Over the last couple of years, Frontier Design Group's compact desktop control surface AlphaTrack (Mac/Win, $249 MSRP) has become one of my favorite controllers. It sits conveniently next to my mouse ready to adjust the channel-strip parameters of the track I'm working on, and I can quickly shift it to other DAW functions such as zooming, navigating among markers, and adjusting plug-in settings. Although having access to only one track at a time and needing to change modes to make one fader and three rotaries address multiple tasks takes some getting used to, the AlphaTrack's small footprint and no-fault operation (you'll never grab the wrong fader) are sufficient reward.

The AlphaTrack links to your software in one of two ways. In Native mode, a custom driver either built-in to your DAW or downloaded from Frontier and installed by you, manages two-way communication. In Emulation mode, the AlphaTrack adopts the Mackie HUI or MCU protocol and relies on your DAW's setup for these devices. The unit accommodates a diverse selection of DAWs and editors on both the PC and the Mac, and the current drivers, along with detailed operating instructions, are downloadable from the Frontier website: frontierdesign.com/Support/Downloads. I'll use three applications to illustrate the AlphaTrack's features: Apple Logic Pro (native), Ableton Live (MCU emulation), and Propellerhead Reason and Record (native).

Fig. 1: The USB-powered AlphaTrack's compact design sports a 100mm motorized fader, three rotary encoders with five modes, and buttons for typical transport and tracking functions.

Tweakability
The AlphaTrack's front panel houses one 100mm motorized fader, three rotary encoders, 22 buttons, a 3-inch Scroll Strip (a.k.a. ribbon controller), a 32-character backlit LCD display, and assorted LEDs (see Fig. 1). On the back you'll find a USB connector and 1/4-inch footswitch jack. The fader and rotary encoders are touch-sensitive—the LCD changes to display the touched control's function—and the encoders also act as buttons when pressed, invoking fine adjustment, for example. The Scroll Strip responds to taps at either end as well as one- and two-finger scrolling. Taps move to specific locations such as next and previous marker (Logic and Live) or loop beginning and end locators (Reason and Record). Scrolling implements shuttle, jog, scroll, and zoom functions depending on the application, but with my fat fingers, I find scrolling nearly unusable.

Three buttons adjacent to the fader activate record, solo, and mute for the targeted track, and a fourth button, labeled Shift, invokes alternate functions for most of the other buttons—which buttons and functions depends on the DAW. Shift is momentary if held while pressing another button, but is a toggle when pressed and released by itself. Moving up from the Scroll Strip to the encoders, you'll find four rows of buttons: transport, track operations, extra functions, and encoder modes. The rightmost button in the track-operations row is labeled Flip and swaps the function of the fader and one of the encoders to allow finer adjustment of the encoder's target parameter. In most DAWs (Reason and Record are exceptions), some degree of user-mapping is available for the Function buttons and footswitch.

Logic
To use AlphaTrack with Logic, you need to first download and install the latest driver, the AlphaTrack.component, inside the Logic Pro application. That's quite simple and the four-step instructions are clear. You then launch Logic Pro and choose Rebuild Defaults from the Preferences/Control Surfaces menu. That installs the AlphaTrack with the correct settings in Logic's Control Surfaces setup, and you're then ready to go.

Fig. 2: The documentation includes convenient layout charts for most applications. Here black-on-white indicates normal functions whereas white-on-black indicates functions implemented when the Shift button is held.

For most DAWs the AlphaTrack documentation includes a layout sheet to get you up and running quickly (see Fig. 2). By default, the unit attaches to the selected track in the Pan mode when you launch a Logic song. In that mode, the left encoder lets you quickly scroll through your tracks, and the right encoder sets the pan position in increments of four or one depending on whether the knob is also pressed. The middle encoder has no function. In Logic, each of the mode buttons has two pages (accessed by the first and second press), and in Pan mode, the second page lets you set the channel's input and output. Send and EQ modes are self-explanatory once you know that EQ refers to the channel EQ, not one of Logic's EQ plug-ins.

