Control surface for MPC style beat-making etc?

Denalihighway

Hi lads.

i'm looking at getting a control surface which patches in to drum software and the likes.

it would be along the lines of an MPC interface but obviously compatible with software. Versatility for use with DAWs in general would be an advantage.

Initially it would be for use with the client software in Cubase 6. Clicking a mouse just ain't the same.

would it be something like this I should be havin a gander at? http://www.thomann.de/gb/akai_mpd_32.htm

thanks

flyswatter

The MPD sprang to mind straight away when I read your post.

A friend of mine uses one to control the MPC style programs in Cubase like Groove Agent One and Kong in Reason.

That one you linked to seems quite expensive though. The MPD 16 (silver/grey one) is a lot cheaper.

Denalihighway

yeah i see what u mean alright. seems like the one I linked to is more suited as a standalone solution.

I was fairly sure i was on a reasonable track but glad you mentioned groove agent. cheers

Radiosurfer

Would just like to recommend the Korg PadKontrol. I use it and having used plenty of pad based controllers I can safely say nothing has ever felt as tactile and sensitive as the PadKontrol. You can also adjust it's sensitivity to your taste. I've never used anything as responsive. Certainly give one a go if you have the opportunity.

jackbarrett91

AKAI is great brand and their quality is awesome. But the MPC pads are really awful, I have AKAI at home and they are basically hard to push. Go to some music store and try them both MPD and PadKontrol and choose the best.

kfoltman

Korg padKONTROL is the only one that doesn't suck. Seriously.

Or use a weighted MIDI keyboard. It's loud and not very portable, but the response is way better than any pad-based controller.

Or get a decent e-drumkit (i.e. Roland or Yamaha, not some cheap rebranded Medeli stuff).

Also, be warned - getting enough finger independence to play any decent beats will probably take months to years, no matter what controller you pick.

kfoltman

BTW: I have both Akai MPD 16 and Korg padKONTROL.

Akai MPD 16 is next to unusable, even after doing the spacer mod to improve the response. It requires much more finger strength and precision - the pads only react in the middle and even there require significant force to get any response at all. Sensitivity settings are a joke. The USB driver is useless - may hang your system at random times. Any money you spend on MPD will be wasted. Never had a chance to try the more recent models, but the same kind of pad modification is recommended by many people, so I guess that design flaw is still there - but they're at least class-compliant so USB is not so much of a problem.

Also, beware of NanoPAD controllers, also by Korg - they're different design than padKONTROL, the FSRs (sensors) degrade over time. They may be quite cheap but you quickly end up having several pads that cause stuck notes or don't respond at all, or both.

Radiosurfer

Just on the point of finger dexterity, if you play guitar or piano I don't see any reason you won't be lashing out beats in no time. I've played both for a few years and when I switched, first to the launchpad and more recently to the Padkontrol, I was up and running in no time.
I now prefer playing piano solos on the launchpad, the only problem being lack of velocity. But there are workarounds. Padkontrol is best for beats.

kfoltman

Radiosurfer wrote: »

Just on the point of finger dexterity, if you play guitar or piano I don't see any reason you won't be lashing out beats in no time.

Sure, it depends. If you're already a proficient piano player, you already have most of the necessary skills. And if you want to make your beats by recording individual instrument tracks separately / overdubbing, you only need a basic sense of rhythm.

On the other hand, I don't know how much time will it take for an average DJ to get to the skill level of this guy:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E-H2twMYI4w

but I doubt it's doable in less than a week

Radiosurfer

Ditch the TV, girlfriend and all your mates and you'll be like this dude in no time: :eek:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0K2aynMMBpo

rayzercork

i use an mpd32 with poise, works fine for me although like many said the pads on the mpd arent great sensitivity wise. you can buy an upgrade kit for it on mpcstuff though.