KVR Audio

dune_rave · Post by **dune_rave** » Wed Jun 10, 2020 5:10 am

"Do You Love Your MIDI Controller?"
Not really, but the controller loves me

EnGee · Post by **EnGee** » Wed Jun 10, 2020 6:58 am

fairlyclose wrote: Wed Jun 10, 2020 4:36 am
cowby wrote: Wed Jun 10, 2020 3:39 am been using Nektar P6 for more than 2 years and those knobs were melted about 1 year after use. Luckily the company sent me a set of knobs + sliders free for replacement. The mechanical noise is a bit annoying when pressing the keys. Found Middle C has something wrong which it echo the notes "After touched". Thinking of buying NI Kontrol S61 MK2.
similar for my Nektar lx49+ the plastic degraded but they sent me new replacements - bit too much of of a hassle to replace the modwheel tho so that is still sticky. But the integration with Studio One and Bitwig is good so I have no great need to replace it. Would probably go a ROLI seaboard block and /or an ATOM if I wanted something else

My P4 is still ok, but I haven't really used it heavily! I begin to feel the keys sticky and this after touch is annoying. Anyway, I don't use the controllers that much anymore because Push with Live is very good. Also mapping 3rd party plugins is a matter of keep clicking the parameters and they would map to the knobs in banks

Really it's easy and time saver way.

I thought to buy lx49 to replace P4, but reading about it now I think I won't go with a midi controller this time! Either a synth or a normal keyboard (arranger) from Yamaha or Korg, something like kross 61 or Ek 50, but if I have enough money I might go with MODX 6

pinki · Post by **pinki** » Wed Jun 10, 2020 9:17 am

zerocrossing wrote: Wed Jun 10, 2020 4:56 am
No one thing gives me what I want.
General Music (GEM) S2: Best feeling keyboard I’ve ever owned and polyphonic aftertouch. I don’t even bother with it’s sounds.
Roli Rise 49. Amazing device... almost perfect, but there are still types of things I prefer a traditional keyboard for.
Expressive E Touché: I love the spring loaded joystick nature of it. Feels like an expensive instrument.
Maschine MK1. Still banging after all these years. Even when I’m not doing drums for it, I’ll load plugins into it and use the knobs.

Polygamy!

tapper mike · Post by **tapper mike** » Thu Jun 11, 2020 5:46 pm

[edit] Double Post[/edit]

Simply because I love my linnstrument more than the rest of you love your midi controllers.

bob_gray · Post by **bob_gray** » Sat Jun 13, 2020 9:46 pm

Watching this thread with interest. I have a Nektar Impack LX61+, and it's OK, but I don't love it and I'm looking for something better. It has lots of useful controls, but the keybed isn't great (fine for what I paid, mind you, I'm aware it's a budget controller, but still).

I'll never be snapping at Jordan Rudess's heels, but I really enjoy playing the parts I write rather than programming them, and I want a 61 key controller with excellent (and configurable!) velocity response. So far I haven't found one. The Nektar just doesn't cut it. It seems to only have about five "steps" of velocity that it can register rather than a smooth curve.

lpr · Post by **lpr** » Sun Jun 14, 2020 1:13 am

I love the K-Board. Got a MC-24 on the way, which I'm sure I'll love as well.

tapper mike · Post by **tapper mike** » Sun Jun 14, 2020 1:43 pm

bob_gray wrote: Sat Jun 13, 2020 9:46 pm Watching this thread with interest. I have a Nektar Impack LX61+, and it's OK, but I don't love it and I'm looking for something better. It has lots of useful controls, but the keybed isn't great (fine for what I paid, mind you, I'm aware it's a budget controller, but still).

I'll never be snapping at Jordan Rudess's heels, but I really enjoy playing the parts I write rather than programming them, and I want a 61 key controller with excellent (and configurable!) velocity response. So far I haven't found one. The Nektar just doesn't cut it. It seems to only have about five "steps" of velocity that it can register rather than a smooth curve.

