Native Instruments Maschine 1.6 Groove Production Studio Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)This is pretty much the coolest thing ever invented. Does more then stated on the box or the advertising material and is fairly easy to use. At the moment I have this and Traktor (NI's vinyl reproduction software) run through my studio. I create a beat or hook on Maschine upload to Traktor and I have custom vinyl. Seriously, a basic layout could take you 5-10 minutes with Maschine, and a full production could be done in as little as an hour or two (of course that is if you knew exactly what you wanted).
I did a tremendous amount of homework before I bought every piece in my studio and have been doing music (DJ, producing etc..) as a hobby for over twenty years (god I feel old saying that) and this is by far the best purchase I ever made next to my 1200s of course :p
The only "problem" I currently have with Maschine is that recording outside sources doesn't work. I have also never bothered to troubleshoot this, so it might be user error.

Click Here to see more reviews about: Native Instruments Maschine 1.6 Groove Production Studio

Get 14% OFF

Click here for more information about Native Instruments Maschine 1.6 Groove Production Studio

Read More...

Novation Launchpad Ableton Live Controller Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)I have owned one of these for four months and have gotten a good grasp of its relative strengths and weaknesses. The Launchpad is a natural extension for Live's Session View. There is just enough visual information implanted on the interface for you to identify clips easily. The User1 User2 modes are great for a few MIDI triggers but lack any serious expression as the pads themselves aren't velocity sensitive. The mixer mode might be useful for some but I never touch it due to the limited resolution of expression and the immediacy required for their proper function (if minimalism is your goal in this department, seek the Korg nanoKONTROL USB Controller, Black). The saving grace, outside of its Session mode, is the user created software. The Launchpad has been transformed into a monome like device, a visual harmonic table, a step sequencer and a few other creative apps that are hard to describe in a concise fashion. When loading Live 8.1.1 (Vista) the Launchpad will sometimes not be detected and will need to be replugged into the USB port and Live restarted (it only seems to happen less than 3% of the time).
Physically the device seems sturdy 'enough' it has fallen a few feet onto a rug a couple times but I wouldn't call it 'road worthy' since it's still made of plastic. The pads have a nice soft rubber texture though kinetically clunky when being pressed dead center. There is a decent amount of give on the pads before it triggers but in practice it isn't a big deal especially without velocity sensitivity. The LED lights aren't entirely uniform in brightness and color. You might receive a unit with a few slightly brighter pads or ones that display more red but it's only noticeable when all pads are lit up of the same color.
I don't know of any other open grid interface device that comes close to its price which probably explains the $199 price tag. Regardless of the competition, the Launchpad feels more like a $100-$150 device (due to aforementioned limitations of the device). When all said and done, I would buy one again if I had to. There isn't anything on the market right now at this price for the utility you gain from having it. The Akai APC40 Abelton Performance Controller might be an alternative solution if you don't have any other control devices for Live and don't need its alternative functions or its minimalism.

Click Here to see more reviews about: Novation Launchpad Ableton Live Controller

The compact Novation Launchpad is designed to give electronic music makers the most interactive experience possible in Ableton Live. Jointly designed by Ableton and Novation, Launchpad communicates bi-directionally with the software to give you real-time session feedback. With a multi-color 64-button grid and dedicated scene launch buttons, Launchpad can trigger and manipulate clips in Live as well as provides a totally new way of controlling Ableton Live's mixer. Launchpad's buttons can be used to sketch out beats with drum racks, and they can be assigned to other functions in Live using Ableton's Learn mode.
The device is bus-powered from a single USB connection, and has a ten-inch square desktop footprint. Rubber feet ensure Launchpad stays secure on the surface on which it's placed, and an optional padded neoprene travel sleeve is available. The Launchpad ships with a dedicated Launchpad edition of Ableton Live 8, but it can also control almost any other music software using Novation's award-winning Automap control software. It's compatible with both Mac OS and Windows operating systems.

