Icon Platform M+ Reviews

Lovely Midi Controller

I was looking for something in budget with motorized faders.

Its a great midi tool for using it as a mixer ( Ableton allready has the midi map built in so its just plug n play) I want the faders so i could know anytime where my automations etc are so i don't have to "reset" everytime the faders

The best modular Mackie control surface but let down by implementation and software

Great construction, slim design, debatable led colours, sadly missing encoder led rings. It works great out of the box with no need to install custom software unless you want to remap some control.

The worst part of this product is the fact Icon tried to lock some functionality such as plug in control and sends into the platform b+ as they "forgot" to map the relevant controls to the existing buttons, opting instead for read, write and session buttons (their real functionality changes according to the software being used and its Mackie control implementation)

The mapping software is also not the best in the world, it mostly works as expected but I did find myself mapping a button to a specific function and this would cause the faders to stop responding as expected (mapped function was totally unrelated to faders and mapping same function to another button would just work fine)

Perfect controller

faders feels fantastic, awesome features, it looks really nice, all the buttons feel high quality. Had it for almost a year now and very happy with it

Exponentially speeds up your workflow

I have one of these permanently on my desk. It synchronizes with my DAW (Reaper) almost perfectly. The one issue I have is that I cannot get the zoom buttons to work. That's not really a problem for me, as I have set one of my extra mouse buttons to function as a "ctrl" button so I can zoom both horizontally and vertically with my mouse. I mention it here as it may annoy other users who don't have that mouse configuration. (I've deducted one star on handling to reflect this).

The faders have a really nice quality feel to them, and have just the right amount of sensitivity for me. The rotary encoders have a good feel to them and make it easy to position tracks in a stereo mix or hard-panning duplicate guitar tracks. The record arm / solo / mute / track select buttons are really handy, and backlit so you can quickly see which set of controls relates to an active track. It can get a bit confusing when using 2nd and 3rd banks (I've not needed to go as far as the 4th yet!) so being able to keep track of things is important.

The transport buttons are brilliant, it's really useful to have them at your fingertips. I've recently started taking audio samples from news stories to use in my music, and having these transports has made it much easier to navigate through a sound sample to snip out the exact part I want. The addition of the "mixer" button, whose function depends on your DAW, is really helpful here - in the case of Reaper, the mixer button places down a marker.

The jog wheel has a sturdy feel to it and is useful for scrubbing through tracks. Combined with the mixer button you can easily lay down accurate placement markers.

I've not used the "read" or "write" functions on the unit yet, so I won't comment on those.

My desk setup includes a ShuttlePRO v2 with some common shortcuts assigned to it. Combined with the Platform M+, I have all the common DAW controls under my fingertips. I can definitely recommend the Platform M+ for a mixing desk setup.

Better than I have expected

I like mostly everything about this thing, but I really dislike the plastic faders and knobs.

Pros:

Solid build

Good workflow

Very good quality jog wheel

Cons:

Plastic knobs and faders

Pro looking home studio control surface

I bought this unit to replace my trusty single channel Presonus FaderPort because I thought I needed more faders and it also looked more impressive on my desk.

It's been a mixed bag though and quite frankly although it's a great unit I'm back to using my single channel Faderport mainly because I find it easier and more intuitive to identify which track/channel I'm working on with the single fader than moving around in banks of eight.

Pros:

Its a great looking unit, very well built and inexpensive. It also has a lot of very useful functions. I especially like the soft buttons compared to the harder buttons on some other units.

Cons:

*Sometimes after I use the zoom function I find it difficult to set the jog wheel back to it's default state and it stops scrolling through the song.

*The setup manual was not up to date.

Update (04/09/2021)

I recently bought the single fader Platform Nano and it's a dream come true. I'm no longer using the Faderport. Platform Nano is the one.

Проблем багато, а під&#109

Hello! I recently bought your Platform M + instrument. Version I studied the instructions. I have been working in the studio for 30 years and everything is clear to me, but the device does not behave the way it is written in the instructions. I have a MAC Catalina 10.7.7 and Cubase 10.5.

In MCP Mode, all buttons work, but two "Chan" buttons do nothing and write two inscriptions on the display - Left-Right and Front-Rear. What this means is neither in the instructions nor in consumer reviews.

The display shows two lines of text. The second line says “Pan”, “Front-Rear” and “Page 01/02. Why are these inscriptions?

The Mixer button does a different thing.

I wanted to set all controllers to User define Mode. I've done this many times in other controllers, but it doesn't work in Platform M +.

Today, in three days, the Platform D2 screen stopped showing information. The blue screen is on and that's it! Without the display, the device also does not work.

I wanted to buy two more Platform X +, but now I doubt it.

Today, in three days, the Platform D2 screen stopped showing information. The blue screen is on and that's it! Without the display, the device also does not work.

Conclusions: the device is not yet perfect. There are still many disadvantages. I do not recommend buying.

Couldn't even get it to work

Spent over 2 months going back and forth with support and even after several firmware 'fixes' it still didn't do the basic tasks in Logic. Touching a fader automatically brought up plugins which meant I was unable to mix properly with it, not to mention there were several features that they knew didn't work such as the 'mixer' button. The 'fixes' they sent made things even worse. Now support has ignored my emails (and video demonstrations) so I've been left no option but to return it. Unbelievable.

