Nektar

 

Nektar Panorama P4 or 6....That is an awesome controller with DAW functionalities.

 

dude I like the xtouch (altho I do hear it sometimes*)


*always a startle

 

Thanks to everyone for your help

I have now dropped the coin on a drumrollllllllllll...........MPK261 !!!

it was close call with the NI Kontrol

And I will tell you why I am glad I didn't get it.

For me Kontrol's screens and workflow are a total gimmick. Sure they are nice and colourful.

It is now my conclusion that hardware like this is old fashioned.

Similar to gear from the 80's and 90's with small screens we all loathed to use.

Hell I've got enough vintage synth modules for that kind of "nostalgia"

Don't get me wrong Kontrol seems very appealing and that's good marketing, but the Akai is where my money is at.

cheerio friends! and thanks heaps, enjoy your chosen controller, each to their own.

 

dude you called out the best part earlier... arps, one note chords, scales.. the mind behind::: its nought to do with tiny screen or the lame patch selector (which I hate hahah)

Good on you man! We all look forward to hearing some tricked out beats

 

Yeah it was a close one and you can see my rant is just to justify my decision

Really wish I had some of those features but I figure I'll find them as a midi plugin

The Akai has midi after all

 

Regarding the feel, my first 2 synths were Rolands [Jupiter4 and D10/20, late 80s] and they were the best synth action, semi-weighted keyboards for me. Second best were Yamaha's SY. I never liked Korg keyboards as they felt too clunky for me, but the feel was alright, too [M1, T3, 01W]. Now, I'm saying this because I've been into a huge music store a couple of years ago and I've tried about 30, if not more, different MIDI controllers to find the one that has a similar feel to D-20 or D-50. Suffice to say that only Akai and Novation keyboards felt similar to those.

I was so unpleasantly surprised by what kind of keyboards they're trying to sell these days...

Anyway, so I'm using Novation Remote SL37 as my main keyboard because it's an incredible performer. I love lots of controls you can use to transform the sound. I don't use that auto-thing, either. It's unnecessary. Just use the Editor to make some templates and there you go.

The best quality synth keyboard I currently have is definitely my Kurzweil K2000VP... I only use it when I need more octaves, though. It's just not as practical as Novation Remote.

Well [cough] I actually wanted to congratulate you on your choice, Ted! I'm sure you'll be satisfied. Akai keyboards are also built better than Novation ones. I chose Novation just because it's so small, but big enough, with so many controls and X/Y touchpad. It's the best for me, but the quality of it could be better. It's very "plasticky", but the keybed is alright anyway. If I ever get tired of it, I'll buy Akai MPK49.

Cheers!

 

yea I have the Rise 49 for almost 2 years now,
SWAM woodwinds and various string instruments are entirely new experience to play,
though I enjoy playing atmospheric drones most (the front/back slide can transition between 2 entirely different soundsets, so for ex. string/woodwind orchestra slide is cool

 

Thanks @SineWave It was a tough choice and these are all great keyboards. In the end it was a tossup but the Kontrol's gimmicks and price is what let it down, the last thing a producer needs is another poorly implemented interface in which to sidetrack creativity.
Luckily I saw though the smoke and mirrors to the solid contender that is the MPK series.
I too was spoiled by the D50 (great for the era) and various Yamaha keyboards so it easy to be dissapointed with these cheap plasticy keyboards. Special mention to the Yamaha KX25, which is pretty awesome, but no longer made. I'm going to hang onto that one.
I must admit I bought a M-Audio Keystation as a temporary solution mainly because it was cheap but my god run for the hills anyone thinking of using that model. The shit thing about those cheap controllers is they are hard to sell, because no one wants your crappy toy keyboard
Now i'm selling my MPC and not looking back.

 

@Ted Smithton wtf dude xD
btw here's a track I made about year ago using just Seaboard and various virtual instruments (and acoustic drums played and recorded by me too),
it's actually somewhat uneasy to play accurately :D

 

I bought M-Audio Keystation 49 in 2002, too and it served me somewhat well for a good few years. I bought it after auditioning several other keyboards at the time, because I thought the keyboard itself wasn't that bad, actually. Those were relabelled Evolution keyboards. But the wheels started "developing their own mind" [sending MIDI messages at random] after a couple of years and I couldn't repair them as they are sealed in plastic [thanks M-audio], so I just had to buy something better. I still have it, though, since its resale value is... not a value at all.

Yes, D-50 had an excellent keyboard. Better than D10/20 and one of the best solo-synth-action keyboards at the time. Those keys were true semi-weighted keys with metal weights underneath them.

 

Oh yeah, a lot of new producers these days don't realise that part of what D50- and DX7 (for that matter)were truly inspiring instruments.
You take the sounds out of context and instantly they can be turned into a massive dog turd.
Producing music is a discipline and a deep meditation, not to be confused with a hyperactive child bashing away on his toy.

 

@tzzsmk

 

Yo Dudes
Gotta say I'm very happy with the MPK261, reaaly exceeded my expectations.
Let me just say this beauty is a future classic!
Thanks everyone for your help
.... and for those kinky guys trying to turn me to the dark side of rubber fetish, enjoy you tacos...

 

what about these? from alesis and M.Audio. Anyone has tried them?

 

Last edited: Jan 18, 2018

I currently have a Novation SL61 MKII.
Great keyboard feeling but no durability for me. One key is now too sensitive and plays loud when you blow on it and one key only plays when i seat on it.
And yes, i've taken it apart and fully cleaned it. Non-smoker and no exteriors so...

 

Novation keyboards aren't made that well these days, either. Especially cheaper ones - Impulse range. They look nice and have a lot of knobs and sliders, but the keys aren't as good as they used to be. Novation SL range is still the best from Novation.

However, Akai keyboards are currently the best bang for your money, I think. Although there are sob stories about some loose pots on the net. I've got MPD32 and I must say its pots and knobs are top-quality. And in general these Akai products feel quality made when you compare them to other stuff that's there.

 

+1 mpd32; gotta love all that assignability! -added a few strips of electric tape under the pads for a bit more bounce as well