Key Features
Launch clips and scenes: Launchpad's 64-button grid and dedicated scene launch buttons are ideal for launching and controlling your clips and scenes.
Innovative control over your mix: Including volume, pans, sends, track arming, soloing and muting. Launchpad lets you jump to different levels across eight channels at once.
Sketch out beats: Launchpad can be used to play drum racks, creating beats and triggering samples in real time.
Controlling other functions Launchpad can be used to control other functions using Ableton's 'Learn' mode. This includes Ableton's knobs and faders, which can be assigned to rows of buttons on Launchpad.
Multiple unit operation: Connect up to 6 Launchpads at a time. Expand your grid with multiple Launchpads, or have one Launchpad dedicated to mixer mode, and the other to launching clips.
Expand your Ableton control solution: Novation's Automap-enabled controllers work seamlessly together--a ZeRO SL MkII to control the mix, whilst Launchpad triggers clips.
Automap-enabled: Launchpad can control other DAWs and plug-ins using Novation's Automap control software. Automap can assign controls to software parameters on VST/AU/RTAS/TDM plug-ins by simply clicking on them, and touching a controller.
See what you're triggering: Automap provides a customizable heads-up transparent display across your computer screen. Ideal for seeing at a glance samples that you're about to trigger.
QWERTY keyboard shortcuts: Automap PRO, an optional upgrade available to purchase online, lets you assign almost any computer keyboard shortcut, and combinations thereof, to Launchpads buttons.
Old-school MIDI control: Utilizing Automap, Launchpad can operate as a standard MIDI controller, creating custom MIDI maps with 72 of its buttons transmitting either CC or MIDI note data.
Flexible trigger platform for Max MSP and Reaktor programmers: Programmers can utilize variable brightness and multi-color LED states to their full advantage when designing new and innovative tools in Max MSP and Reaktor.
Launchpad and Max for Live: Max is a visual programming environment that allows you to custom build instruments and effects. Launchpad can be used to control these instruments. For example, parameters on Max for Live's step sequencer can be triggered using Launchpad's buttons. Launchpad gives you a huge amount of visual feedback. Multiple colors and brightnesses across different buttons display visual information about whether the note is on, the velocity, note length, pitch, and whatever else you want to see.

What's in the Box Launchpad, USB cable, DVD-ROM with Ableton Live 8 Launchpad Version (Mac and PC installers) and 1 GB of Loopmaster sample content
Specifications
Physical Controls and Indicators:
64 (8x8 grid) square multi-color backlit buttons
8 round multi-color backlit system buttons (assignable)
8 round multi-color backlit function buttons (not assignable)

Connectivity: USB 1.1
Mac system requirements: Mac OS X 10.4 or later; Intel Mac or G4 and higher processor
Windows system requirements: Windows XP or Vista; 1.5 GHz or faster processor; 512 MB of RAM (1 GB recommended)
Dimensions: 9.45 x 9.45 x 0.79 inches (WxDxH)
Weight: 25 ounces (1 pound, 9 ounces)

Click here for more information about Novation Launchpad Ableton Live Controller

Read More...

Novation Nocturn 25 USB MIDI Interface Keyboard Controller, 25-Keys, NOCTURN 25 Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)The general concept of the Novation Nocturn series is that you have a responsive MIDI controller that is less expensive because a lot of the display parts and intelligence are handled through Novation's AutoMap software. AutoMap can be great, but it can also be very frustrating if the mappings for different devices aren't up to date, and Novation has a poor reputation for keeping their mappings current (in particular with Reason).
I originally had an Akai MiniMPK, which worked great, but wanted something a little larger, so I figured that the Nocturn 25 was just the ticket and only a bit more expensive (and still less expensive than the MAudio Axiom Pro 25 or the Akai MPK25).
It showed up, I installed it, and everything seemed fine, until I tried to use the drum pads. The drum pads under Windows were sporadically responsive, sometimes they'd show up, sometimes they wouldn't. I tried calibrating them, and AutoMap never registered them. Hmm. This is on a Mac Pro 2008 running Win 7. On a hunch, I booted into OS X...and they work perfectly.
So it's not a hardware issue, it's software issue, and one with their drivers. According to another user on the Novation forums, he reported this a year ago and support claimed that they were aware of the problem and 'looking into it'. Non-functioning drum pads on Windows would seem to be a fairly significant issue.
Support hasn't responded to me in 3 days, so I'm guessing they're not going to address this, at which point I'll need to return this. Disappointing since I'll have to spend more money.
Overall I give it 2 stars. If you're solely an OS X user and can live with the Automap quirks, it's probably a 4 star product, but if you use Windows, one of its major features may or may not work for you at all.


