is the name given to the technology designed by Innovason for managing a maximum number of inputs with a minimum number of faders.
The object of the exercise that gave rise to Smartfad was to eliminate the need to scroll through the endless layers which are universally acknowledged to be the bane of all digital console users.
One or several zones of faders are designated 'SFAD' (SmartFAD or SmallFaders) which are recognizable within Sensoft by their reduced size.
Thus a standard input fader can either be allocated to a single input via a traditional patch, or it can manage several inputs in the SFAD zone.
In this case the fader in charge of these inputs is known as a 'bank' of faders. When selected, all of the inputs it is handling appear on the SFAD screen.
It could be said that it acts as a VCA for the inputs it is managing. This concept, in addition to the ease and flexibility it brings to handling large numbers of inputs, enables an 'a la carte' configuration of mono and stereo channels given that a stereo channel is also in fact a fader 'bank' handling Left and Right of any given instrument…
The designation of SFAD zones is done via the PCB (Personal Console Builder) screen in Sensoft and the individual input fader function within the SFAD fader banks is allocated via the patch matrix designed for the purpose.