Swings & Roundabouts

The build quality looks impressive, unfortunately it wasn't long before the rubberised buttons started coming out of their slots. Whilst they can be pushed back in they now sit up further that the rest. The software interface needs a drastic update and they seem to change the way the firmware updates work. It took an email to the support desk to figure that out. To be fair the support was quick and got me sorted. The biggest issue is the need to restart the device to change modes. As someone who uses both logic pro and cubase this is a pain.

Good performance, very limited functionality

I was recommended the Platform M+ as a main DAW controller and initially I was impressed by the performance and fader response, but functionality is very limited.

Buttons are somewhat fiddly and setting up a user defined template is a lengthy task. Mapping application seemed to work better on Windows than Mac. Manual is incomplete but instructional videos can easily be found.

I think this product is a great for it's price, but be prepared to get ZERO support.

The manual has only minimum information. For example if you want to calibrate the device - you have to google it and if you're happy - you will find Youtube video how to do it. Why this is not in the manual? There is also zero information how to use 'user define' mode.

If you want to get support from iCon - well good luck with that! There is NO direct contact information, only thru ZenDesk registration which doesn't work.

SO if you want to get a good device with awful support and look for the solutions in facebook and forums - this controller might be for you :)

Great Daw Controller

i'm loving this controller very much, and it's a great thing that you can add more modules to it.

Nice, Good for price, but with some niggles.

I bought this for using with Cubase and Logic ProX as a volume controller for balancing tracks and writing some automation.

The setup with either program was simple and worked nicely. I did not want to control plugin or EQs with this soI did not test how that works with the knobs.

I really liked the unit, the rubber feel of the buttons and the fader action was ok, but not as good as the Presonous Faderport in my view.

Also, despite calibrating the fader speed and sensitivity I still had to fight with the fader sometimes when adjusting levels. This was on tracks that sis not have automation, so there really was no reason for this to happen!

Also, sometimes when the faders were turned all the way down, there would be some fader chattering going on. I tried to make sure the device was level, but the noise persisted on and off.

Pros:

+ Cheap,

+ Looks great

+ Feels Solid

+ Lots of features and nice buttons

+ Easy setup with DAW and easy fader calibration process

Cons:

- Some unexplained fader resistance and

- occasional fader chattering noise when idle.

Analog feel

I love the analog feel when balancing all the elements in a mix. It works perfectly with Logic Pro X and these motorized faders are amazing.

Good "multi-fader" controller for the price.

This review is base on Pro Tools scenario.

Pros

- Compact Size with ?eight? 10-bit motorised fader.

- Useful transport control.

- Motorised Fader not too noisy.

- Colourful backlight knobs, you won?t misunderstanding which knob is activated.

Cons

- Manual is lacking lots of informations.

- You?d better NOT connect to USB hub might cause MIDI latency.

- Can?t use encoder to control plugin?s parameter with Pro Tools.

- The ninth Master fader do NOT support Pro Tools.

- Flip mode do NOT support Pro Tools.

- Automation Read&Write knobs do NOT support Pro Tools.

- Can?t use User Defined Mode with Pro Tools. ( It?s not HUI protocol )

- No ?0db? labelling with faders.

///

Actually, I do a lots research for Icon Platform M+ before I buy it.

So I know Its functions are NOT fully supported with Pro Tools due to HUI protocol?s limitation.

Luckily, I running it without any issue.?But first, the manual is really unhelpful.

Any important informations you need, just google it.

Such as how to calibrate the faders.

Also you should plug it directly to your computer.

Probably the USB hub will cause MIDI latency, the latency will affect fader moving laggy.

(But now I?m using a thunderbolt dock without any problem.)

Next, The fader?s sensitivity is tricky.

You should press with a little bit pressure when you push it,

or it will pull you finger back.

Not like Avid Artist Mix & S3,?you can push the fader as you want, even a sightly movement.

(I?m calibrated the faders most sensitive & slowing with Icon?s tutorial video at youtube.)

Overall,

although it has limitation with Pro Tools,

?it still a good fader controller for the price.

But if you have enough budget, just go for Avid Artist Mix.

WOW

It changed my workflow, mixing speed... I am amazed.

Great quality, it looks like it will last forever. Mainly it's built from really good plastic. Heavy and small footprint.

4 stars for handling only because it lasted to set it up and adjust parameters to my workflof but that could be me.

Need a motoried fader mixer that doent cost the earth

Amazed, it works with most daws out of the box

i use it with bitwig studio, iv not stopped playing with it since i got it

no more mouse clicking to adjust settings for me

nice unit well built i would recomend this without hesitation

Protools Use

Overall really nice feel to faders and buttons. Terrible manual (cant even find how to register online) Also Practically zero instructions for several functions in Protools so I had to discover things in Forums for myself. The really killer bad point is that there is no dedicated 'flip button' to switch to controlling sends so you have to press two buttons simultaneously to achieve this. Pressing two buttons works about 60% of the time so the rest of time you have either switched bank or channel. This is a terrible problem as your input is now assigned somewhere else and your faders no longer work. Protools users can also only edit the first send with no way to change to another, This and the lack of a 'flip button' is a real poor experience for protools users, and I cannot see how they can work around it as there is no spare button to assign.

another good product from Icon

Rather noisy

Setup for Protools wasn't too complicated. The faders and pan knobs work well. The biggest issue is the very loud noise this device produces. Makes it anoying to mix (or even track) with it.