best midi controller(s) for me/questions about ableton

[iivanov]

Hello

Yesterday I bought an Axiom 25 to try out but there are a number of things I don't like about it so first off, I have some questions on how to get the most out of this controller before I make the decision to get others instead of it.

The first thing bothering me is the parameter knobs and how they are relatively hard to turn. They move by clicks and I much prefer smooth ones, I realize there is no way around it but I'm pretty sure the alternatives I am thinking of have smooth knobs. Also it would be nice to control levels, with faders so this one is no good for that. Another thing with the knobs is that they appear to have very low sensitivity. Is there a way to change this to emulate the motions of the assignable parameters in ableton (I don't know how to rephrase this...make them so that a motion from 7 o clock to 5 o clock will move, say, a volume parameter from mute to full, as it does in the program, as opposed to turning the knob several times to make that full rotation). The pitch wheel also seems to have a smaller physical range than the oxygen 8, so it feels like it's harder to control pitch with it than the oxygen 8. Is that something I would be correct about?

I do want trigger pads, which is a huge reason I am trying this controller out. One question I have off the bat is..is it possible to assign the pads to impulse? They seem to be locked at C3 to C4. If I do get something else, I was thinking of the trigger finger but heard somewhere that it's not really that great in terms of performance like velocity. Can anyone shed light on this and also offer some alternatives?

So if I were to return it, I would get a trigger pad and a keyboard controller seperately. Now as for the keyboard controllers, I am looking at the Oxygen 8 v2 or the Oxygen 49. Why is the Oxygen 8 v2 more espensive than the 49? The 49 has faders and more keys.

Also, I already have a 61 key keyboard which has midi out but it doesn't have any parameter control and no pitch and modulation wheels so number of keys is no biggie for me as I can use this one in conjunction with others.

So thus far, I am leaning towards Oxygen 49 (just because it has faders) and the trigger finger, so I will have 16 knobs, 13 faders and 16 trigger pads for about 350 dollars.

EDIT

I am also thinking of another option. Since I don't really need keys, I don't REALLY need a keyboard. Are there any midi knob boxes which have pitch and modulation wheels?

[wrack]

Hello,

I have problems with knobs too
So about the pads... try this and try Enigma software from m-audio.com see if it helps.

[iivanov]

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Hello,

I have problems with knobs too
So about the pads... try this (http://www.ableton.com/_common/downloads/packs/50/axiom_tutorial.zip) and try Enigma software from m-audio.com see if it helps.

thanks a lot, I will go through the ableton thing a little later. I'm pretty much set on getting something else though. I'm sure most pad trigger controllers can work with enigma and have most of the on board options (vel curve/vel range/toggle, etc), don't they?

[wrack]

Don't forget ableton thing i tried without it = no go.

[iivanov]

I decided to get korg padkontrol and just use the keyboard i have for now. one thing i must make sure is that you can set any knob (or xy pad) to pitch bend so it would act as a wheel does. I may also get a knob box a little later.