Click Here to see more reviews about: Novation Nocturn 25 USB MIDI Interface Keyboard Controller, 25-Keys, NOCTURN 25

Click here for more information about Novation Nocturn 25 USB MIDI Interface Keyboard Controller, 25-Keys, NOCTURN 25

Read More...

Korg nanoKONTROL USB Controller, Black Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)I'm a laptop musician and I've gotten extremely tired of staring at the screen, twiddling virtual knobs one at a time with my mouse. When Korg introduced the nano line, I practically ran to the store to check them out. The nanoKONTROL is almost perfect for my setup, and for under sixty bucks I couldn't walk out without one.
First off, this is definitely NOT plug-n-play, but it's a breeze to setup. I use Ableton Live and it immediately recognized the nanoKONTROL and let me assign functions to each button, knob, and slider with no issues at all. It revolutionized my live show because I can suddenly operate multiple faders and trigger multiple audio loops at once, all in a unit that's smaller than a carton of cigarettes. There are only nine fader/knob sets, but you can change 'scenes,' which essentially transposes the controls up to the next bank of nine, effectively giving you 36 fader sets. It even has lights so you can see what's triggered on a dark stage. I've had this for a good four or five months now and have never had any problems- after setting it up, simply plug it in and you're good to go.
The nanoKONTROL also ships with a copy of the Korg Kontrol Editor, which is a little program you can use to alter the firmware of the device. The Editor allows you to change the parameters of your nano- what kind of midi signal is being sent, the channel, the toggle, the high and low values, et cetera. You can even save multiple editor files, so you can switch between settings depending on what program you're using. Absolutely brilliant.
There is one con to this unit, and I'm not gonna lie: it feels chintzy. When I first picked it up, I had to laugh because it's such a lightweight piece of plastic that it feels more like a child's toy than a piece of equipment. I feel like one little drop and this thing will shatter into bits. The knobs and faders are cheap as hell and before you plug it in, you will feel a little ripped off. BUT AFTER YOU PLUG IT IN, you will realize that those tacky knobs and faders are extremely responsive and you just got a great controller for the price of a decent dinner for two.
I've heard mixed reviews of the other nano products, especially the keyboard (seriously, you can buy an old Oxygen 8 for almost the same price, so get some real midi keys), but I HIGHLY recommend the nanoKONTROL. You'll love it.

Click Here to see more reviews about: Korg nanoKONTROL USB Controller, Black

Part of the super-compact nanoSERIES, Korg's nanoKONTROL offers nine faders, nine knobs, 18 switches, plus a full transport section for expansive control; even a flexible note input mode to help you lay down your next big groove.

The Korg nanoSERIES The Korg nanoSERIES provide a keyboard controller, a pad controller, and a studio controller with dedicated transport controls. Each of these USB-powered, slim-line controllers is designed to make the most of your valuable studio space, and is small enough to take with you on any musical journey. Place one of our keyboard controllers in front of your laptop, rest a pad controller on your music workstation, park a studio controller on your recording console--or anywhere else you need versatile control over your DAW, virtual instrument, effect or DJ software. Although small in size, all three nanoSERIES controllers go HUGE when it comes to functionality, yet their intuitive layouts provide extremely easy operation for any user.
nanoKONTROL--The Most Expansive Array of Controls For Its Size--Period The nanoKONTROL features a plethora of controllers to help you get the most control out of your software for the size and money. nanoKONTROL offers nine faders, nine knobs, 18 switches and a full transport section. For each of the four programmable scenes the nanoKONTROL offers, you can set the controllers any way you need them. That means that you can transmit a total of 168 different MIDI CC (Control Change) messages, as well as MIDI notes with the switches. The six transport buttons can each transmit either MIDI CC messages or MMC messages to control functions such as: start, stop, loop, or record on your DAW software.
Imagine taking full control of your software--transport, a full track's worth of faders, pans and mutes--or how about precise dedicated control over the many parameters of software synths, samplers or virtual drum machines. It's all possible with the nanoKONTROL.
To add to the nanoKONTROL's flexibility, an attack and decay time can be specified for the eighteen switches. This allows you to smoothly feed controller messages into parameters such as wet/dry levels for an effect, a filter for a synth, or a volume fader for that perfect fade.
What's in the Box Korg nanoKONTROL, USB cable, Owner's Manual