Where are you sending it?
Many plugins and hardware devices have separate curves available. When I got Krome I was less than satisfied with the response curves and blamed it on the linnstrument. Then thought to myself why does this play so well with software but not hardware. Turned out I didn't dig far enough into the global settings of krome to "equalize" the velocity settings. Still step numbers kind of suck once you've had a taste of designing your own curves. Not only do ztars have that internally but quite a number of sample based plugins I've used through the years also do.

bob_gray · Post by **bob_gray** » Mon Jun 15, 2020 10:23 am

tapper mike wrote: Sun Jun 14, 2020 1:43 pm
bob_gray wrote: Sat Jun 13, 2020 9:46 pm Watching this thread with interest. I have a Nektar Impack LX61+, and it's OK, but I don't love it and I'm looking for something better. It has lots of useful controls, but the keybed isn't great (fine for what I paid, mind you, I'm aware it's a budget controller, but still).

I'll never be snapping at Jordan Rudess's heels, but I really enjoy playing the parts I write rather than programming them, and I want a 61 key controller with excellent (and configurable!) velocity response. So far I haven't found one. The Nektar just doesn't cut it. It seems to only have about five "steps" of velocity that it can register rather than a smooth curve.

Where are you sending it?
Many plugins and hardware devices have separate curves available. When I got Krome I was less than satisfied with the response curves and blamed it on the linnstrument. Then thought to myself why does this play so well with software but not hardware. Turned out I didn't dig far enough into the global settings of krome to "equalize" the velocity settings. Still step numbers kind of suck once you've had a taste of designing your own curves. Not only do ztars have that internally but quite a number of sample based plugins I've used through the years also do.

I've experimented A LOT with this!

The Nektar has three curves built in, but I don't really like any of them. Some of the plugins I use do have custom curves (the one in Addictive Keys is pretty good, for instance), and some DAWs do as well. FL Studio, for example, has a fantastic curve editor.

There are some plugins too — REAPER users have this MIDI Velocity Curver script which works very well, and midiCurve from the old Insert Piz Here plugins is great too.

I've made some custom curves with all of these which kinda sorta work, but ultimately I do think it's the hardware in this particular unit which holds it back. I'm not bashing it — it's a budget controller and it's good for what it is — but now my playing is a bit better than it was when I got it, I'm definitely feeling its shortcomings.

I've been looking at the Arturia Keylab MK II, the Roland A-800 PRO, and the Novation SL MkIII as potential replacements, but in the current circumstances I think it'll be a while before I get to try any of them out

tapper mike · Post by **tapper mike** » Mon Jun 15, 2020 4:45 pm

Krome used to drive me nuts I finally got a handle on it balancing out the 4 (fixed, low, mid, high) on the linnstrument and balancing out the 9 presets in Krome.

Vintage synth stuff (pre 1990) generally works out best using fixed. If needed there are ways to fix post production. Though I hate spending a lot of time on post.

jisatsu_koui · Post by **jisatsu_koui** » Mon Jun 15, 2020 6:28 pm

I guess? I've got a keystep and beatstep pro

I like the keystep for its size, and having just the features I'd care about (Arp, Seq). Though in DAWs I do hate how I have to go down an octave for C1 for the kick drum. That octave button flashing distracts me.

The beatstep is really cool with all it's features, especially being able to switch to different scales. However the quality of the microusb port is awful and mine currently only works with hardware due to me having to hardwire a cable to it after the port completely fell off.

Then again, I got it for so cheap because of that issue, so could be a positive point too!

Z3R0T0N1N · Post by **Z3R0T0N1N** » Tue Jun 16, 2020 4:03 am

I love my friend's MIDI controller. He has Aturia Analog Factory and the integration is like he has a dozen classic synths. It's seriously good, and I should have bought one when they were on sale

canadian_moose · Post by **canadian_moose** » Tue Jun 16, 2020 8:15 pm

SL Mk3 got a new 1.4 firmware update today. Best just got better as far as I am concerned. I love this thing.....

V0RT3X · Post by **V0RT3X** » Tue Jun 16, 2020 8:59 pm

pretty happy with my Roland A-49. I don't need a ton of knobs or sliders, just some decent keys to jam on.

SHall1000 · Post by **SHall1000** » Tue Jun 16, 2020 10:03 pm

+1 SL MK3. Wow - new firmware. Multiple Arps. Trumps the Keystep Pro now me thinks.

Michael L · Post by **Michael L** » Tue Jun 16, 2020 10:48 pm

I got a SLMk2 because of the terrific keybed. I did not use all the 24 knobs and sliders until I saw Howard Zimmer mapping them to synth parameters and moving them while playing to increase expression. Whoa!