QCon Pro G2 DAW Controller Review

[@anemonaloco]

finally something that supports Cakewalk Sonar! woot! woot!

[@WelderB1Family]

DAW OVERLAY for FL STUDIO 🔥🔥 Amazing review as usual! ☕🤝🏿

[@Webzterr]

I do the screen off thing too, just listening without visual cues, ears are more focused for the subtle tweaks that way. I have the old silver version which has been going strong for years. This new one is more refined.

[@bassjane1732]

I am looking foward the Review with cakewalk. I am very thankful for this topic, because my research for DAW Controller ended always in more questions than answers.

[@possiblemedia3854]

I am with you. Have you heard anything about how it integrates with Cakewalk?

[@bassjane1732]

No I didn't have any experience yet. I am waiting for a QCon Review.

[@kostasmavroudis_official]

Great Video Mike ... I look forward to your video with the review guide and details on how to use the QCon Pro G2 with Cakewalk. It will be very useful for many non-professional home studio users like me who want to buy a DAW controller to upgrade our small studio.

[@joegrint6280]

Great succinct review Mike - Looks like a lovely bit of kit - I use my Roland APro 800 keyboard controller (that set me on the Sonar / Cakewalk path as Sonar 8LE came with it) but it is temperamental and unfathomable! Don't think I could justify the price of this but great to see it has mapping and overlays for Cakewalk as many manufacturers seem to forget it exists!

[@Iconproaudio]

Thanks for the great review, Mike! Looking forward to your future videos.

[@TheFeanor74]

Wow, looking forward to the Cakewalk cinfiguration video. So often CbB is overlooked by the hardware manufacturer

[@possiblemedia3854]

Me too

[@enoughdistance436]

same here

[@t.m.kmedia1136]

I am also waiting for this. I just got my unit today and would love to explore its usefulness to the fullest.

[@dogpdsound]

I'm waiting also for the Cakewalk vid

[@dogpdsound]

@@t.m.kmedia1136 hey t, did you ever find any good videos for cakewalk and your qcon ? Thanks

[@basstronomie]

exactly what i was looking for !! thank you so much, cant wait to see the video about this product and cakewalk

[@michaelbrodie931]

I had exactly the same problem with my Mackie mcu, thanks for the info I’ve just bought myself one with a the extender.

[@tylowe78]

With the extender does it look like how a professional studio looks?

[@hifimidi]

Beautiful unit and excellent review. I love the production quality. :)

[@CreativeSauce]

Thanks Rubin! Nice to see you around again :)

[@jimhhenry2898]

Just go one and cant wait to set it up

[@kadiummusic]

Was thinking about the faderport for my Studio One but I'm beginning to have second thoughts, this looks really nice. 😎

[@felipousismix]

Clear info and nice flow, thanks mate!

[@CreativeSauce]

Thank you!

[@2112jonr]

Top notch Mike, really good to have a concise, to the point summary rather than a drawn out 40 minute review. And knowing you've used other similar controllers for comparison is a huge plus point. Thanks for the video, think I'll be buying one of these. Cheers!

[@YennyKunjappu]

Exactly what I've been looking for. Cheers!

[@RonnieVaiArovo]

Amazing video clarity and nice product review.

[@CreativeSauce]

Cheers Ron :)

[@GPM80]

Excellent vid mike.....looks a good buy

[@CreativeSauce]

Hey Glyn - happy new year. Yeah. I shouldn't, but I did. Sorry if I make you poorer :P

[@Rickytee2]

Great vid as usual Mike, I invested in one of these and 2 extenders a few months ago, absolutely love them. I had considered the immediacy of the Faderport 16 with Studio One but I opted for the Icons for their sleekness and expandability. I had tried the Xtouch which I still have but in my opinion the Icon G2's are superior in build quality . Also with the extenders sat next to each other it looks and feels like one unit. Like you I use Studio One and Cubase it also works flawlessly with that. The only controllers I might go for other than the G2's would be their bigger brothers the Pro's but for now I'm more than happy with the G2's .

[@CreativeSauce]

Yes Ricky - you were one of the people I was inspired by!

[@cartnhorse]

You've probably moved onto other hardware by now but I thought I'd ask… Are you able to control plug-ins in Cubase to any usable extent? I realise you can make knobs move on the screen but without spending several days customising each plug-in to work with a controller, I've never found a piece of hardware that does this satisfactorily (?)

[@suehunt622]

hey Mike, just wondering if you ever did a follow up to this video. i'm looking at getting the qcon g2 and would love to hear your thoughts on how well it integrated with both studio one and cakewalk. any feedback would be greatly appreciated. it is not easy picking the right hardware that you want to last for many years. many thanks.

