£500 AND I'M REALLY CONFUSED

[Jizz]

WHAT THE FUCK SHOULD I BUY

I've been going round enough threads on here the past couple weeks asking about MIDI controllers, convinced that's the thing I need to buy. But to be honest, when I look at my "setup" I realize that well... there is literally nothing to it at the moment basically. IS a MIDI controller even the right decision?

Currently I have Live 8, and a Novation Nocturn that a m8 gave me for free so I use that for automation and stuff but that's about it. I produce on ATH-M50 headphones which IMO are pretty good, but I guess monitors should be considered. And also, I really really need some keys and pads, had enough of banging on my qwerty every time i record

I know there are loads of threads on here about each of these things but... help me out guys, my mind's just been gone into a mess these past few days every time I think about this

[SunkLo]

IS a MIDI controller even the right decision?

Yes.

[skins345669]

Get a Novation Launchkey Mini; it's good enough for doing chords, can assign filters and stuff and you'll have enough money left over to get monitors as well, and then maybe a record or two.

[Jizz]

you know what, the new Launchkey range 49 looks surprisingly good for such a small price. thats almost too cheap a price though, £140 for a 49-key controller anyone used these, can they vouch for their quality?

[SunkLo]

If I was you I'd get an Ableton Push and maybe a set of barebones midi keys. It's better to have creative tools that will improve your ability to produce efficiently and quickly instead of a technically perfect monitoring chain. They're both important but I'd take the former over the latter. You can always grind out a bunch of referencing on different systems to tweak a mix to perfection once it's done. Can't really grind a shitty polished track into a better one after the fact. Raw & dope > polished and weak.

[wub]

you know what, the new Launchkey range 49 looks surprisingly good for such a small price. thats almost too cheap a price though, £140 for a 49-key controller anyone used these, can they vouch for their quality?

Midi controllers hold their resale pretty well, so buy it and if you don't like it, sell it on again.

[benjam]

Get yourself a set of D5s and a second hand m-audio or Mpk key imo

[webstarr]

I would definitely look at getting some decent monitors

[subfect]

imho identify where your weak points are in your studio, or where you feel you'd like to grow next. If you're ready for monitors (aka your ears can actually tell the difference between frequencies, even on shitty speakers), then that should probably be a starting point

[AxeD]

Everyone's ears can distinguish frequencies. 90% of people who use loudspeakers have an entirely
unusable listening environment.

[Jizz]

ok I went to a proper store and tried out a whole load of controllers today. I gotta say, I genuinely loved the feel of both the keys and the pads of the MPK25, I know people on here say the pads on the MPDs are shit and I don't know whether they're the same pads on the MPK but they felt pretty good to me! nothing too complex about them as a controller either, it looks like its really straightforward plug n play, correct me if I'm wrong…
there was an MPC Renaissance and MPC Studio there as well and err.. if that's what "authentic MPC pads" feel like then I don't really think I'm after the authentic MPC feel, I kinda hated the pads on both of those

there was also the Ableton Push there SunKlo and once again yeah I really liked the feel of it. 2 things wrong: it would mean I Have to buy Live 9 too which together with Push puts it considerably above my budget and 2) I kinda like the idea of having proper keys as opposed to pads for keys as well as drums, y'know. but, if I had the money believe me I would have seriously considered it

and thank god they had that new Novation Launchkey there as well, cos when I tried it I my suspicions were confirmed, them pads are just terrible

Maschine Studio on the other hand AMAZING pads, wayy better than the normal Maschine and every other controller there. pity its like double my budget

so yeh, now I'm thinking MPK49 hahah, cos thats got a proper set of keys and pads that feel good, ie. its got what I'm after. What do you guys have to say about it?

yeah theres also the fact that theres those new MPK's coming out, but I dunno if its worth waiting cos they look like the same thing with coloured pads… or is there more to it?

[Simulant]

Get a Nektar P6, they look awesome! You won't have to look at the screen for a while if they work as advertised.

