Using the FADER BANKS Buttons

When holding down the OPTION button, pressing the BANK or CHANNEL LEFT button jumps to the first set of channel strips in the project. Pressing the BANK or CHANNEL RIGHT button jumps to the last set of channel strips in the project. For example, if your project has 64 channel strips, pressing BANK or CHANNEL LEFT jumps to channel strips 1 through 8, and pressing BANK or CHANNEL RIGHT jumps to channel strips 57 through 64.

For views where one type of channel strip is displayed (such as audio, instruments, or busses), Logic Pro remembers the last group of eight channel strips shown in the view, and returns to it when you switch back from another view. For example, if you start in a view with audio channel strips 4 through 11 visible, switch to an instruments view, scroll to instruments 6 through 13, and then switch back to the audio channel view, you will return to audio channel strips 4 through 11 (not 6 through 13). Switching to the Instrument Channel view displays instruments 6 through 13.

Mackie Control: CHANNEL LEFT and CHANNEL RIGHT Buttons

Using the CHANNEL LEFT and CHANNEL RIGHT buttons, you can move up or down by a single channel strip. Pressing the CHANNEL RIGHT button shifts (the active channel strips) up by a single channel strip, while pressing CHANNEL LEFT shifts them down by a single channel strip. For example, if you are viewing channel strips 1 to 8 and press the CHANNEL RIGHT button, channel strips 2 to 9 are displayed.

Notes on Using the FADER BANKS Buttons

When holding down the OPTION button, pressing the BANK or CHANNEL LEFT button jumps to the first set of channel strips in the project. Pressing the BANK or CHANNEL RIGHT button jumps to the last set of channel strips in the project. For example, if your project has 64 channel strips, pressing BANK or CHANNEL LEFT jumps to channel strips 1 through 8, and pressing BANK or CHANNEL RIGHT jumps to channel strips 57 through 64.

For views where one type of channel strip is displayed (such as audio, instruments, or busses), Logic Pro remembers the last group of eight channel strips shown in the view, and returns to it when you switch back from another view. For example, if you start in a view with audio channel strips 4 through 11 visible, switch to an instruments view, scroll to instruments 6 through 13, and then switch back to the audio channel view, you will return to audio channel strips 4 through 11 (not 6 through 13). Switching to the Instrument Channel view displays instruments 6 through 13.

Mackie Control: FLIP Button

Press the FLIP button (alone, or in combination with a modifier key) to activate or deactivate one of the following modes: Flip, Swap, or Zero.

Flip Mode

Pressing the FLIP button activates Flip mode. In Flip mode, the current assignments of the eight V-Pots are mirrored by the eight channel faders, so that both control the same parameter. Turning one of the V-Pots causes the corresponding fader to move, and vice versa. When you activate Flip mode, the LED next to the FLIP button illuminates. Pressing the FLIP button again turns off Flip mode.

Flip mode offers the following advantages:

  • You can edit any type of parameter with a fader, which allows more precise editing control.

  • Unlike the V-Pots, the faders are touch-sensitive. This allows you to overwrite existing controller automation movements with a constant value.

Swap Mode

Holding down the SHIFT button while pressing the FLIP button activates Swap mode. In Swap mode, the encoder assignments are swapped with the fader assignments, so that the faders control the parameter previously assigned to the V-Pots, and vice versa. The LED next to the FLIP button flashes when Swap mode is active.

When Swap mode is active, pressing FLIP again reverts to Flip mode. Holding down the SHIFT button and pressing FLIP turns off Swap mode, and returns the V-Pot and fader assignments to the state they were in before you activated Flip or Swap mode.

Zero Mode

Holding down the CONTROL button while pressing the FLIP button activates Zero mode. In Zero mode, the faders are set to the zero position and do not move. This is useful in situations where the Mackie Control is located close to microphones, and you want to make sure that you don’t capture the mechanical noise of the faders moving.

When Zero mode is active, pressing FLIP again reverts to Flip mode. Holding down the CONTROL button while pressing FLIP turns off Zero mode, and reactivates the faders.

Mackie Control: Global View Button

The GLOBAL VIEW button is used in conjunction with the buttons in the Global View zone. These are discussed in Mackie Control: Global View Zone.