

- ABLETON LIVE KEYBOARD AS MIDI GENERATOR
- ABLETON LIVE KEYBOARD AS MIDI FULL
- ABLETON LIVE KEYBOARD AS MIDI PLUS
ABLETON LIVE KEYBOARD AS MIDI GENERATOR
In addition, Novation has incorporated their typical arpeggiator and chord generator from other versions of their controllers. Therefore, this keyboard is perfect for that. These days, no composer can realistically mock up orchestras without some form of CC slider controller. This can include mic positions, dynamics, bowing types, reverb returns, and more. Most orchestral libraries have MIDI learn functions for every single aspect of the interface. While other keyboards in the line have two touch strips that can act as faders, this one has nine sliders! It has more sliders than some dedicated standalone CC controllers on the market.Īs someone who also composes for film and tv, I know the usefulness of sliders. It is also suitable for live use, but it has one feature that is more geared toward production than performance: the sliders.

This keyboard is great for studio producers due to its larger 61-key keyboard.

It features a 16-pad color-coded grid, which is similar to an MPC, as well as an 8-knob controller section similar to the Mini 25. The Launchkey 61 Mk3 is the larger model in the Launchkey family. The fact that they also added an arpeggiator just makes this one a total champ. It's awesome to use Live or in the studio for real-time performing. With the strips, I can do it even better with one hand. That's amazing because sometimes when I do filter sweeps, I have to use both hands, one for cutoff and one for resonance. The reason that's so helpful is that, unlike knobs, you can really pull off dramatic sweeps and other tricks with two fingers.
ABLETON LIVE KEYBOARD AS MIDI PLUS
Novation totally nailed the MPC-type pad feel and even beat AKAI at their own game.Īnother big plus is that they threw in touch strips on the left side. They sound awesome with snappy envelopes and great responses. Personally, I love using Ableton Drum Racks for many of my sessions. Instead of a cramped grid, they went with a bigger 16-pad grid that's backlit to show relevant info in Ableton.īy making the pads bigger, they gave you a sweet option to either launch clips or perform. The Launchkey Mini Mk3 is already on its third go and it just keeps getting better. Their foray into MIDI controllers has been a total win. I totally remember owning their Supernova synth ages ago and loving it. Novation has been crushing it in the electronic world for a while now. Perhaps the only downside is that adding so many tiny grid pads, it's not ideal for finger drumming on such small pads. And let's not forget that Akai always hooks us up with top-shelf keys that make synth players feel like they've hit the jackpot! This thing is a hit with live bands because you can mix it up while playing keys. It's probably the most comprehensive grid controller with an added keyboard in a small package. It also has eight controller knobs to perform filter sweeps, LFO performances, modulate parameters, or anything else you might want. With a 40-button grid, it's a fantastic performance piece because it offers instant on-the-fly remote clip launching. This is where this controller really shines.
ABLETON LIVE KEYBOARD AS MIDI FULL
Another killer function in Ableton is to launch a full "scene," which means all the clips in one row will start or stop together. The Akai APC Key25 has a great visual representation of your "session" view, with colored backlit pads that represent what's in Ableton. In fact, they made the first official Ableton proprietary controller, named Push, before the company redesigned it. Akai has been a major player in beat-driven performance environments, such as Ableton.