[SunkLo]

I'd wait until some people get their hands on the new MPKs to hear if the pads are more sensitive. Unless you really like pounding the pads to get even the quietest notes out. I'd much prefer an accurate feather touch. My MPK61 has MPCStuff Fatpads and 1 layer of electrical tape and they're the best configuration I've gotten but still not perfect. If you can get better pads direct from Akai instead of using workarounds, I'd say it's worth the wait.

[subfect]

PS - the pads on the MPK25 (I have one) - are absolutely shite. You gotta bash the damn things to get input on them, so velocity is really hard to play with properly.

[Jizz]

why do I like these pads so much? I don't get it lol, I genuinely preferred them to even the actual MPC ones that were there

[nowaysj]

Those were not mpc's you felt. They don't make mpcs anymore.

What was the mpk25 hooked up to, what were you triggering with it.

I have the mpk49 and the pads only function are holding my iphone in place so it doesn't slide, because they are a little rubbery. I've also done the electrical tape mod, and it did improve them from completely unusable to mostly unusable. If I had to pound out beats solely on the mpk, I'd map the keys rather than the pads, which is of course, a legitimate option.

And wub, I don't know, I find midi controllers to drop value fast.

Monitors vs keyboard...

why'd they stop making this?



If I could get one fully functional second hand, I would.

What kind of place would you be listening to monitors in? Can you turn it up a bit? I'm pretty sure I've driven several neighbors to suicide before... in all honesty, I'm sure some have moved out because of me. Just fucking looping the same shit for 15 hours a day... maddening.\\

Wait, you like the feel of the push or not? I thought you said it felt kind of cheep?

[Jizz]

MPK was hooked up to Ableton and I was triggering drums, synths, all kinds of stuff cos I was really perplexed by how much I was liking them; I wanted to make sure it wasn't just cos I havent felt any others I went around the whole shop and tried pads from M-Audio, Novation, NI, Push, everything man. I'd say Novation Impulse might have had slightly better pads but the keys are sort of average and the rotaries are just downright terrible. ofcourse like I said Maschine Studio was Amazing but wayy too expensive.

I can understand what you guys are saying about pounding the pads, but the weird thing is I kinda liked that approach felt myself more properly getting into the beat when I really have to crack down on them pads lol

Monitors, I dunno man I already get enough complaints from my own house and the next-doors just from when I listen to stuff on my hifi now and then lol. London walls are unbelievably thin as fuckk, I've had this problem in all 3 houses that I've lived here in. It's a big reason why I've never bothered with monitors yeh, plus i feel headphones really do get you completely into the zone, shuts you off from distraction

I do like the feel of the Push, nah I never said it was cheap; that might have been about the Launchpad. What I said was the lack of keys, and more importantly the price tag that is an option that I'm keeping alive though, cos it is a very intuitive controller and intuitiveness is the biggest priority for me

[fragments]

If I was you I'd get an Ableton Push and maybe a set of barebones midi keys. It's better to have creative tools that will improve your ability to produce efficiently and quickly instead of a technically perfect monitoring chain. They're both important but I'd take the former over the latter. You can always grind out a bunch of referencing on different systems to tweak a mix to perfection once it's done. Can't really grind a shitty polished track into a better one after the fact. Raw & dope > polished and weak.

If you write good enough tunes a full on legit label with you know...an office space, studio space, professionals, a phone number, an address...if they love your tunes for the composition they will pay someone to help with the technical.

[Jizz]

yeah I'm getting more and more tempted with the Push lol, it would mean I'm seriously broke afterwards for a while though fucksake

might have to make a SACURRIFIIICE

[fragments]

yeah I'm getting more and more tempted with the Push lol, it would mean I'm seriously broke afterwards for a while though fucksake

might have to make a SACURRIFIIICE

Shit dude. Push + Live 9 would keep you plenty busy for a while. You wont even notice your fourth weekend stuck in the house due to gear lust poverty. You'll be cooking fat beats and smoking some sweet downtown brown with a big ole smile on that mean mug of yours!