Today I want to talk about why I sold my Slate Raven MTi — and why the Softube Console 1 MK3 ended up being the right move for the way I work.
The Idea Behind the Raven MTi
If you’ve seen some of my other videos, you might have noticed I used to have a big touchscreen in my studio setup. I bought the Slate Raven MTi because I wanted to be able to touch the music more. I wanted to grab for an EQ, move faders with both hands, and stop clicking around with a mouse all day.
My philosophy has always been: the less visual we are while mixing, the better. The more we focus on listening instead of staring at a screen, the better our mixes — and the better the music we create. So the idea was to touch faders two or three at a time, grab a plugin, and just be in the music.
And honestly, the Raven works really well. I love Slate products — this is not a diss video on Slate at all.
But it didn’t quite work for me.
Why I Moved On From the Slate Raven MTi
A few things made me realize the Raven wasn’t the right fit:
More screen time, not less. Even with the Raven, I still had just as many screens in front of me — if not more. That was the opposite of what I was going for.
Alignment issues. You’d have to line everything up, and it wouldn’t always line up right. The faders were bigger, and adjusting a lot of settings in Pro Tools wasn’t always smooth.
It fought with Studio One. When I switched from Pro Tools to Studio One as my primary DAW, the Raven worked even less. Studio One already has native touchscreen support built in, so a lot of what the Raven offered just wasn’t necessary. And the Batch Commander shortcuts it provided? Most of those you can do just as easily with regular keyboard shortcuts.
At the end of the day, the core goal — touching things — wasn’t really being solved. If I wanted to touch a plugin, I could, but there wasn’t much difference from just scrolling with a mouse.
Enter the Softube Console 1 MK3
So I sold the Raven and picked up the Softube Console 1 MK3. And right around the same time, the PreSonus Fader Port 8 came out, and I immediately knew it would pair perfectly with Studio One. That combo has been a game changer.
Hands-On EQ That Actually Works
If I’m on a track and I want to adjust the EQ, I just turn the knob — the plugin opens up and I’m already adjusting the highs. I can set a shelf, and it’s all right there at my fingertips.
After using it for a while, you don’t really need to look at the screen that much. Each knob has its own LCD display, so you can see where you’re at without looking up. You know you’re at 4 dB. You’ll occasionally glance up for frequency range, but the bigger shift is that it forces you to listen instead of watching a screen.
My go-to technique: if I’m trying to find the meat of a sound, I’ll put a high Q, boost 10–15 dB, and slowly sweep through until I hear what I’m looking for. Then I pull it back to 3–4 dB, or leave it up if I want it louder. All without touching the mouse.
Built-In Tools You’ll Actually Use
The Console 1 MK3 has a lot packed into it:
- Transient designer — available at the touch of a button
- Low cut and high cut filters
- Compressor with ratio and threshold controls
- Fader and pan control — in Studio One, it adjusts the actual track volume and panning directly from the hardware
- Send control — shift-click to access the first three sends right from the knobs
It even has an auto mode where as soon as you turn a knob, it activates automatically. Really useful.
Navigating Tracks Is Fast
Jumping between tracks is quick and intuitive. Say I’m on the 808 and I want to go to the kick top — it’s number 4, I click it, and I’m there. Easy navigation without breaking your focus.
The Fader Port 8 Pairing
Adding the Fader Port 8 into the setup is what really tied everything together. I can click on the snare drum, hit a button, and it shows me exactly where the snare is in the mix. Then I can grab multiple faders and ride them down — without even looking at the screen.
I have a hotkey set up so I can move my mouse to a corner and turn the screen off completely. A lot of times when I’m doing the final pass on a mix, I’m just listening and scanning through tracks with the hardware — turning things up or down by feel, not by eye. That’s what it’s all about for me: less screen time, more listening time.
Plugin Control and Sends
The Console 1 MK3 also lets you program your own plugins into the hardware. You have to set each one up, but once it’s programmed you can control things like gain, frequency, low mids, mids, and highs all from the hardware faders. Screen off. Just you and the sound.
For sends it’s just as good. If I’m EQ-ing a vocal and I want a little more reverb, I turn up the send right there. I’ve got 5 sends on one of my vocal tracks — I can adjust each one on the fly. Dimension D up or down without clicking around. Done.
On top of all that: transport controls, mute clear, solo clear, click and record — all at your fingertips.
The Bigger Picture: Fewer Plugins, Better Decisions
One of the unexpected benefits of the Console 1 MK3 is that I actually use fewer plugins now. I put it on every channel and just mix. If I need a specific color or sound, I’ll reach for another plugin — but the Console 1 MK3 has become my main tool, and everything else is just there for when I need something extra.
That simplicity has made me more focused and more decisive in my mixes.
Final Thoughts
If you’re trying to decide between something like the Slate Raven MTi and the Softube Console 1 MK3, here’s what I’d say: the Raven is cool, and I did dig it. But for me, touching a screen didn’t feel that different from using a mouse.
With the Console 1 MK3, I can boost the lows with one hand while adjusting the ratio and threshold on the compressor with the other. I can get right into the mix in a way that feels physical and musical — not just visual.
That’s the difference that mattered to me.
Let me know what you think in the comments below, and make sure to subscribe for more mixing tips and gear reviews.
Matty Harris is a professional mixing and mastering engineer at Mix and Master My Song.
[…] a video showing you how I use it on a daily basis. Also, check out my post about why I sold the Slate Raven and bought the console 1. I hope this video helps you guys and let me know if you have any […]
Hello Matty
the analogue way of mixing is a workflow developed over decades. Tactile knobs and faders hands on mixing. The digital era adds many extra’s automation, you can see a picture of your audio and loads of external gear has become internal software.The essence of the Audio-trade in my view is: Listening, recording, Editing , and then you are back to Listening to the finished product. Since audio recording started this has not changed only the tools have. As long as you are aware of this I don’t think it matters much what tools you use as long as you are comfortable with them. So your remarks and views are spot on.
Kind regards,
Lex Goode.