Masterfader 5 and the DL1608

[waxout]

Hi, I've been reading a lot of the posts regarding Masterfader 5.2.0 and the DL1608... it's a lot absorb.  I have 2 fairly simple questions.

1. With MF5 and the digital gain controls; does this bypass/disable the physical gain knobs on the DL1608 unit?  (That would be nice. They often get bumped or tweaked by the unqualified)

2. Given all the concerns voiced, should I just stick with MF4? 

We are a 5 piece band with 4 vocals.  We don't care about recording to the iPad or many of the added "features."   Really just looking at the ability to use Android etc.  And like I said, bypassing the gain knobs would be a treat! Seems like there are some horror stories about MF5.

[WK154]

Unfortunately the gain knobs are not disabled or bypassed. The digital gain is a limited range for fine control only. To address the gain knobs moving readily many have used rubber o-rings or washers to keep them in place. Search for gain  knobs problems here for details.
http://cacophony.aspinock.com/index.php?topic=242.msg3471#msg3471
MF 5.2 is just fine if your iPad meets the requirement in iOS/iPadOS or Android OS.
Cheers