[@tomroussell2401]

Hi Mike! Can't say how much I love your videos! I worked for Cakewalk for 10 years, and I still learn things from you! Just bought the G2 and I custom mapped two faders to send CC1 and CC11 instead of Pitch Bend, the default. Only trouble is, CbB doesn't record the fader movements! I verified they're simple MIDI CC Events using MIDI-Ox, so I know for certain the G2 is sending what I want. I suspect CbB doesn't record them as I expect because of something in the Mackie Control protocol. Anyway, have you been successful doing any custom mapping? Can you look into it for me?

[@christopherbrightman-white1961]

Hi Mike. Great review. What are your thoughts on the behringer x touch by way of comparison.

[@MichaelSchatteMusic]

Superb video, thanks so much for this!

[@NADIROMOWALE]

Excellent review! Thanks, Mike!

[@CreativeSauce]

My pleasure Nadir :)

[@erikjohnson2976]

Excellent review! I was going to purchase a genuine Mackie MCU, but this review was so good that I ended up purchasing the Qcon G2 instead. I also did a little research and learned that Mackie's products suffer a bit as "abandonware", whereas Icon really seems to stay on top of their products. Beautifully done, sir. This review made a difference!

[@johnnyparker2128]

Reminds me of the Mackie MCU Universal Pro I used to have.

[@aftertheendtimes]

Hi friend, I have a Q about the overlays for different DAW´s are they adhesive so they don´t jump off ? nice demo, i concider to buy one QCon Pro G2 soon Thank you for shareing, Love cheers from Sweden 😃💚

[@ilanmetoudi]

Excellent video review, Mike!

[@CreativeSauce]

Cheers Ilan :) Happy new year!

[@ilanmetoudi]

@@CreativeSauce U 2!

[@r.o1neofficial]

Hi Mike, very nice video!! I was wondering if you can make a video how to set it up with cakewalk?? Bless to you

[@symphonicclown]

I just did this today

[@symphonicclown]

Works great... just a few things aren’t working that I noticed so far but it’s wonderful

[@possiblemedia3854]

@@symphonicclown The things that arent working have you figured it out yet

[@IdoS5YzLTtsiCheClPp9]

Really getting into your videos, Thanks Mike! Can the qcon pro g2 control plugins within the Cakewalk Pro-Channel?

[@maxptah]

Thanks for this! I'm looking to move on from my Mackie eventually and was about to buy the Presonus Faderport 8. This looks like the MCU, but sleeker and more up to date. Thanks!!!!

[@nunoandradebluesdrive]

I ended up getting one of these after your video. How does it stand after this time? still gott it? cheers

[@sonicindustries227]

Best bang for your buck by a country mile is the Presonus StudioLive III series. Live mixer, interface & control surface. I have the 24 so minimal paging of channels. Works perfect with Logic. Best dedicated control surface is probably the Avid S3 (had one for a year or so) but it is mentally expensive.

[@ishaandobhal6397]

Great review. I have ProX. How do you make those faders dance? What is it called and how you do it?

[@eliasfinney1950]

Hi thanks for the video, bought one off the back of this review, love it. Can I map the buttons directly in studio one or do I use the icon software, not much about the use of the app anywhere? Thanks again. Also how did you do the demo mode with all the faders and lights doing a pattern? Cheers 🙃

[@Dmaccabees]

Thank you 💯

[@tecnos-uk]

Great review! I was thinking of buying the Behringer X Touch but this looks much nicer. Should I spend the extra cash and get the Qcon Pro G2 to use with Cubase Pro 11?

[@wongjoe1254]

great video🎉

[@ELPLAK]

Thank you for the review! How it compares with beheringer ?

[@daverhodesproductions]

Hi Mike, great video, thanks for posting! How are you finding the controller after living with it for 6 months? Any reliability issues? I'm particularly interested in Pro Tools integration with HUI. I'm thinking of upgrading from an old Command 8, do you know if Scroll to track works to focus the controller by Ctrl+Shift+click on a track name in pro tools? Thanks!

[@djbobbyjam]

hey Mike, I just recently purchased the Icon Platform Nano, and I'm trying to set it up with Cakewalk, and I'm having trouble, can u go over how you set up the QCon, I'm sure it the same

[@stageleftguitar5887]

Looks to be a good replacement for my Digi 003 that I have to replace as the latest version of ProTools and OSX/OS11 no longer support - researching as much as I can on this unit and appreciate the info on it

[@symphonicclown]

I use this with studio one pro 4.6, reaper and cakewalk works great with all ...works best with studio one IMO.. but you can’t go wrong with using it with cakewalk... I did notice that the master fader and the meter light next to fader doesn’t work when using it with cakewalk .. I might be missing something during setup though

[@SBPMusicUK]

Hi, did you ever sort this problem out? I have the same issue

[@patjackmanesq]

Ooh. That's lovely. Gonna stick with my Faderport 2 for the moment though, it's just neater...

