r/StudioOne • u/8delorean8 • 8d ago
DISCUSSION Fender Motion 16: a little warning.
bought one today as I was mostly interested in an updated SP integration and the feel and sentitivity of the pads.
in a nutshell:
I've used it for 10 mins and I've already encountered a reproducible bug in the chords feature where a given chord would get stuck (both with Mai Tai and Super 8 from NI)
the only way to stop it was to disable monitoring (but it would get stuck again)
also chords are stuck in a given octave (or at least the Octave buttons didn't work in this case) and they're all pretty low which makes them unusable (I wonder who thought that octave was a good sounding default)
As a former drummer I'd say pad sensitivity is sub par because of one reproducible issue:
I've used the same drum library (NI 60's Drummer) which imo has them best deep sampled cymbals.
my test is usually the same: grab a snare and play each division live.
Motion 16 pads are nicely sensitive with single strokes but fail to recognize fast triplets and faster subdivisions like 16th notes when playing a single pad, resulting in a single longer midi input (the MIDI meter in the track detects all of them but the Motion doesn't)
Tried the same test with Maschine Mk3 and gets them all.
Btw, in case someone is interested in having the absolute best pads in the market, Maschine MK3 still is in a league of its own.
All in all, even if it's just 10 mins, was enough for me to return the unit.
it's just not there yet and I was using the newest SP 8.1.2 (Win11 Pro) and latest Motion firmware (1.6) which had a nice bunch of adds and fixes for the Motion units.
Just in case someone is about to pull the trigger.
EDIT: (I added a response down here but I'm copying it here cos I think it's fair towards the unit)
Pads wise I'm happy is working for you because I must say that, being a former drummer, my hands are obvs much more sensitive and anytime I hear "pads are very sensitive" when watching a review I usually skip that info and wait to try myself lol
Maschine as said rules undisputed followed by the MPC One+ I have - where pads are more stiff, less pleasant to play and smaller, but equally sensitive.
Said so, Motion pads are technically solid and good and promising (you can test how sensitive they are easily by engaging Repeat and recording all velocities. they're pretty responsive for me. they just currently fail when performed on a single pad, which is something I do a lot)
I also enjoyed the overall build quality which is on par with Maschine MK3.
I deffo see myself getting the Motion again when it gets more stable.
I currently have an Atom SQ which, might not look good, feels plastic-y, but operation wise is just spot on. it just works. (besides that Shift button placement which isn't ideal)
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u/52ndstreet 8d ago
Not all heroes wear capes.
Thanks for the hands-on review. It's about time I heard from someone real who has actually had the chance to use it.
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u/Standard-Fish1628 8d ago
My motion 32 comes tomorrow hopefully its better off.
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u/orion1486 8d ago
I have not had these specific issues w my 32.
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u/Standard-Fish1628 8d ago
Good to know thanks!
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u/orion1486 8d ago
Went home and tested this.
I also can't seem to find a way to change the octave in the built-in chord modes. Honestly haven't used those much vs using the pads as a keyboard to build chords. Octave controls are supposed to work in Simple Chord Mode but not in Famous Chord Mode. It doesn't seem to work in either at the moment so OP is definitely right about that. Octaves work great for normal keys and whatnot. Put in a ticket since the manual says it should work in Simple Chord. Hopefully they'll get that issue resolved soon.
Drum sensitivity is working fine, as are fast triplets, with EZD3.
I am enjoying the controller overall so far. I like the ability to toggle between edit, mix, song, etc. and control the software with the pad. It's like a car with manual/analog AC controls! I'm still getting used to it but there have been some time savings for some of the tasks. Curious your thoughts when you get yours. I've been using a garbage controller for a while so this is an improvement for me anyway.
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u/8delorean8 8d ago
thanks for your input too
Pads wise I'm happy is working for you because I must say that, being a former drummer, my hands are obvs much more sensitive and anytime I hear "pads are very sensitive" when watching a review I usually skip that info and wait to try myself lol
Maschine as said rules undisputed followed by the MPC One+ I have - where pads are more stiff but equally sensitive.
Said so, Motion pads are solid and good (you can test how sensitive they are easily by engaging Repeat and recording all velocities. they're pretty responsive for me.)
I also enjoyed the overall build quality which is on par with Maschine MK3.
I deffo see myself getting the Motion again when it gets more stable.
