The faders are actually really high quality faders. They are packed very tight and should loosen up over time.
I’m guessing certain faders are overworked on the demo leading to uneven break in. It’s also possible that some of the faders weren’t manufactured properly (I think that happened to someone here) like a bad batch where some of them weren’t packed as tightly as others. Even then, they should still be good quality. But I would want them to work in evenly.
Some people may not like how stiff they are at first though. I personally like it because I know they should last a very long time before needing to be replaced. It also lets you be very precise with smaller movements because you don’t overshoot as easily.
They didn’t really skimp on the hardware build quality and the price shows.
My faders are a little uneven, but I have not really broken them in and I think they are already better than when I first got it. As far as build quality I would say the super 6 is the nicest synth I have ever laid hands on.
The faders on mine are a bit uneven too and none feel as fast/smooth as those of the ancient Jupiter 6 I keep adjacent. As they never loosened up over time, I’ve learned to live with the peculiar resistance, accepting it and no longer worrying. Definitely only a minor detraction from a gorgeous instrument.
IIRC, these are faders used in military hardware with a rated life of something like 50 years, so I think they come out of the factory super tight so they last that long. If that’s the case, there’s a very good chance that these will outlast me!
Even on my unit which is only played by me, some of the faders move a bit faster than others after 18 months. I don’t worry about it, it’s just part of my instrument.
I’ve contacted UDO about the faders because one or two of my faders didn’t have the same resistance as the others. They told me that they have 2 different types of fader.
I also find that the faders on the Keyboard version are very high quality as oppose to the ones on the Desktop version. The faders on the Desktop are shorter than the ones on the Keyboard, they feel less high quality.
I have an x station from 2005. I know what cheap feels like and even now when I want to play it again I feel like it’s going to break, I want something we’ll built like a camping tent from 1968. In 2019 my close friend’s Coleman tent from 1968 finally ripped in one part. Imagine his grandpa camping from 1968 every year and finally seeing a tear in 2019. That’s durability.
So I may get one of these desktop units in the future.
As noted by @Tchu, the faders on the desktop are different. My understanding is the 40mm faders used in the KB version are an off the shelf part with other existing customers, but the 30mm faders in the desktop version are a custom part for UDO (the same fader but smaller so they could make a smaller desktop interface). So IF anything were to happen in 30-40 years and UDO isn’t still around, parts for desktop could be an issue.
That’s just one armchair engineer’s opinion who’s probably way overthinking this, but it’s just how my mind works. I can’t unthink it, so now even though I have 2 other synths with 4-octave fatar keybeds sitting around, I’m not swapping for a desktop super6 to save space.
That said, I haven’t had my hands on a desktop, only the keyboard I own. The keyboard I own is the best built synth I’ve ever laid hands on. No expense is spared. I cannot find a single physical flaw anywhere on the exterior of my unit. My family is not into synthesizers at all, but whenever they come into the studio, they’re drawn to just move the faders on the Super6, and it sits just above a Rev2 and right under a Moog Matriarch. Only thing better is the octave/waveform selectors on the Matriarch, though I have to ask my family not to touch that one since it doesn’t have patch memory…
• MPE
Implementation tested for ROLI and LinnStrument. Further development
with other controllers will continue.
Try it:
SHIFT -> MPE:
P1 = MPE mode on/off
P2 = Aftertouch dead zone on/off (useful for ROLI)
P3 = cc74 “Y” axis reduce sensitivity (useful for LinnStrument)
General (ROLI & LinnStrument )
Choose MPE mode,
Z -> Ch. Pressure or Poly Pressure (same result)
Y axis mode (CC# 74) “Relative” MPE Settings are stored per patch
LinnStrument
Choose +/-48 bend range
• Delay Freeze
Try it:
Connect a twin pedal switch to the sustain pedal input or use a stereo
splitter (tip = sustain, ring = freeze) to add delay freeze.
Alternatively, connect a sustain pedal “one click” into the sustain
pedal input.
Pressing the foot switch holds the delay, new notes won’t be added
to the delay loop, and the current contents will loop indefinitely.
Works best with long delays and moderate levels of delay feedback.
Pedal will auto-calibrate for polarity when the instrument is
switched on, so pedals must be plugged in at this point of the power
cycle.
Sends and receives MIDI Continuous Controller messages on CC# 69.
