In need of a drum controller.

[zxcvbs]

Hi, im new to music production, composition:

Dont know much about software, than basics. I play bass, acoustic guitar. Im looking for a drum pad, drum machine controller.
Im currently using a trial version of ableton on my laptop, dont know if it is too much for what i use it. I use it in session mode, because i can select what patterns i want to hear on the fly.
My minimal unit for composing is loops, and layering those units to create something.
I like to experiment with multiple simultaneous loops with odd time signatures, polyrhythms.
I find it easy on ableton because i only have to create a minimal pattern, and it just syncs it with the rest of the loops, playng for example a 5/8 feel pattern at the same time of a 6/8.
What other software there is to compose in this way? are there open source, free, alternatives? does Maschine has a a similar workflow?
What about Fruity loops, etc.

In the past i had a Novation Remote Sl mkii, i sold it because, i dont like keys, and it was too expensive, for the plastic it costs. I hated those drumpads.

I know about maschine, ableton push controllers. But i think all that plastic, can be replaced with touchscreen displays (except drum pads that require velocity), and that keys can be replaced with drum pads (i like symmetric grids of keys, hate the way black, white keys alternate, i play frets and for me all semitones mean). I think push/maschine are a bit overpriced because they cant produce sound.

So im looking for a controller, i expect in the future to build my own osc/midi controllers, trough gui programming, or hardware wise with arduino.

Is a padkontrol just fine for me? or i will need a more expensive controller? please justify.

Im also looking for a looper:
I had in the past the Jamman Stereo Delay, but i sold it because, it was expensive for what i used for. I realised, that i needed just a simple loop pedal. I dont like to have expensive hardware unused.
I have a sound card i was thinking in a simple midi foot controller, to start/stop loops on some software. Im not playing live for the moment. So for the price of a cheap looper or less i could buy/build something to use as a foot controller.


Thanks.

[sjm]

FL has no support for time signatures, let alone mixing them. There's talk of adding support, but if that's your thing, better stay well clear. There are people who will post workarounds, but they're more hassle and only interesting if you've already bought into FL and need it to work in that context. Essentially the "solution" is to set everything to a 1/X time base (e.g. 1/8). As you can imagine, that's not what most people want to do.

[thecontrolcentre]

If you are using Live then Push is the way to go. The drum pads are excellent, and, of course, it works straight out of the box. I agree with you about the pads on the Remote SL ... although I do think it's a great midi controller. I don't know how a touch screen could replace the pads on Push (or any drum controller).

[zxcvbs]

Im downloading a demo version of maschine.
Korg padkontrol, is really cheaper than Ableton Push.
For now i will go with that. Here Push costs 4-5 times, maschine 3-4 more than the padkontrol. Is great, but i dont think my use, as a noob, justifies that thing now. What i hate about controllers is the price, without standalone features, like using the hardware with limitations without a computer/midi brain.

Pads cant be replaced with touchscreen yet, there is not working cheap pressure sensitivity on displays, but things like faders, clip launchers, can be done through it.

I usually dont want to pay more than use value, i think push is overpriced, im not a pro, to justify that. The same with Maschine, i dont know yet, if i like that software.

And what im liking is that the Padkontrol, has a foot pedal, so i could try to configure some how, as a kick drum, or to start/stop a loop recording.

[thecontrolcentre]

Push is much more than a drum pad, and if you compare it to decent guitars, and hardware synths is not particularly expensive IMHO. Many midi controller keyboards can be used without a computer ... the Remote SL being one. I use mine to play my hardware synths over Midi, as well as to connect them with Live over USB.

[el-bo (formerly ebow)]

padkontrol is a great unit

or there's something like this

[pljones]

I'd love to point you here but it's not out yet.

[cryophonik]

Im downloading a demo version of maschine.

There is no demo version of Maschine.

http://www.native-instruments.com/en/su ... -versions/

[zxcvbs]

I thought, it was on the page, will not even try it.

Example i could change a guitar for a maschine controller. But i prefer to have the guitar, because it sounds on its own. With an expensive controller im attached to a computer, so, i could buy something more limited, and less expensive, in any case i have access to the software to tweak parameters.
Im someway closehad, traditional to technological hardware that i dont use. For me Is something that if i dont use intensively, it losses value over time too fast, turning it on its plastic value.
The same way with effects, i sold all the digital boards that i had, to downsize just to pedals, and a computer interface.

I had a remote sl mkii, it was just a midi controller interface, not a unit in its own, i didnt like, not the product, but the whole controller concept. Although, i played some piano when i was a child, after using it, from too many years of using the guitar, i realized, that im happy just with strings, and something to make beats to get drums.

Im not a pro, im exploring beats.


With the new ipad pro, as a mainstream concept, in the future we could get cheaper android tablets, with pressure sensitive displays. Or just programming, and tweaking some wacom tablets, like the bamboo, you could get multiple arrangements of the tablet to use as a controller.

[cryophonik]

Have you considered a Quneo? Great pads, very versatile, and can be found pretty cheap on eBay.

[zxcvbs]

Yes, but i cant find it here. I just bought a padkontrol. Will see how it works.

[el-bo (formerly ebow)]

Yes, but i cant find it here. I just bought a padkontrol. Will see how it works.

it will very much depend on what software you are going to use it with, but it takes a little experimenting to find out which velocities to set the pads at. each pad can be individually set to balance between the response of the drum in question, and how hard you want to be thumping each pad

[zxcvbs]

Im happy with it, by now.
I think in the future will look for something, more related to percussion:
Like a handsonic, korg wave.

Im now trying to learn african rhythms.
Since a lot of years im really fascinated with:

The polys, syncopations, etc.
Would like to learn how to program tribal beats.

This weekend i played with touch interfaces, from the phone, tablet, some kivy apps, touchosc. And i find it unusable for fast and complex rhythms (by latency slowdown), i find it only useful to launch clips. Also pressure sensivity in realtime is more harder than i expected it to be.
The ipad pro, like the wacom tablets, i think only has sensitivity when used with the pen.
Will see how to interface in the future arduino projects with drums.

I think i found in drums, percussion, the way i like to play/interface with music.

The push with all those sensitive drumpads, has to be awesome.

[rod_zero]

Push. Is one of the best build controllers around, really solid, doesn't feel like cheap plastic at all.
Maybe in time you could pick up one second hand.

[zxcvbs]

Happy with the controller so far.

The problem now, is finger cold numbness, after the 30/40 minutes of playing.
What is the best position to play without injuring my hands, arms?