[@CreativeSauce]

Never been tempted by the 8 or 16 Pat?

[@patjackmanesq]

@@CreativeSauce Nah. I like minimal. Plus I don't need to overcompensate for anything by getting bigger stuff. 😁

[@CreativeSauce]

Oooooo sharp! Lol

[@patjackmanesq]

@@CreativeSauce 😂

[@JoseFlores-be8bw]

home studio gear is constantly and VERY QUICKLY getting better and better. This daw controller will be obsolete in a year. I can “catch up” with new tech but I wont be able to “keep up.” It’s evolving so fast.

[@SuffyGames]

This answered everything I needed except one thing. Would you be able to provide measurements of the unit? Every seller is showing different measurements. Please and thank you!!!

[@greenprpl3996]

this looks pretty neat

[@PatJones82]

I have the Mackie MCU Pro with two extenders and a Mackie C4. I haven't had any issues with mine.... yet. So thinking ahead to when mine starts acting up and needs replaced: Are the transport controls (Play,stop,etc..) easy to get to and push on the Qcon? Seems like maybe I'm just spoiled with the giant transport controls on the Mackie and wondering if Qcon is easy to use also? I'm also wondering if upgrading is even a consideration for me since it seems to me at first glance, that is is basically just like the Mackie isn't it? Except for the fact that I love the backlit buttons! :)

[@andymusic6943]

Thanks for the informative video. Any views on how it compares to SSL UF8?

[@tgm2tgm137]

Mike, is the newer mackie any different than yours? Was a new Mackie a c9nsideration or were you really turned off of them. I was thinking of going that route & have you tried any others like the Presonus faderport, or the Behringer x-touch?? or others or considered, thanks!!

[@CreativeSauce]

Heya. My main Mackie was one of the early editions. The faders on that are really quite noisy. The extender I had was newer, and the fader noise had improved. However, I have had to swap the displays out 3 times, as they failed. This is a known issue. The only way to get a permanent fix, was to get one from a third part, who manufacture a replacement that actually works! But I find it annoying that it's a well known issue that it's taken another company to fix. It just put me off of Mackie a bit :( I havnt tried the faderport yet. From memory, I think it does have pan controls for each channel. I've tried the x touch. Good, but I prefer the build quality on this one, and the larger size.

[@sveinunghamre324]

Thanks for the review 🙂 Currently looking in to buying a controller, but torn between this and The Behringer X-Touch. Is this worth the extra money? Is there any features missing on this compared to the Behringer accept the IO's? Seems like the Behringer is a good buy, but this G2 looks great.

[@2112jonr]

One's built up to a quality, the other down to a price. Pay your money and take your choice!

[@kennynyc1555]

The Presonus StudioLive 32s 3 series 40 channel is Best is what I use - Truly an all in one Machine - Blows this one out the box as well as many other for the price and what you get

[@reporeport]

im having so much trouble getting to functional with my protools - was hoping you had a vid for that

[@diegoduarteconde410]

Hi Mike, I´m Diego, a producer, musician and singer from Argentina. I´m about to buy the qcon pro g2, but before I would like to ask you about the compatibility with Cakewalk, specially if you can access to every channer easily , and also the master and submasters section. Also if it is possible to control plug ins parameters and eq etc of the pro channel. Any comments about it I will be very grateful. I really like your videos and your help will be very important for me, as I don´t want to make a mistake buying the wrong controller. Thank you very much in advance!

[@jakethegiant8267]

Reminds me of the x-touch. Was torn between this and the x touch but being able to use the x touch to control the x air or x32 live makes it seem a little more worth it, but damn this qcon looks so cool

[@CreativeSauce]

Hey Jake. Thanks for watching. The X Touch is pretty good too :)

[@paulbaker3522]

I want to be using the unit as a Midi CC controller as well as for mixing. Is it easy to combine the two functions in one layout or is switching modes required, and, if so, what is involved in making that switch? Are there presets or something to that effect that can be recalled, and how easy is it to do that? Really enjoy your work and have learned a lot so far. Keep up the great work.