Get 43% OFF

Click here for more information about Korg nanoKONTROL USB Controller, Black

Read More...

Korg PadKontrol USB Drum Pad Studio Controller, White Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)The KORG padKontrol has only one purpose and that is to make the use of its input pads easy, flexible and reliable. The included manual is very thorough and explains every aspect well. The included editor software called Librarian, lets you program the entire pad very easily and requires little instruction, it is mainly click the image on the padKontrol on the screen and then set its parameters.
The pads are really what sets this unit apart though as they will register a hit even when they are struck on an edge or corner. If you've got sloppy fingers and are triggering things accidentally then just adjust the velocity curves to dial back the sensitivity. The pads light when the trigger which is a nice way to instantly see that you have a successful input. They can be set as momentary on/off or as toggle types. In toggle mode they act more like a switch where one hit turns it on and a second hit turns it off which is useful for sending MIDI events that you may want to remain "ON" longer than a split second like the momentary trigger gives.
The other buttons also light up as they are used which gives good feedback. The knobs are solid and have a very smooth action to them. The feet on the bottom of the unit are really sticky, not in a glue or tape sort of way, but rather in a it stay where you put it despite tapping away at it like mad. The touch-pad allows some very cool roll/flam effects but takes some practice to use well, it can also be reassigned to other functions.
Mine came with software samples from several manufacturers in the box. I am especially pleased with the one from Pianoteq and KORG's own M1Le synth engine. Those were unexpected, are very functional and have me thinking of actually upgrading them to their respective full versions.
KORG is a top tier name and this unit lives up to the reputation. Do not settle for cheaper imitations, you can see a big difference in quality.

Click Here to see more reviews about: Korg PadKontrol USB Drum Pad Studio Controller, White

Get 33% OFF

Click here for more information about Korg PadKontrol USB Drum Pad Studio Controller, White

Read More...

Novation Remote Zero SL Keyless Midi Controller, USB MIDI with Automap Universal Technology Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)Finally, a MIDI Controller with intelligence! The Novation Zero SL has AutoMap technology which means no more spending precious production time assigning MIDI to your software. With AutoMap you simply start your software and it will automatically assign the Novation to your mixer channels. With Logic Studio it can't get any easier. I've tried many controllers without success - I had my doubts, but as soon as I took the Zero SL out of the box and installed the MIDI driver Logic recognized it - faders, pans, mute, transport controls, all worked!! The LCD at the top of the controller offers excellent visibility in low-light situations and allows you to automate your mix without even looking at the software - in realtime. Also, the names of your channels will show up on the Novation's LCD and even better, your automation values will display changes in realtime on the LCD too! In other words, when you automate a pan control (or fader), the software will kickback the values to the SL so you can monitor automation without reference to the DAW - this is probably my favorite aspect of all. The quality of the unit is excellent and I'd recommend the Novation Zero SL to anyone who wants to control their DAW easily and effortlessly.

Click Here to see more reviews about: Novation Remote Zero SL Keyless Midi Controller, USB MIDI with Automap Universal Technology

Get 60% OFF

Click here for more information about Novation Remote Zero SL Keyless Midi Controller, USB MIDI with Automap Universal Technology

Read More...