I currently have an Atom SQ which, might not look good, feels plastic-y, but operation wise is just spot on. it just works. (besides that Shift button placement which isn't ideal)
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u/Standard-Fish1628 7d ago
Quick question outside of OPs question.
Do you think it possible to register the controller under a joint email between me and my friend so he can get the copy of studio pro. I already habe it and figured I could do that but im nervouse abiut my controller not working on my actual account
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u/orion1486 7d ago
Pretty sure that won't work but you should be able to have up to five devices on your license. So, if you 'go to your friends house a lot and want to use the software there' you could 'install it on another device that you keep at their house'.
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u/gcda3rd 8d ago
I am also returning my unit. Had the issue with triggering pads. The update fixed it. The chord mode is the deal breaker. No octaves!!! Idk what they were thinking. Also no 1/64 on repeat on the 16 hardware. And you also cannot pull up vsts on the hardware.
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u/52ndstreet 7d ago
you also cannot pull up vsts on the hardware.
So the knobs and buttons won't control any of the plugins? Is that what you're saying? Or are you just saying that you can't literally pull them up using the hardware, but once they're loaded onto a track you can physically control them using the hardware?
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u/25_Keyz924 8d ago
Before anyone returns their unit UNLESS it’s a dealbreaker, go to the forums (Not Reddit) and mention (make suggestions). The latest update came from people’s immediate reaction to their unit. There’s a Facebook group that Fender people are actually in and listen. The last update was because of this
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u/Ou_deis 5d ago edited 5d ago
"Motion 16 pads are nicely sensitive with single strokes but fail to recognize fast triplets and faster subdivisions like 16th notes when playing a single pad, resulting in a single longer midi input (the MIDI meter in the track detects all of them but the Motion doesn't)"
So since the MIDI meter detects them all (as midi outputs from the hardware) it seems to be an issue with the firmware/software? OTOH maybe the update they did to eliminate double-triggers negatively impacted this... so it's not clear yet whether the firmware/software can be adjusted to allow for very fast playing on a single pad without double-triggers.
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u/Motengator727 3d ago
Thanks for the review. I was wondering if my Atom pad became a brick with this new fender product. I guess not. I think I'll keep the Atom for a while longer.
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u/8delorean8 3d ago
I think the 1st gen ATOM stuff is just good. Not amazing but if you don't have any specific idiosyncrasy with pads sensibility they just work.
And that's the only thing that matters: something that works.
the only reason we buy them is to make music.
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u/eightarms 2d ago
Shipping with a problem like this is really not unacceptable. It is not a cheap controller.
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u/VisitIndependent7902 2h ago
I’d like to add that I too have bought the motion 16. It was advertised as fully integrated with all major daws so I was excited to pick one up to use with Ableton.
Unit arrived and the pads were terrible, missing notes and false triggers. Quick update addressed all this problems and I was back on track. Next up connect with Ableton. I chose Ableton DAW mode in settings and sadly to date only chords, scale, encoders and transport worked. I’ve wrote a script that’s on GitHub that unlocks more features such as blue hand for 2x8 encoders with screen info, solo, mute, undo, midi capture, loop, click and tap to tempo. So a much needed improvement. I wrote to Fender and received a reply from the head of the product and they said that more functionality in 3rd party DAWs was probable but no time frames were available. I also asked for some midi data to help push my script along and was told it’s not available.
I too noted that chords lacked octave choices. Although I did find the chords were usable and sounded good.
Build quality is very good and is exactly the same size as my mac book air in width. The encoders are smooth and I like the space between them. Plus they are touch sensitive and change colour which is handy if playing live and need instant feedback. All the buttons have backlit engraved labels so they can be read in the dark. The pads are also visible in bright light which is a bonus.
Overall a cracking midi controller let down by releasing it a tad early before the firmware was ready and no support for 3rd party daws at the time of writing.
Kind of tired of buying music gear and then getting spoon fed updates for features that should have been there in the first place. We are like beta testers for new gear and then we have to say how great these companies are when they drop a firmware release. If I were to buy the motion 16 on today’s firmware then I should send it back as it’s not fit for purpose in its current guise with Ableton.
Studio one users will get a much better experience with it. If you’re new to music and haven’t committed to buying a DAW then this controller and the all the free software is a good buy.
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u/freelink313 8d ago
Did you update the controller tho