The ZeRO SL Mk II is a full DAW and plug-in control surface (for live and studio use) that visually feeds back all control information to the user.
A giant 144-character display, back lit LED buttons and LED ringed encoders show the status of all controls. Ultra-quick mapping of all 56 knobs, faders and buttons is managed by the groundbreaking Automap 3 PRO software. !!! 3 Years Music Store Warranty !!!
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I just bought it, I was used to a motorised fader controller, and that makes a difference in how fast you operate. Besides that, the screen in the left below the knobs its not a big problem. Works well with Pro Tools 10 with most of my plug-ins, but doesnt support AAX . The pads in cant made them useful. I tried different sensitivities but I couldnt make it work for me. I think the price, compared to other, is good.
The SL Mk II is an excellent controller, which allows for easy assignment of parameters, and consequently helps in speeding up workflow.
Having previously owned a Remote 25 SL, the Mk IIs are a big improvement despite the lack of a second screen. The backlit buttons and touch sensitive pots and faders alongwith the single screen provide a lot more feedback than the 2 screens on the Mk I. Still, I would imagine that a second screen on this unit would only have helped further. Additionally, the build quality seems to be slightly improved though the crossfader feels flimsy (feel is exactly like the one on the nocturn).
The slightly longer faders are nice, and of course Automap Pro is great, I was using it before I purchased the Zero SL Mk II.
For the money, this product can be described as mid-range as there are cheaper controllers out there, but they are surely not as easy to set up. In fact, I would say that it has some "high-end" functions for a fraction of the cost of the higher end controllers.
However, I have two problems with this unit. The first is that while the build quality is good, its all plastic (a factor which surely helps to keep prices low). In future, I would like to see Novation develop a line of higher-end controllers than the Mk II line or at least the zero, which would be made of metal, have motorized faders, dedicated pan and fader controls for the master channel, and probably a second screen.
And secondly, the platform that is included with the zero model has to be screwed on to the back of the unit. I would rather have liked to see some lever mechanism to attach these platforms, as the screws can easily get lost, and it would be nice to be able to raise and lower the platform as one sees fit, without having to screw and unscrew them each time.