IDDQD - ID.TF6+

Seven high quality, non detent (smooth) endless encoders with selectable trim (gain) or volume fader functionality. Tailor made for 8-series recorders, designed and assembled by hand in Denmark. Please read the full description and FAQ below before you purchase. 

User manual:

• Plug and power via 8-series USB A. No setup required.
• Turn encoders to adjust channel volumes
• Press an encoder to show channel page, trim is now available to adjust
• Press, hold and turn to trim, super fast workflow.
• Extensive customization of LED colors and behaviour
• 4 customizable fader modes
• Comes with a mounting solution to fit the 833 perfectly
• On screen PONG game

FAQ:

Can I change the channel configuration?
Yes! Version 3 has extensive customization options in the menu. Control any channel on any mixer you like. 

What’s the build quality like?
The electronics inside is a factory made custom embedded PCB design. Low EMI and power efficient, very proud of this one. The enclosure is manufactured by me with expertly fine tuned 3D printers using PETG material – durable, UV/heat resistant. I am pushing the technology to provide the best looking surface finish possible. This is not your regular 3D printed object. 

Will this work on my 6-series, 7-series, MixPre, Zoom recorder, etc ?
These units are only compatible and specifically made for Sound Devices 8 series. You might be able to use it in your DAW though

What happens if I plug this into a 888 or Scorpio?
The controller is ready to control 888 or Scorpio, just go to the menu and select your mixer model.

What about an 8 ch version?
There’s an 8 channel version available, but it’s wider than an 833 and fits an 888. TF8+ is made to fit an 888 physically but works for 833 or Scorpio if you want. There’s also a very compact 2 knob controller available for both 833, 888 and Scorpio: TFX.

Can I use multiple USB controllers at a time?
Yes with a hub. Please consult the 8 series manual regarding third party controller spill / individual mode to determine if this will work with your use case.

How do I mount this thing?
It comes with a pair of mounting brackets so you can attach the controller firmly directly to the 833.

=>> Watch this VIDEO

ID.TF6+ user manual

TLDR version:

Plug it in, wait for it to boot, turn encoders to adjust fader levels, press for trim and channel page. Bonus tip: Press & hold, turn - then release for super quick trim adjustments. Happy mixing. If there’s one thing I want you to read from the long user manual it’s the part with Gotchas.

In the box:
1 x midi controller including a fixed USB-A cable.
1 x package containing 2 different mounting style clips, 4 x M3x6 buttonhead screws, 2 x M3x10 countersunk screws.

Intended use
A 3rd party solution made for the purpose of tactile and compact control of the extra available channels on the 8 series sound recorders from Sound Devices. TF6+ fits an 833, TF8+ fits an 888, however both controllers can work with any mixer from the Sound Devices 8 series.

Setup
Plug in the controller via the mixer's USB A port. First time you boot, you are prompted to select your mixer model, select with the right most menu encoder. This will set up channel banks to fit your mixer model. Choose between 833, 833+4, 888, 888+4, Scorpio. You can change this setting at a later time if needed.
It is recommended to set "soft fader / trim pickup" setting in the 8 series controller menu to OFF if you intend to use the controller mainly for the extra channels. Refer to the 8 series user manual to see what this setting does.

Physical mounting
The controller comes with two different mounting options - both screw directly on to the sides of the unit. Use the provided M3x6 buttonhead screws, do not use screws that are longer than that, it can damage the unit. One type mounts directly to the mixer's tees, another type is a clip style mount that fits a typical bag divider

Bootup
The controller will boot for roughly 12 seconds. The controller itself boots in just a couple of milliseconds, but it needs to wait for the 8 series to boot fully in order to receive instructions.
During this time, you can adjust the LED brightness on the right most menu encoder to fit your environment

Using the trim and fader functionality
TF stands for Trim & Fader - per default, the encoders are volume faders. Press an encoder to open the corresponding channel page, and you can now use the same encoder to adjust trim/gain. You may also "press, hold and turn" for some super quick and seamless trim adjustments. Fader levels are indicated by the LEDs around each encoder and on the display while moving (as well as on the 8 series display). If you for some reason want the controller to be trim at all times, you can do so by toggling the controller mode under System settings.

Selecting another channel bank
When not inside the menu, press, hold and turn the menu encoder to select another channel bank.

Master fader / menu encoder
The right most encoder serves many purposes - by default, it is master fader. This can be set to control any bus or output via the 8 series controller menu.
The master fader can be disabled/locked in the TF6/8+ menu under controller menu “System" or simply by not assigning anything in the 8 series third party controller menu.

