AVID S1

For as long as software mixing (e.g., in Cubase) exist many hardware devices have been constructed and sold to more easily control the hundreds of parameters of a modern DAW, often simultaneously. More importantly, these devices are aiming to get back the feeling of a real mixing console instead of using a mouse and keyboard shortcuts. Consequently, all DAWs supports alternative controllers such as fader surfaces, jog/shuttle wheels, rotary encoder banks and so on.

The AVID S1 is a compact DAW control surface. Avid incorporated advanced features from its full-sized consoles into S1, including responsive, motorized, touch-sensitive faders, touch-sensitive knobs, and touchscreen-integrated keys. S1 together with Cubase and the AVID control app for iPad facilitates streamlined workflow.

Avid Control allows to use my touchscreen ipad as a powerful control surface that helps speed up recording, editing, monitoring, and mixing tasks. Through its onscreen faders, knobs, buttons, Soft Keys, and transport controls—plus graphical displays that provide extensive visual feedback—it becomes easier to control Cubase (without the mouse on the computer screen).  Avid Control also uses the EUCON protocol and, consequently, provides deep control of Cubase giving access to hundreds of functions and commands without a mouse. Ideally, the Avid S1 works together with a ipad with a 12.9 inch screen to align the graphical display (including the metering) with the S1 channels. The S1 connects to the computer over wired ethernet. A review about the AVID S1 from SoundOnSound is available [here].

I use this controller in combination with the SSL UC1, Steinberg CC121, Softube Console 1 Fader, KORG nanoKontrol, MP Midi Controller, nOb, and the Stream Deck XL).

EUCON

The AVID S1 is based on the EUCON protocol, which was developed by Euphonix. Whereas older control protocols such as MCU and HUI are based on MIDI, the EUCON protocol transmits data over wired ethernet. This gives a higher bandwidth, allowing EUCON to support finer fader resolution and richer controller data. EUCON controllers are able to control many more DAW and plug-in features, and synchronize with the DAW: the S1 will follow the channel selected in the DAW and vice versa (this is with MCU/HUI controllers still an unsolved problem, while Softube Console 1 Fader did solve this by using a dedicated VST3 plugin to be inserted on every channel).

The device

AVID S1

image: The AVID S1 together with the AVID Control on the ipad.

AVID Control

Specifications

Setup in my studio

Configuration

The quartet AVID S1,  Softube Console 1 Fader, Steinberg CC121, and the StreamDeck XL is perfect for controlling the Cubase.

AVID S1. I use the AVID S1 together with the AVID Control (ipad) as my main controller during mixing.

Control of different track types. Console 1 Fader (C1F) only controls audio channels, mix/effect busses. It does not control midi or VCA tracks but it does detect these tracks and will assign a fader to it, but it will not control the DAW. This has the advantage that C1F stays consistent with the track order in Cubase. These tracks can, however, be controlled by the CC121. Since C1F and CC121 follow each other there is always a hardware fader to control any track in Cubase (including e.g., the Folder tracks that can be expanded or collapsed with the CC121).  The AVID S1/Control support any type of track.

Main mix busses. Due to a problem with the Console 1 VST3 plugin (see [here]) I now use the C1F to only control my main mix busses. That is, I use the C1F only to control a maximum of 10 group channels in Cubase. Only these channels have the Console 1 VST3 plugin inserted which prevents Audio Performance issues. These mix busses may differ between mixing projects but typically I use a bus for vocals, background vocals, drums, bass, guitar, keyboard, and solo instruments. This setup allows me to mix on the Avid S1 but quickly change and evaluate changes to the overall balance with the C1F.  This setup also implies that I only use a very restricted set of functionalities of  the C1F. Here you see the C1F with a own-made template to name the mix busses:

Gain staging. In the past I would set the gain and low cut from Cubase but the Avid S1 makes this so much easier. In particular the gain (trim on the Avid S1) allows for an easy gain staging to ensure that the initial fader positions are around 0 dB

Eq. The advantage of the CC121 is that it can control the 4-band parametric equalizer of Cubase with 12 knobs and 6 buttons. Again, much easier then using the mouse and I also prefer the layout of these Eq knobs over the linear layout on the Avid S1.

