Frontier Design Group

AlphaTrack Quote

“Wonderful idea and well thought out. AlphaTrack is just what working composers, arrangers, engineers and producers need.”

Denny Gore

Quick Facts

Optimized for fast, high-quality DAW mixing and editing in a small footprint
Intuitive, innovative, and powerful controls in an attractive package
100mm touch-sensitive, high-resolution (true 10-bit positions) motorized fader
Three touch-sensitive encoders ... context-specific feedback appears on the 32-character backlit display
Innovative touch-sensitive jog and shuttle strip for fast timeline control
22 buttons and 21 LED's for track-specific and global functions
Works with Pro Tools®, Sonar™(4+), Cubase®(3.02+), Reason™(3.01+), Digital Performer®(5+), Nuendo®(3.02+), Final Cut Pro™, Soundtrack Pro™, REAPER™, and other DAW software applications
Works on Windows XP/Vista and Mac OS X computers (Mac OS 10.3.9 or later), including Intel Macs
Footswitch input on back panel
No external power adapter required ... single USB connection and small size make it great for laptops!

AlphaTrack and Cubase (including SX3, SL3 and Cubase 4)

Steinberg’s family of DAW applications have long been recognized for their power and ease of use. Now those standards are raised even higher with AlphaTrack, a powerful compact DAW controller from Frontier Design Group.

Cubase SX3, SL3 and Cubase 4 support a native control plug-in that configures AlphaTrack for optimal performance with Cubase, providing access to standard transport controls, channel functions, and a whole lot more! Track fader, pan, mute, solo, arming, marker creation and navigation, punch and loop modes are just the beginning. AlphaTrack’s unique touch-strip lets you navigate easily through your project. For example, you can slide one finger across the touch-strip to scroll through your project’s timeline, or use two fingers on the touch-strip to control the timeline’s shuttle speed. The touch-sensitive, 100mm, 10-bit motorized fader, the 3 touch-sensitive knobs and the integrated display all work in unison to provide an unprecedented level of control. Write automation, adjust send levels, or tweak an EQ or effects plug-in without ever grabbing your mouse or rearranging your computer display. User-definable buttons and the optional footswitch allow you to customize your AlphaTrack experience even further.

Setup is simple. Run the basic AlphaTrack driver installer which includes the Cubase control plug-in if you’re using a PC, or add the plug-in separately if you’re using a Mac. Connect the USB cable and select ‘Native’ mode from the AlphaTrack task bar icon or Manager panel. Then just configure the Device Setup window in Cubase for AlphaTrack. More detailed setup instructions are available on the AlphaTrack CDROM, or in the latest Cubase Guide on the the Frontier Design Group website.

Cubase 3.02 Device Set-Up Window

Cubase Native Setup

The Frontier Design Group website includes two documents with information specifically for Cubase users. Both documents are available on the AlphaTrack downloads page.

The first, Cubase/Nuendo Guide contains detailed instructions for configuring AlphaTrack with Cubase, including instructions for setting up the optional user-definable buttons in the Device Setup menu. The Cubase/Nuendo Guide also has information about how to use some of AlphaTrack’s advanced features, and a reference chart listing the default controls.

The second file, Cubase/Nuendo Layout is a single page picture of the AlphaTrack controller with overlaid text summarizing the Cubase feature set. It may be helpful to print the file and have it handy as a quick reference guide.

We encourage visitors to our user forums to post their comments and questions. Other users often have useful ideas and experiences to share, and we monitor the posts to provide additional input.

Below are other AlphaTrack related links that may be useful: