Noisy, buzzy, heavy, uneven keys weighing 70 pounds with the same low-end MPC pads as the smaller units. I'm not a serious keyboard player but man they were bad, YMMV. Last note: I tried an MPK 88 and within a minute I thought that these keys would actually discourage me from wanting to play. (2) Can the touchpad be used to control the Orb in omnisphere?
#Novation launchkey 49 mk2 vs akai 49 mod#
(1) How do you deal with the joystick mod wheel using VSTi's that rely on the modwheel position to change the sound of some patches (like omnisphere or other piano libraries which add sustain pedal noise depending on the mod wheel position)? Is there any kind of modulation latch option? (2) When switching between DAW control and VSTi control on the MPK, am I manually switching via the 'presets' button, assuming I've made a good map for my plugs? If this is true, then does that mean that whether or not a VSTi track is highlighted in my DAW (Cubase 5/6), I can tweak it by going to that preset?Ī couple questions for Novation SL users: The novation keys OTOH are a little too soft for me. I do like the open layout of the board and the feel of the knobs/faders compared to the novation though. (1) Do the keys soften up a little after breaking in? If so, how long? I tried a demo unit and for my taste, the keys were a little too springy. I have experience with automap as I had a remote zero last year so I'm aware of the strengths/weaknesses of that. Going to decide on one of these and maybe a studiologic sl990 for more piano type action. I've got an MPK 61 coming in the mail and a Novation SL 61 MK2 to arrive soon as well. It might take a bit more work to figure it out but a good digital keyboard synth (Roland XP or Fantom, Korg Triton or Z1, Yamaha EX, CS6x, MOTIF, Kurzweil K-series, Kawai K5000 etc.) is a definitely a good option to look into. I will probably add an MPD or Korg padKontrol and an additonal hardware programmer for synths (Remote Zero or PWS editor) later but it's a good start. I ended up getting a used Yamaha CS6x (Merely OK as a synth but very good as a MIDI controller!) and a new Akai APC40 to control VST's in Live. However, other than a great key action (which I can personally attest to), I couldn't really find any information on those one way or another so I gave up. I spent three months shopping for a current model MIDI controller keyboard and couldnt find a single one that several people didn't have major complaints about except maybe the Cakewalk (Roland). I really think the best bet is to get a good digital synth for keys and a separate controller (APC40 if you use Live, Remote Zero if you don't etc.) for MIDI. Take advantage of 30 day return policies. Use the info to gather a list of potentials, and from that go out and try some gear. Take what anyone here says with a grain of salt. I think that the new line of Akai controllers (mid to late '09) are very nice pieces of gear. The MPK61 is an awsome controller hands down.
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I've recently added the MPD32, MPD18, LPK25, and MPK61 to my gear.
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I'm a long-time MPC user who still owns a 2000XL.
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This may be the route I take just for the heck of it.
#Novation launchkey 49 mk2 vs akai 49 install#
Worst case scenario, you can always just order and install a set of the original MPC pads. Also, there's a guy on YouTube who shows an easy mod if the response still isn't right for you. After adjusting the sensitivity and velocity curves, it's now very usable. Initially, the MPD32 pad response felt odd. People complain about the anted they're not the best, they surely aren't the worst. If you already have and like the keys on the Novation, consider keeping that for keys and adding an MPD32.