KVR Audio

MitchK1989 · Post by **MitchK1989** » Tue Jan 20, 2009 12:10 pm

those pads on the APC40 aren't drum pads... Of course they're not velocity sensitive. How would velocity affect anything when launching clips?

Sure it would be cool for using max-for-live beat machines and stuff with it... But adding velocity sensitivity to the pads just to increase hackability while the main purpose of the machine gets no improvement whatsoever would not be a very smart use of funds...

I'm sure I can afford a padkontrol if I really want that sort of thing.

riley4reason · Post by **riley4reason** » Tue Jan 20, 2009 12:41 pm

What you need is both, Maschine and the APC40, then you are set!

Riley

MitchK1989 · Post by **MitchK1989** » Tue Jan 20, 2009 12:45 pm

riley4reason wrote:What you need is both, Maschine and the APC40, then you are set!

Riley

I like the way live's drum racks function myself, so I'll probably even be selling guru once I get live 8...

If anything, it's more like:

If you use live: Get an APC40 and a pad kontrol

If you use anything else: Get Maschine (or guru and a pad controller)

Unless you don't like live's drum racks, at which point go ahead and get both. I just find that live's drum racks remove all the hassle usually associated with using multi-out drum plugins because you can just drop a sample or an instrument plug in onto a pad (perfect for making kicks and whatnot with non-drum soft synths) and then each pad gets its own rack of effects and whatnot, it automatically makes the whole rack a collapsible submixer, etc. It just integrates far better than I could ever get guru to integrate into logic.

amiga909 · Post by **amiga909** » Tue Jan 20, 2009 1:21 pm

riley4reason wrote: APC40

8 faders, 16 knobs, 1 crossfader, 10x8 multicolor steps - a dream has come true

my concern: do u think one could (ab)use the akai APC40 for non-Ableton monome-style mayhem? akai says u can remap the controllers - not sure if you could control the LED colors (maybe sysex programming)?
would be so wonderful if you could write ur own controller settings or even have a step sequencer

amiga909 · Post by **amiga909** » Tue Jan 20, 2009 1:31 pm

"Owners of the APC40 who also own Max for Live can change the way the APC40 controls Live, and completely customize their experience. This means things like step sequencers and drum rack support and other things that only feel right with hardware will now be available for people who own these two great products. The boundaries of what you can do with complete customization and hundreds of LEDs are infinite."
http://www.akaipro.com/content206638

"also own Max for Live"
hope this isnt meant literally

Max for Live: http://www.ableton.com/extend

Ubiety · Post by **Ubiety** » Tue Jan 20, 2009 1:48 pm

MitchK1989 wrote:those pads on the APC40 aren't drum pads... Of course they're not velocity sensitive. How would velocity affect anything when launching clips?

This was a puzzling omission for me as well. Is tactile feedback plus control of dynamics too much to ask?

whyterabbyt · Post by **whyterabbyt** » Tue Jan 20, 2009 1:51 pm

MitchK1989 wrote:How would velocity affect anything when launching clips?

By means of something clever done in M4L. Isnt that the point of M4L and being able to reprogram what the APC does?

Ubiety · Post by **Ubiety** » Tue Jan 20, 2009 2:09 pm

whyterabbyt wrote:
MitchK1989 wrote:How would velocity affect anything when launching clips?
By means of something clever done in M4L. Isnt that the point of M4L and being able to reprogram what the APC does?

That was basically the response from Monome to its user base when they saw lack of velocity sensitive pads on the Monome controller as an oversight. But Akai's user base would be mixed, many not of the DIY mindset as Monome's user base, so it seems like an oversight much more so.

jopy · Post by **jopy** » Tue Jan 20, 2009 2:15 pm

MitchK1989 wrote:those pads on the APC40 aren't drum pads... Of course they're not velocity sensitive. How would velocity affect anything when launching clips?

I can't tell if you're being sarcastic or not, but when I launch loops with Battery I'm very concerned about being able to control the volume of each one on the fly--I don't imagine I'm the only one who thinks this way.

amiga909 · Post by **amiga909** » Tue Jan 20, 2009 2:21 pm

Ubiety wrote:This was a puzzling omission for me as well. Is tactile feedback plus control of dynamics too much to ask?

u cant have everything. imagine: tricolor-lighted switches, heaps of 'em

whyterabbyt wrote:
MitchK1989 wrote:How would velocity affect anything when launching clips?
By means of something clever done in M4L. Isnt that the point of M4L and being able to reprogram what the APC does?

means, APC has to be used with ableton live?

whyterabbyt · Post by **whyterabbyt** » Tue Jan 20, 2009 2:44 pm

amiga909 wrote:means, APC has to be used with ableton live?

that's not a logical inference from what I said.

Stupid American Pig · Post by **Stupid American Pig** » Tue Jan 20, 2009 3:00 pm

If for no other reason that AKAI/RogerLinn pretty much popularized the velocity sensitive pad array it should be included on the APC. shame shame akai

MitchK1989 · Post by **MitchK1989** » Tue Jan 20, 2009 4:28 pm

jmeier wrote:
MitchK1989 wrote:those pads on the APC40 aren't drum pads... Of course they're not velocity sensitive. How would velocity affect anything when launching clips?
I can't tell if you're being sarcastic or not, but when I launch loops with Battery I'm very concerned about being able to control the volume of each one on the fly--I don't imagine I'm the only one who thinks this way.

That's not the way ableton live clips work... You have an array of faders to change the volume of each one...

I think people aren't realizing exactly what those pads are for... It's for controlling live's session view... Not for laying down beats...

amiga909 · Post by **amiga909** » Tue Jan 20, 2009 4:51 pm

Stupid American Pig wrote:If for no other reason that AKAI/RogerLinn pretty much popularized the velocity sensitive pad array it should be included on the APC. shame shame akai

the APC isnt meant to replace a MDP controller.
here its about having a LOT of buttons.
having over 80 drum pads a touch-sensitive version would be rather expensive.

whyterabbyt · Post by **whyterabbyt** » Tue Jan 20, 2009 4:58 pm

MitchK1989 wrote:I think people aren't realizing exactly what those pads are for... It's for controlling live's session view... Not for laying down beats...

If the pads are only for controlling live's session view, then why the emphasis on being able to customise what the APC does via Max For Live? Why show us an example of it operating as a step sequencer, instead of controlling live's session view?

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