Plug-in mode has separate states for effects inserts (normal) and instrument plug-ins (Shift). In both states, you can select, change, and bypass the plug-ins; open and close their windows; and access banks of three parameters as chosen by the Function buttons. Although that packs a lot into this small control surface, it can also get confusing, and I prefer onscreen access. The fifth mode button, Auto, gives you quick access to Logic's master volume along with the channel's group assignment and automation mode (the fader is always reserved for channel volume).

Live
Clip and Scene triggering in Session view make button boxes like the Novation Launchpad and the Akai APC40 and APC20 the preferred controllers for Live. The AlphaTrack is a great companion to one of these, especially the Launchpad, which has no faders or knobs. And, in a pinch, AlphaTrack's Auto mode offers a workable clip and Scene triggering alternative—dial in the Scene and clip with the right and center encoders, respectively, then press the appropriate encoder to launch the Scene or clip. Shift-pressing the center encoder triggers the track's Stop Clips button, thereby stopping the clip.

For Live, there is no driver to install; you simply select Live(MCU) from the AlphaTrack manager before starting Live, and then, in Live's MIDI preferences, activate the MackieControl in the Control Surface table and select Frontier Design AlphaTrack for the input and output (see Fig. 3). As I'll cover next, you'll undoubtedly want to also use the AlphaTrack for MIDI Remote, so activate the Mackie Control Input and Output for Remote while in the MIDI preferences.

Fig. 3: You use the AlphaTrack Manager software to set the AlphaTrack mode to match the target application. You can choose to have the menu also appear in your menu bar.

Pan, Send, and Plug-in modes work much as in Logic as do the transport buttons. EQ mode is used for input and output selection, since Live has no channel-strip EQ.

One thing that distinguishes the AlphaTrack implementation in Live is the availability of extensive MIDI mapping. Each of the eight Functions (four normal and four with Shift) send out MIDI notes, and those are always available for MIDI Remote mapping. Furthermore, Shift-clicking each of the mode buttons activates a different MIDI Map mode, in which the encoders send out MIDI controller messages and the fader sends out MIDI pitch-bend messages. In short, you get five channels of pitch-bend and 15 controller messages to map to Live functions.

Reason and Record
Reason and Record offer the most robust device control from the AlphaTrack. Each device has its own built-in mapping, which, depending on the device, gives you access to many if not all of the device's parameters. The device mappings are well documented, and the mapping for the Combinator device is especially useful: the fader and encoders control the four Combinator knobs, and the Function buttons control the four Combinator buttons. If, like many Reason and Record users, you make liberal use of Combinators, you have immediate access to eight customized controls, and the infrequent adjustments to other controls are easily done with the mouse.

The drivers are built-in, so all you need to do is select AlphaTrack Native mode from the AlphaTrack manager, start Reason or Record, and ensure that the AlphaTrack is activated in the Keyboards and Control Surfaces preferences. Again, the transport and track buttons work similarly to Logic (or any other DAW) and have both normal and Shift modes. In a nice touch, Shift with the Track buttons lets you step forward and backward through instrument and effects presets.

Record adds extensive control of its SSL-emulation mixer. To access that, you lock the AlphaTrack to the Master channel by right-clicking on it in the mixer or sequencer. The Shift button then gives you access to the individual channel strips, and your current focus as well as the currently selected track in the sequencer are clearly indicated. The AlphaTrack's mode buttons provide access to the various channel-strip controls.

In practice, I find I use the AlphaTrack for everything in Reason and Record. In Logic and Live, I mostly use it for mixing and transport control while tracking. Surprisingly, I find I often use it in Live for clip and Scene triggering even when I also have a button box active. Whatever your setup is, an AlphaTrack is a handy adjunct.

Pros: Compact. Very handy when working on individual tracks. Surprisingly versatile.
Cons: Scroll Strip can be difficult to use.

Len Sasso is a freelance writer specializing in music technology. For an earful, visit his website, swiftkick.com.