[@23Guitardood]

I really wish someone who's knowledgeable with this unit would answer this question

[@Marco-HidalgoMusicRecords]

I´m surprised you didn´t go for the Faderport 8 that´s cheaper than this one!! What was the reason??? Blessings from Uruguay

[@CreativeSauce]

Hi Marco. Mostly the lack of encoders for each channel.

[@dragonballbeatz558]

Qcon need to hire you to do more reviews I purchased the qcon nano and haven’t found any tutorials on how to use it properly within my daws I have protools and fl studios and logic and ide like a good tutorials that’ll show me how to open my plugins and control my vst

[@TackEm]

Hello and thank you for this great video even if it makes me struggle a little more. Because I was convinced by the purchase of the presonus faderport 16 since I work with studio one. And then I came across your video grrr!! I had already read good things about this g2 but I stuck to my first idea. But now I really hesitate a lot. There is one thing I don't quite understand, could you answer me please? I am French and do not speak English very well. Are you saying that the overlays for studio one are already in the box when you buy the main base or do you have to find and buy one separately? sorry I did not understand well. Thank you

[@Iconproaudio]

Hello, Emm tac. The overlays for Studio One are included in the box with your QCon Pro G2.

[@TackEm]

Merci

[@BURLYGUITAR]

I have a alesis master control, this might be a good replacement.

[@CreativeSauce]

I think so! Thanks for watching :)

[@manos6426]

I understand that the controller can be expanded, do you know anything about it? Thank you very much for your time.

[@olivierbilquin1638]

Hi Mike. I can’t find any information about using Qcon (Pro g2 or Pro X) with stereo tracks or output buses other than Master. Have you tested? Are we limited to mono tracks? Thanks for your answer and your great videos that make me feel like I’m not alone in using Cakewalk.

[@t.m.kmedia1136]

Where could one find an actual demonstration of this device being used with Cakewalk?

[@matijarabadan4628]

Hi Mike, what do you think about daw controller Qcon pro X? Is it better then Qcon pro G2?

[@symphonicclown]

Pretty much the same i have the G2 and ex and it works fine and cheaper

[@EAprima]

I'm SERIOUSLY thinking of buying this or the Qcon Pro X but I have a very important question. Yes, I will use the device on Cubase but as a main, I want to use it on Adobe Premiere. So my question is, how compatible is the device/s with Adobe Premiere? If you yet to cover this can you do so in a quick mini impression video, please? Thanks.

[@fletch5288]

Hi Mike, I have just purchased one of these Qcon Pro G2 but my experience on the faders is not as good as yours. I find them noisy and a bit clunky. I have tried calibration but they are not much better. What did you set yours to?

[@G-Doggy]

I was planning to purchase the SSL UF8, until I saw this video. The Pro G2 seems to work well for you with Cakewalk (which is what I use also), and it's nearly half the price of the UF8. Are there any major advantages to UF8 over Pro G2?

[@chase2337]

wow, straight-up shocked at the price of this. i was expecting this to be at least twice what it's listed for, considering the pricetag of some of the mackie MCU units i've seen. i think you sold me

[@AndyKimbel]

I was looking at Fader Port 8 to use with Studio One. Thoughts VS The QCon Pro G2?

[@ራስአንበሳተፈሪ]

This is awesome, will it be compatible with new iOS Big Sur?

[@crackcorn17]

Yes it is I have it and it works fine

[@Lordblanca-casablanca]

Besides the 1 master unit. How many slave units can I add? You are heaven sent

[@TheRealJmaurice]

Hello did you ever did a video for setup with studio one with this device

[@MuzixMaker]

Looks like a nice piece of kit, but long term support (drivers) is a big concern.

[@CamiloRuizHD]

I run mine in Mackie Control mode MCU which doesn't depend on any drivers to run whatsoever! Some older controllers work as MCU as well so even something like a Behringer BCF2000 can be used today!

[@tkay564]

Hi Mike. I am having a hard time deciding what to choose as my dc. Icon, Faderport, or Xtouch? My main daw is S1. You have some experience with the Icon. What are the worst downsides with it? Should i pick it over the others? Why?

[@ProtectThaBeats111]

I think I’m going with this one

[@CamiloRuizHD]

I'd love to know how you have set up your QCon G2 to function with plugins in Studio One 4 as I have the same control surface and it fails to do many of the studio one functions on my Mac. This is the deciding point for me keeping it as plugin control is perfect in Ableton but I primarily mix in studio one.

[@richard-qq2nw]

Yes, I have a QCON pro G2.. However, I want to expand it, and as some know, an expander for it is impossible to find, and it's discontinued (stupidly) by Icon.. Yes, the G2 is excellent in all respects as a daw controller, and I would like to buy another G2, (I have different rooms running Cubase 13 and other DAW's) but present lack of expansion options really deters me. Seems like a faulty investment from day one.. I want to choose a permanent controller platform, and then to continue to improve and expand on it. BIG mistake Icon!

