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Back in 2013 Avid, the makers of Pro Tools, released Pro Tools 11 shocking a portion of their user base by choosing to completely end support and compatibility of two of their most popular Pro Tools only control surfaces. Pro Control and Control 24, once flagship Pro Tools control surface, would become dead weights in Pro Tools 11 studios destined for scrap heaps.
The cost of these units was substantial back in the early to mid 2000's working fine up until Pro Tools 11. The small portion of the Pro Tools community who owned these units cried out in disbelief and anger with some users refusing to upgrade their copy of Pro Tools to the latest and greatest version as they valued their boards and the workflows over all the software gains in Pro Tools 11.
As you could imagine, the used value of these units dropped fast since the release of Pro Tools 11. A Control 24 which once cost over $8,000 new are now floating around the used market for as little as $1,000 today. Examples in this price range are generally in fair condition showing noticeable signs of use. Units that have been well looked after do tend to command a higher price. Still, the relatively low value of these units begs the question, would you consider owning a Control 24 over a new FaderPort 16 for your Studio One rig?
After all, the used price of one of these is incredibly similar to the cost of a new FaderPort 16 and, thanks to the Nyerinck, Control 24 and Pro Control are both compatible with other DAWs including Studio One.
In 2018 Nyerinck V-Control Pro resurrected both Pro Control and Control 24 enabling which enables users to get these boards communicating with other DAWs. This was big news as these units, as mentioned earlier, were once only compatible with Pro Tools. Neyrinck managed to get these boards working with current versions of Pro Tools as well.
If you are considering a used Control 24 it’s worth factoring in the price of Neyrinck’s software. V-Control Pro Bundle is available as a $249 perpetual license or can be accessed via an annual $49 subscription.
As workflow goes, the experience of operating a Control 24 in Pro Tools of old isn’t exactly the same in the Studio One domain but all the main control features you expect in modern control surface are present:
Faders .1 dB resolution
Pan, Mute, Solo, Record
Track Select
Sends
Sends Flip To Fader
Plug-in editing
Vote in our poll. Which would you consider for your Studio One rig? Would you go for the larger format 24 fader legacy Control 24 with more buttons, large meters and encoders or a modern-day smaller form factor PreSonus Fader 16? For some, this choice may very well be a head vs heart decision. If you had around $1,000 to spend on a control surface, which would you choose?