Menu navigation
The right most encoder is also a menu encoder. Press to enter the menu. Long press to go one step back, or select "<- Back", or simply press any other encoder to exit menu.

Lights
This is where LED lights can be adjusted and customized

Brightness
Adjust brightness from 0-100%
Besides this menu entry, during the bootup sequence, the master encoder is free to use for adjusting your brightness level.
Set your brightness at the lowest visible setting to reduce power consumption.

Fader colors
Lets you modify the color of the fader indicator lights within the currently active channel bank. There are two standard modes, ID.White or "VU style". You can also choose "custom" to select a variety of colors for all channels within a given bank. Furthermore, you can select individual fader colors for each channel if you prefer. The individually selected channel fader colors will move along across banks. This was a nightmare to code

Base color
For lack of a better word, "background color" for individual channels or whole banks. Let's say your special guest is on ch 14, you can set a specific background color for that channel to have it be easily found. I suggest choosing a contrasting color to the fader color, so you can actually see if it's faded up or not.
This base color functionality could also be used to identify whole banks - bank 1 green, bank 2 red, bank 3 blue - fader color white? It's up to you

Base %
Sets the relative brightness for the background base colors. I suggest setting it at the lowest visible setting to reduce power draw and to visually separate base color from fader value color overlay.

Bootup show
Lets you choose between a variety of LED animations to look at while the unit is booting

Fader speed
Lets you choose between 4 fader movement speeds: Low, good, fast or "Magnetic 0db".
"Slow" = Only added this option because I can. Can't really see a use for it - super fine adjustments for classical music recordings maybe?
"Good" = This mimics the approximate amount of rotation of a regular fader potentiometer
"Fast" = Suggested for reality show, fast paced production. The fast mode will skip a db here and there, but there's no audible stair stepping effect to my ears at least.
"Magnetic 0db" = An experimental feature - Quickly flick the fader to move to 0db or -inf. Slow moves for fine adjustments. Be careful with this one, a quick flick will move the fader value to either 0db or -inf.

Midi functions (and shortcuts)
This is a way to send midi functions to the mixer. There’s a hardcoded list to choose from along with 8 custom entries that can be configured in the 8 series under controller settings -> mapping. Hit learn, then send the midi entry. A list should appear under each entry.

These midi functions can then be assigned to a shortcut in the controller by pressing the menu encoder, then one of the encoder switches. Per default shortcut menu+enc1 is set to toggle the whole controller into fader or trim mode, however the whole controller firmware is written around the fader mode (with LED indicators), so this is for special use cases only.

System
- Factory reset = resets fader values and color selections
- Serial and FW = displays the units unique serial # and FW version
- Bootloader = Sets the device in bootloader mode for uploading new FW
- Mixer model = Lets you select your mixer model
- HW model = There's no reason this menu point is exposed, it's just for adjusting banks across TF6+/TF8+ hardware model.
- Locks/unlocks master fader = Locks the master fader value, so it cannot be adjusted in the main view
- Mode: Change default behaviour to either fader or trim mode. The whole firmware is written around fader mode as default, and trim mode won’t provide any LED indication
- Reboot = Reboots the device

Pong
Kill time with a game of PONG. Single player mode = menu encoder. Two player mode = left most encoder

Power consumption:
Power consumption is very much dependant on LED color and brightness.
No LEDs: 0.06A (virtually nothing)
LED's 100% white, all faders lit (0.6A)
LED's 100% red, all faders lit (0.3A)
Normal use, couple faders turned up at 100% brightness: (0.4A)
Normal use, couple faders turned up at 50% brightness: (0.2A)

Gotchas:
When a channel page / trim mode is active, the controller will stay in that mode for the selected channel even if you exit the channel page via the mixer. Therefore I suggest always exiting a controller-activated channel page with the controller again - unless, of course, you wish to have trim for that channel be active.

SD remote and the onboard faders
Keep in mind, this controller communicates one way only. What that means is if you change a fader value via SD remote or the mixer itself, the controller will not know that you've done that. I suggest sticking with one method of controlling a certain channel to not confuse yourself or the mixer or the controller.

If you want to use this controller for setting trims and fader levels for the channels that already have faders and trim pots exposed on the 8 series front panel, I strongly advice to set those to levels corresponding to roughly where you're at, in order to avoid sudden jumps in level, should the front panel take precedence - or with SD remote and vice versa. Please read the 8 series manual regarding "soft trim / fader pickup" to understand how this setting could either help or work against you in this situation.

Dimensions:
TF6+: 191.8x20.8x41.3 mm (LWH) including knobs
Weight: 133 grams