FRONTIER DESIGN GROUP ALPHATRACK
Jun 1, 2007 12:00 PM, BY JASON SCOTT ALEXANDER
Several manufacturers' attention to compact control surfaces — more specifically, single-fader packs — has sparked a controller showdown of late. Getting the design of a single-fader controller right is harder than you might expect. On one hand, it should be as compact as possible to fit the limited real estate of the average desktop user and meet similar space and travel rigors of the laptop crowd. On the other hand, it should also offer as rich and thorough an interfacing experience as possible through minimal finger strokes. To further complicate matters, individual users often place emphasis on vastly different duties. For some it's tracking, editing or mixing; for others, it's all three.
Frontier Design Group is no stranger to the demands of the evolving DAW environment. While it has also conjured up control surfaces for Tascam's digital mixers, about a year and a half ago, the group released the successful TranzPort — a highly innovative wireless transport controller for a DAW that you can use anywhere in your studio.
With only a passing resemblance to TranzPort, AlphaTrack is a wired USB device optimized to speed up your editing and mixing workflow with maximum control over your tracks, effects and virtual instruments, while consuming a minimum of space. The unit complements the mouse and keyboard, rather than replaces them, and combines many conventional mixing and transport controls with some truly innovative perks that make working on audio projects easier, faster and a hell of a lot more fun.
The install disc featured the latest version 1.1 driver and manager application, but a quick visit to the Frontier site was necessary to pick up the latest documentation and individual native-host plug-in updates. AlphaTrack supports the basic functions of all major DAWs — including Pro Tools and Logic — through HUI and Mackie (MCU) modes, and the native plug-ins for Cubase/Nuendo 3, Sonar, Reason and Digital Performer 5 add further functionality. Version 1.1 also adds support for Apple Final Cut Pro and Soundtrack Pro through MCU. My test system was a dual-core Pentium 4 3.2 GHz with Nuendo 3 as host.
BEAUTY AND BRAINS
AlphaTrack's chic black/blue/graphite color scheme and curvy, clean-line design makes it appealing to the eyes. At just more than one pound, this 8.5-by-6-by-3-inch unit packs a surprising amount of control and functionality (22 buttons and 21 LEDs) into a brilliantly designed interface that's fast to operate and highly informative.
The 100mm touch-sensitive, motorized fader provides true 10-bit resolution for smooth and precise level control. The motor circuits are fast on snapshot recall and offer extremely smooth, noise-free response that rival what I've seen on high-end systems. If you've never had the pleasure of working with touch-sensitive faders before, you'll marvel at the ability to override or modify automation data simply by tapping the fader cap, without having to crudely nudge preexisting data and risk ugly sonic jumps in your mixes. The motor can be turned off if desired.
Near the fader sit backlit Record, Solo and Mute controls for tracks, as well as LEDs for read and write automation. There's also a dedicated Any Solo LED that helps you unearth tracks that are soloed. A large Shift button doubles the actions of many controls to provide additional functionality and can itself be set to “sticky” mode to permit one-handed access to the alternate button and encoder functions.
To the right of the fader group is the parameter control section featuring a 2-by-16-character backlit LCD giving context-specific feedback for three touch-sensitive -rotary/push encoders. Again, these encoders are ones that you'd previously find only on high-end desks. Five mode buttons allow you to quickly switch encoder control between pans, sends, EQ, plug-ins and automation one track at a time. Moving downward, eight multifunction buttons with discrete LEDs take on loop control, track switching, fader/encoder flipping and opening the host channel-editor window. Four of these buttons, labeled F1 through F4, are user-programmable function keys (your application must support this type of assigning). Pressing Shift accesses functions F5 through F8.
The bottom section of AlphaTrack is all about the time line, with five standard transport buttons (also with Shift functions), a bright red Record-armed LED and an innovative touch-sensitive jog and shuttle strip. A firm rubberized palm-rest accents the unit.
On the back panel, a footswitch jack can enable punch-in recording, and a USB connector draws extremely low power from its host with no need for an external supply, a huge plus for mobile users. Like TranzPort, AlphaTrack has no power switch and never really shuts down until you power-off your system.
ERGONOMICALLY SPEAKING
Whether you're left-handed or right-handed, it feels pretty comfortable to set AlphaTrack to the right or left of the keyboard. I initially placed the AlphaTrack between the keyboard and mouse, thinking it would be a natural extension of the keyboard and take over many mousing duties. For a while that seemed fine, but I noticed that old desktop habits are hard to break, and I often wanted to mouse; I couldn't break the habit enough to lift my arm each time to avoid hitting the AlphaTrack (which is considerably higher than most mice). Moving the mouse between the keyboard and AlphaTrack didn't feel quite right either — too much bumping into the AlphaTrack.
The position I ultimately recommend for left- or right-handed users to try first is with AlphaTrack placed between the keyboard and mouse, but just a few inches behind the mouse. You'll have unobstructed access to the mouse, and the added reach to AlphaTrack's controls feels more naturally like a big mix desk to me. According to Frontier, some folks like to sit back in the speaker sweet spot with AlphaTrack in their laps while mixing. Indeed, it's designed to work with you, not against you.
The only real beef I had with my review unit was that its four tiny rubber feet wouldn't sit perfectly flat on any work surface. The balance was just fractionally off but ever so annoying. I put a few layers of Scotch tape under the culprit to fix it.
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