Channel sends. Can be controlled by the Avid S1, C1F, and the CC121, but the S1 makes this very easy and intuitive.

Assignable buttons. The CC121 has 4 assignable buttons while the C1F has 3. On the Avid S1/Control many more assignments to Cubase can be made. In addition, on my StreamDeck I have an unlimited number of buttons as my disposal to assign the Cubase commands.

Channel controls. One big advantage of the CC121 is that is has buttons for the important channel settings such as Solo, Mute, Read/Write, Record, Open instrument, Monitor, and Channel settings.

Channel select and page.  On the CC121 I can browse each individual track with the Channel Select buttons. On the C1F I can browse through the channels by sets of 10 (instead of 8 as is done with many other DAW controllers including the Avid S1). Since I have now fixed the C1F to 10 mix busses I do not use the ‘page’ function anymore to scroll through the fader banks.

However, in case where this will again become necessary the  StreamDeck XL nicely supports this! Thanks for GuruGurra on the Cubase forum.

What is the issue? A Cubase project may contain many tracks (for example, my project Time to Start contains about 90 tracks). I always have a specific ordering: vocals, drums, bass, guitar, keyboards, etc. Consequently, if you are mixing the vocals with the C1F and then want to make an adjustment on the keyboards you would have to press the page button multiple times (or select the track with the mouse, which you try to circumvent in the first place). I wanted to get rid of this and be able to go to a particular section of my project (e.g., the keyboards) with a single push on the button.

It turns out that this is possible using Generic Remote in Cubase. In the Generic Remote that I have setup for StreamDeck XL I made 10 new Controllers and assigned these to Device=Mixer, Channel/Category=TrackName, Value/Action=Selected. Now it may seem that you have assigned a specific named Cubase track to the controller but underlying Cubase does not use the names but the track number!! Consequently, if you remove or add tracks the controller will still point to the same track number (which will then have a different name). You can also see this in Generic Remote: remove a track and you will see that the name has changed. This even transfers to new/other Cubase projects.

As a final step I have assigned 10 StreamDeck buttons to Cubase track 1, 11, 21, 31 etc. Pressing one of these buttons will directly set both the CC121 and the C1F to the correct Cubase track. Very nice.

The only thing to take care of is that specific sections (e.g., keyboards) start at, for example, 61. This is easily done by adding/removing empty audio dummy tracks at appropriate places in the Cubase project. Thus, have fun.

Here is how it looks like (I have other StreamDeck XL pages with more Cubase commands):

Since I now do the mixing on the Avid S1/Control the banking issue is not really a problem anymore. Not only provides the S1 functionality to directly jump to the beginning or end of all tracks, the Avid Control basically provides similar functionality as described with the StreamDeck above.

My experience so far

30 July 2021. I have been using the AVID S1 for about 2 months now (with a single mix: Time to start). I haven’t experienced any problems like crashes of Cubase (which were supported in some forums (for previous versions of the EUCON protocol?)). AVID S1 provides a very deep integration with Cubase and many (if not all) functions are accessible from the AVID S1 and/or the Control app on the iPad. As a consequence the device has a steep learning curve although it is not difficult to use. It is more about quickly finding the stuff you want to do (but this is a matter of experience I guess). Many customization are possible. Neverthelesss, you might find some functions of Cubase still easier (quicker?) to control with the mouse and/or keyboard but this is also a matter of getting used to a different workflow. After using the mouse for several decades with Cubase it is difficult not to reach out for the mouse. Therefore, to really get going with the AVID S1 it is better to move the keyboard/mouse out of the way and force yourself using the AVID/Control app.  I think this will pay off in the end.

Manuals

Avid S1 User Guide (pdf) 3.41 MB 107 downloads

See also: DAW DAW Controllers The Perfect DAW Controller EUCON ...

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Using Avid EuControl Surfaces v2020.11 (Manual) (pdf) 10.27 MB 129 downloads

See also: DAW DAW Controllers The Perfect DAW Controller EUCON EUCON protocol ...

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Video