• Superior responsiveness of all controls for more immediate playing
experience.
Try it:
Interact with the fader and rotary controls on the instrument and
feel the improvement. Pitch Bender, rotary as well as toggle switches
have all been subject to dynamic enhancement. Delay time sweep
dynamics much improved. Also great for automations.
• Binaural & 12-voice PWM on DDS 2
Try it:
Load the init patch, MIX -> DDS 2, PWM -> ~50%, experiment with LFO 1
LR PHASE, ONCE and HF (+ HF TRK) modes and varying PWM and PW. Great
for 12-voice patches and lush binaural PWM pads.
• Polyphonic LFO 2
LFO 2 now features 12 individual LFO modules that can be polyphonically
modulated to have different frequencies for each of the 12 notes.
If LFO 2 has been modulated and now has random phase, the phase of
the 12 LFOs can be synchronised by toggling the LFO 2 MODE switch
on the keyboard, or pressing the LFO 2 MODE button (“MW/AT”) on the desktop.
• Direct mod wheel assignment (DESKTOP only)
Mod wheel input CC# 1 can now be directly mapped to controls, rather
than being forced to control the level of LFO 2.
Press and hold LFO 2 MODE button (“MW/AT”) to enter panel assign mode
for mod wheel, “MW” light will flash. Touch a fader or rotary control
while holding MODE to lock destination. Release the LFO 2 MODE
button to return to where you were.
Tip: Most useful in LFO 2 ON mode (MW and AT LEDs off), since here LFO2
is independent of mod wheel and can be conveniently assigned with the
DDS 1/2, VCF, and VCA buttons.
• Polyphonic aftertouch from capable MIDI controllers
The Super 6 now responds to polyphonic aftertouch.
Tip: Default mapping is the same as for channel pressure (LFO 2
amount or BEND when LFO 2 is set to ON). Switch LFO 2 to ON to allow
polyphonic aftertouch to be mapped through the mod matrix only.
• Mod matrix clear convenience function (DESKTOP only)
Push the MOD AMOUNT encoder when in MOD ASSIGN mode to clear all modulations.
Push the MOD AMOUNT encoder when SOURCE is highlighted to clear only
modulations from this SOURCE.
Push the MOD AMOUNT encoder when DESTINATION is highlighted to clear only
modulation of this DESTINATION.
Tip: Very good for quickly clearing any panel modulations from a
particular SOURCE.
• Random LFO improvement
LFO 1 with RND (random wave) selected in ONCE and RESET modes will
output a random level with each new key press.
Use in conjunction with RATE and LR PHASE.
• Additional MIDI Start/Stop Mode Setting for Sequencer
Both Modes: Transport control is achieved using Note On/Off.
This allows for controlling when the sequence should start and stop and
for transposing the sequence in a neat way.
Off (preferred): MIDI Start/Stop will ‘re-start’ the sequencer
only. In this mode, the HOLD button starts and stops the sequence
asynchronously. A MIDI Start message “snaps” the sequence back into
time, but a MIDI Stop message is ignored if the external clock is still
running.
ON: The HOLD button “arms” the sequencer but it will wait for a
MIDI Start message. The sequencer then stops when a MIDI Stop message
is received, even if the external clock is still running.
• Shift mode convenience function
To toggle into shift mode, press and release SHIFT.
To access the secondary function of a patch-specific parameter (e.g. HPF
cutoff frequency), press and hold SHIFT while moving the according control.
In this case shift mode will be exited upon releasing SHIFT.
Fixed:
• Startup problem fixed (sometimes instrument would require a power
cycle to start)
• Improved keyboard velocity response for more natural playing
• Desktop CHORUS, LFO 2 MODE and LFO 2 DESTINATION, button & LED
sequence bugfix
• Audio input gain control in 7-bit (CC) knob mode bugfix
• Program change via MIDI now highlights selected BANK on message
received
• LFO 1 pitch modulation ranges rationalisation. Now has correct 2
octave range without causing shift in frequency in ONCE mode
(must switch in/out of LFO1 wave on existing patches to register change)
• Shift mode entry/exit no longer interferes with sequencer playback
I’ve been watching this synth, since it first appeared, all because of that MPE button. Had MPE only come sooner, there’d be a Super6 Desktop in my live rig presently.
Oh well, maybe someday I can justify making a gratuitous purchase, just because…
