A.Rosengren
Solid Snake
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Posted : Mar 18, 2010 14:49
Got the Akai LPD8 just now, looks and feels a bit more sturdy than a nocturn, the knobs are a bit to small for my liking but I think it will be a nice companion that won't break too easily.
I will field test it in about 1 week
A
Chemogen
IsraTrance Full Member
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Posted : Mar 22, 2010 00:58
Quote:
On 2010-03-08 02:17, Zork wrote:
i like the edirol pcr 300 the most..
its keys are almost like the ones of expensive hardware synths like moog or dave smith poly evolver or something similar..
the knobs are smooth not rastered..and not endless wich i even prefer..
well the drumpads are little small but i just use them to activate fx or something similar, not for actual drum patting..
if you got the chance to check it somewhere i would recommend to do so..
cheers
I have that at home, love it to bits but its way to big for gigging. I use Ableton Live with a Korg NanoKontrol, an iPod Touch as a synth and my laptop's keyboard for doing some leads and chords with VSTs in Live.
Oh, and Rosengreen, my NanoKontrol is one of the most handy pieces of gear I have. It's seriously awesome.
scobbah
Kiriyama
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991
Posted : Mar 22, 2010 09:46
I guess that it depends on your preferences and your approach to live performances, but over the past few years I've slowly moved away from a keyboard based setup and I now prefer to have more knobs and faders available instead. I bought a UC-33 ( http://www.bimotordj.com/_imagens/_upload/uc33_gr_2.jpg ) about a year and a half ago and I'm quite satisfied with it. Like Rosengren said about the encoding issues, the knobs on this one too aren't perfectly synchronised with what's happening on the screen. I'd love to see some sort of "calibrate" option (other than Ableton's min/max #cc value ).
However, it has quite a few knobs and faders (with remap possibilities), it's doesn't weigh too much and it's cheap. It's true, it doesn't feel like working a metal workhorse like the Blofeld, but it does the job and its size fits with the concept of travelling without having to shovel around a 65 litre backpack full of gear.
What I do miss, however, is led lights to advance the interaction. There's a small arrow on top of each knob indicating the value but sometimes there are no lights available on the stage and here's where knobs with adjoining led lights could come in handy.
Aural transmissions from the deep forests of Sweden www.dvsmrecords.org - 'Patterns II EP' by Silent Horror out now!
Spindrift
Spindrift
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Posted : Mar 22, 2010 10:30
I also prefer more knobs and buttons instead of a keyboard for performing.
Good pads or keys is IMO not needed for triggering clips and is only of real use when drumming or playing live.
My favourite controller is the BCR2000. It has lots of encoders (32) as well as buttons (30), and they have LED's indicating their state/position.
For my setup I need more buttons than the BCR provides to get mouseless control, and for that I just use a small keypad.
If you are in to actually playing some instruments live you can complement the BCR with some pads or a micro-keyboard like the LPK25 and still have a very compact setup.
Or if you like to do arranging on the fly, a Launchpad could be a nice solution for triggering clips.
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scobbah
Kiriyama
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Posted : Mar 23, 2010 16:54
Santa, if you're reading this, please come by our place if you happen to make any early excursions this year because we're already scheming on our wish list...
Yes, I'm drooling...
Aural transmissions from the deep forests of Sweden www.dvsmrecords.org - 'Patterns II EP' by Silent Horror out now!
-=Mandari=-
Mandari
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Posted : Mar 29, 2010 16:48
dont get the reason about the x-station, it´s knobs and faders are quite enough for my taste, few keys, more than appreciated and at the end comming around with a decent synth (sure not best, but again enough to play around with even in live situations. just not that comfortable to edit).
i bought it few years ago and never had any issues, totally satisfied. but i bought it with a gig bag. for 25 keys it´s size also matches the handbaggage clauses of airlines. so im able to get my keys, my laptop some cables and, if i need, even my blofeld on the road. couldnt be better..... imo
anyways, i guess novation will be again your solution if you´re looking for something with keys..... and can only repeat: dont ever buy any sh*# by m-audio, no matter what!!! if you wanna do yourself a favour forget about behringer too...
Spindrift
Spindrift
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Posted : Mar 31, 2010 16:32
Quote:
On 2010-03-29 16:48, -=Mandari=- wrote:
if you wanna do yourself a favour forget about behringer too...
I'm not a fan of Behringer in general and always avoided their products like the plague, but the BCR2000 is a gem IMO.
Very useable and flexible, durable quality, very cheap and it's not a copy but their own design.
Apart from the Behringer brand I don't see how one can fault it.
What issues do you have with the Behringer?
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Got the oppurtunity to field test the LPD8 from akai, it did it's job without any hazzle and survived 3 Israeli security checks and a few others in europe. They didn't even put it in the sniffer like they always do with the nocturn
It worked good for me, the knobs are ok and the pads are great, you can also use "pages" on the CC and with the software you get bundled you can adjust what values what button/knob will do. I always decrease my sample volumes and go for 0-127 instead but it can be useful in other aspects.
looks really nice, though its kinda more recording thingy. anyone got any experience with this device?
www.overdreamstudio.com
Axis Mundi
Axis Mundi
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1848
Posted : Apr 16, 2010 02:24
I recently acquired a Novation SL MKII for use with Ableton in conjunction with an APC40 and my Virus Snow. I have to say the two controllers compliment each other very well. The APC handles the important aspects of the DAW while the SL is basically a dedicated universal plugin controller. The Automap software seems to behave well, and while I read a lot online about problems handling the Virus Control interface, while it takes a bit more tinkering than normal compared to other instruments, I was able to integrate it quite smoothly.
What's really awesome is that I can switch controller templates for my different instruments from the hardware itself, and all the parameter values shown in the hardware screen mirror whatever it is names in the instrument itself.
The SL is definitely a step up from my previous controller (Axiom 25).
).
