Icon Pro Audio QCon Pro XS - 8 Channel Extender for Qcon Pro X DAW Control Surface

I've read a lot of reviews for this controller. Many of the reviews where negative in regards to functionality and flexibility with other DAW's. So let me expound on a few factual pros and cons.This controller works well with pro-tools, bitwig, logic, reasons, Cubase, live, reaper and samplitude with firmware version 1.15.I use this mix controller with Pro Tools 12 and a windows 10 Operating System on a custom built high end PC that's only used for music production and audio engineering. I have many of the popular plugs that most like to use like SSL, autotune and many more.Pros:1. Flawless integration with my windows PC running windows 10.2. Smooth quiet operation while working on projects3. Provides tactile control over the mixing session allowing you to focus more on music and not mouse clicks. This alone will speed up your mixing workflow.4. Allows control over your VSTs for fine tuning without using a mouse. Really good to help you dial in that compressor or cut those unwanted frequencies out of your material.5. Simplifies writing automation. A feature most people who purchase this are looking for.6. Aesthetically pleasing with a professional feel.7. Its a mix controller and does exactly what it advertises for the DAW platforms it supportsCON:1. Not all DAWs support the master Fader channel. This is not a functional flaw with the mixer, more so a proprietary software or coding langue issue between the various DAW companies and the Qcon creators. You can still control the master Fader channel by shifting through the channels. (no big deal) just means Qcon will likely have to pay the other DAW companies to allow integration. Some companies may not allow it because they have their own controller platforms that they want to sell or have agreements with other companies that better serve their interest.2. The VU meters are a few milliseconds slower than the DAW VU meters. Not a major concern because you just need to know where the sound is peeking and it does that well.Conclusion: This is a great tool for the price. There is room for the product to mature however, as is, will definitely be a work horse for you in your project studio.Note: The negative reviews I've seen do not speak to the functionality and seem to be associated with the computer platform being used. If you are using an older computer or a computer that's not robust enough to run complex DAW's and VSTs you are likely going to have problems using this controller. In fact, you will likely have problems with your overall set up in general. If your wondering what those issues are, ill give a few examples. If your PC is:1. Slugish and struggles to run the windows operating system before you run other applications. That's a problem.2. If your PC freezes when running VTS such as spectrosonics and Nexus, that's a problem.3. If your computer has difficulty recording more than two tracks with your current set-up, that's a problem4. If your using unstable cracked software, that's a problem.All of which contribute to the lack of usability for your system. So before you can accurately assess this tool make sure your PC is capable of running complex software without crashing. Do this by ensuring you heave more that minim amount of RAM and hard drive space. Id also recommend only using SSD drives for computers being used to run DAW's and other audio applications.

Steep learning curve to do some of the things you can already do with a trackball. I bought this twice hoping I was wrong. I wasn’t wrong.

After I purchased the QCon Pro X and (2)XS, my productivity increased. I use Studio One 5 and I was all mouse in my workflow. After getting these control surfaces, "no more mouse" Five stars.. No lost connections and the boards integrate seamlessly with Studio One and all other Presonus products.

Qcon pro X unit runs fine in Logic 9 and Pro tools 10. My main question I had was whether this product would handle Slate Plug-in products well (VMR,VCC etc) and it communicates just fine. This is an excellent product and I am happy to own one. Cant wait to add another 8 channels as expansion.

====Updated Review====After a year of use, I've gone from three stars to one star. I have a ProX and three ProXS extenders. They lose connection constantly. I hate them. This was an outrageous waste of money. Even the single ProX will not stay connected longer than 10 minutes. The ProX unit or one (or multiple) extenders will simply stop responding within 10 minutes or so. I have the power management settings set to not disconnect in the device manager. I've attached these units to multiple computers and paid careful attention to the device management settings. It's perfectly normal for the units to not be recognized at all by any computer they are connected to. There is no relief. So, we have gone from limited functionality by design (3 star review) to complete dysfunction (1 star review). The brand name iCON used to be respected. I now identify this brand as trash. I will be throwing these units away. I cannot in good conscience sell them to anyone as the buyer will eventually want their money back.====Previous Review====The chassis is sturdy metal and it looks great sitting on a desk. Unfortunately, the meter bridge does not work very well at all. The meters show values that are off by 15 or 20 db. They update extremely slowly, changing only a couple of times a second which will make active meters appear to just be flashing different values (and wrong values). Also, the master meter does not work in any of the programs I use (Reaper, ProTools and Studio One). I'm running the latest firmware (which was not easy to install), but the deeper I look, the more I find does not function.The faders are OK, but you must touch them from the top or they will not work. They must sense your full finger touching them or they won't activate, which makes using the faders a bit distracting. The fader motors are solid and no longer have the jiggle issues they used to have in previous firmware versions.iCon has upgraded its firmware regularly and seem to be addressing issues as quickly as they can, so I am giving them 3 stars. I really considered sending it back and leaving a bad review, but I'm gambling that they will get the big issues remaining fixed with future firmware versions. The meters are a huge part of this hardware and really need to be addressed. If you buy this thing in its current condition, you too will be gambling that they will make it functional in the future. As it stands right now, much of the device is just not useful. I'm crossing my fingers. I'm hoping these problems can be fixed with more firmware updates.

I read the negative reviews. Which is the point of me writing this review.I purchased my unit used in Sept of 2019.I have not experienced any of the negative issues people have posted. In fact I purchased an extender several months ago - thats how much I like it.Yes early on it seemed like software/firmware was very poor, from what I read.... I held out for about 2yrs before purchasing used in 2019. I bought sometime after the big firmware update that changed the button layouts drastically.The faders are usable for mixing - most other control surfaces have small faders, those are useless in real world use as they are too small for fine adjustments.I chose this unit over the mackie control surface.The pan pots are push buttons too.It is frustrating that the lower scribble strip only displays the Icon channel number not the DAW channel name.Works perfectly fine in Logic Pro and Harrison Mixbuss (especially Mixbus 32C!! - Harrison and Icon have not formed an alliance) (those are the only DAW's I use)