[@kamosebeats3118]

How do you activate the automation like I see on your video here? I had this for 8 month….nothing

[@robertnealcavanaugh4289]

Hey...excellent video. I've had one of these for two weeks and I love it. The only problem is that the manual is very thin and I can't find out how to do certain things that I really need. I'm looking for an instructor. Share screen. Online. Hourly paid. If there's an expert out there who'd be interested, please let me know in this thread. Thank you

[@ernestdaniels1671]

Robert, If it is using the Mackie Mode, then the operation guide is in Cakewalk by Bandlab. I learned how to use the BCF2000 and wrote a tutorial back in the Sonar forums years ago from reading it. I learned how to use my Mackie Control Universal from the guide built into Cakewalk Sonar. The controls should be the same. Open up Cakewalk by Bandlab and select the Mackie Control properties page. Once it is open, click the properties page and then press F1 on your keyboard and a hidden information page appears showing you the Mackie Controls for using in Sonar/ BandLab. Select "Working wuth the Mackie Control and you will see all of the control for functions in Sonar/Bandlab. Now since this is from the old days of Sonar, things like the compressor being the first FX insert is no more and you will notice some other oddities, but this work. Good Luck

[@arnabshahriar]

I want to buy one of these but I'm hearing a lot of negative things about Icon products, including software issues and malfunctioning displays and leds etc... I use cubase... Can you shade some light?

[@iFamineTV]

I have this controller, But ever since i bought a new iMac with macOS “Sonoma” now it doesn’t work for me. Can anyone help me.

[@SAFC8294]

So, if you’re working with more than 8 channels, can you change which channels are seen on the G2 Pro, or do you have to get a second G2 in order to see what’s going on with the rest of the channels? I use an Allen and Heath GLD 112 for live mixing and they have banks to switch from when there’s more channels to use than the set number channel strips on the console. I find that super convenient and am hoping that there’s an equivalent on the G2 as that would be super ideal!

[@CreativeSauce]

Yes, absolutely, you can switch in banks of 8, or by single channels :)

[@2112jonr]

@@CreativeSauce Awesome, really good to know, thank you.

[@RonnieVaiArovo]

3:49 left speaker produced a loud audio hiss strike which pentrated my ear drum unpleasently

[@CreativeSauce]

OUCH! I missed that. Seems like in the original its barely there, but loud as you say on KZbin :(

[@iaincourt6500]

Hi, Are the faders responsive and quiet? Also are the led lights on near the faders accurate to what the DAW is showing?

[@TheBlackAbstract]

this work with imac and pro tools?

[@possiblemedia3854]

How well does this controller integrate with Cakewalk? Are there any limitations?

[@TheRealestSound]

Did you even watch the video

[@theghost065]

My channel 2 fader is moving both my channel 2 and channel 1 fader together. I'm trying to make it stop. Can you help?

[@TeleporterM11]

Does it work in 😅Ableton

[@marcelcouture5373]

Can someone tell me if that QCon Pro G2 controller can also be used as a Midi Continuous Controller, for example use the faders to send midi CC 11 or CC2 or any other CC to write data in a DAW or control VST instruments?

[@stacksedwardsog]

will it work well with Ableton live?

[@neptunesgold1216]

Can you use this for mix automation on a tascam neo. Tascam neo is a self contained 24 track recorder with midi in. Could you record mix automation with midi in??

[@lc-b352]

Can it control plugins like spitfire labs ?

[@jeanparizot1923]

bonjour . fonctionne til avec cubase ?

[@minecraft-minderne6628]

Does it function with the latest version of FL Studio?

[@riktascale4]

Can you say if this will wirk with universal apollos LUNA??

[@LuisMBuildz]

Is this worth it 2 years later gor 450+ dollars as an interface for davinci? Anyone

[@BigDaddyMacc]

can i use this daw controller on a mpc live 2 / Mpc x ?

[@MusicSasho]

The screen does not look best. The best is when you separate the screens and adapt to the channel size, like the x-touch.

[@tgm2tgm137]

What other controllers did you try??? Opinions of? next choice?

[@jeesensunny1788]

Can I use it with FL studio?

[@jackofmusic70]

can the faders be assigned to expression/modulation etc in plugin mode for orchestral libraries?

[@pigpog2307]

The Platform M+ Does it in user define mode . I don’t think this does .

[@jackofmusic70]

@@pigpog2307 thank you