Akai APC20 Compact Ableton Controller Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)When I first saw a DJ at the San Diego Media Arts Center using this thing at a laptop jam, I thought it was incredible... but when he told me the price he paid on Amazon I thought it was doubly incredible. If you already have Live, the APC20 is a bargain by itself. But if you don't have Live, this package is TRIPLY icredible since it comes with an almost fully functional version (much more functional than standard Live Lite) thus saving you hundreds of bucks! I think the software alone would be worth the price for someone like me... a dabbler without deep pockets.
Caveats & Quibbles
I run XP and had trouble with drivers, but I got a quick helpful response from Akai support. I also had some VST plug-in hangups. They seemed to resolve themselves when I uninstalled and reinstalled. If that doesn't work for you, finding which plug-in is causing the problem can be tedious.
The included USB wire was kinda short (maybe 3 feet). And the USB doesn't power the APC20; you need to plug in an additional wire to a power source.
The biggest potential problem... once you fire up this sucker you can kiss normal life good-bye. You'll be lost for hours playing with infinite push-button permutations of polyphonic pow-ah!


Click Here to see more reviews about: Akai APC20 Compact Ableton Controller

Get 68% OFF

Click here for more information about Akai APC20 Compact Ableton Controller

Read More...

Akai Pro MINIAK Virtual Analog Synthesizer with Vocoder Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)-Teen using mother's account...lol
So I know quite a bit on synthesis, and wanted to expand my programming skills. Also, I needed something that I could jam out on with friends, etc. For the price I got,this is the perfect entry level synth. It's not too hard to program, but it has a lot of features that higher level synths have. It has pretty much everything you could want for a synth, and even a micro-sequencer. Personally, I prefer just using it as a synthesizer and sequencing on my computer. The one thing about this synth that is bad, is the vocoder. For me, the vocoder presets were just not good enough by themselves. I had to do a lot of tweaking to get them to sound good. Not to mention, for every vocoder patch, I had to get the analog gain wayyyy higher than it was set. Otherwise, no sound would come out of the synthesizer. Besides that, this is a great synth and for the price right now, a definite one to consider if shopping for one.

Click Here to see more reviews about: Akai Pro MINIAK Virtual Analog Synthesizer with Vocoder

Click here for more information about Akai Pro MINIAK Virtual Analog Synthesizer with Vocoder

Read More...

Ableton Suite 8 Full Version Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)I bought Suite 8 to use mainly as a production tool but due to a power surge, my DJ mixer got fried. I had just bought a house and Live 8 was already a big purchase so I was going to be in trouble when it came time to make mixes for my college radio show. Turns out Live is a tool that I have always wanted. I started playing wth Tension etc. and found every one of them to be more than impressive for sound design but what really blew me away is how Live makes it possible to make blends that are technically impossible. If I have an idea, 99% of the time I can make it happen. As a college radio DJ, I have complete freedom to play whatever I want so anything goes. I actually mixed En Vogue's "Never Gonna Get It" with Nancy Sinatra's "These Boots Are Made For Walking" seamlessly which would be impossible with just the standard DJ setup. The best part is, when I do replace my mixer I can split up the tracks and actually cut them up myself with Serato. With "The Bridge" on the horizon, Live will probably become as essential as a turntable for me as a DJ. I know a few DJ's who think the digital revolution is bad and makes it so anyone can become a DJ, but really it depends on your level of creativity. If you want to just mix records and "Flash", you don't need this but if you want to do the impossible and flip intros and songs around on the fly....
I recently upgraded from Tiger to Snow Leopard which was causing Live and Garage Band to crash but within 2/12 days and three emails, Abletons tech support was able to solve the problem for both!!! This problem was related to Melodyne needing to be updated and I couldn't find any info on the internet. Excellent tech support!!!!
I can't wait until I have more time to delve into the real meat of the program but from what I've seen so far, I'll be blown away many times over. If you decide to get it, my only advice is to watch a tutorial on youtube, try it in Live and then go back and forth until it sinks in. Live has an initially confusing layout, but it becomes second nature quickly. Don't be intimidated.

Click Here to see more reviews about: Ableton Suite 8 Full Version

Get 20% OFF

Click here for more information about Ableton Suite 8 Full Version

Read More...