Does anybody here have personal experiences of AKAI mpk series? I'm looking for a new midi controller for my DAW and soft synths. I'd use it both at my home studio and on live gigs. Somehow this AKAI seems quite nice. How about its touch for a serious player? (It's not gonna be my piano controller; I'm looking for a good synth keyboard)
I had this thing (MPK 49) over a weekend and I must say I'm little amazed about it. In general lt's very well made; it seems to have a good and strong structure and buttons, faders & knobs are good and well placed.
BUT: Its touch is terrible. (If someone wants to know more, I can tell exactly what's the problem...) Also my respect for magazines like Keyboard and SOS went very low: both praised this MPK-action.
So now I'm back in the beginning with my search for (mainly 49 keys) usb midi-kontroller with good synth keyboard feeling. Any experiences from Novation Remote SL 49 mk II, M-audio Axiom pro? Or is there some other model which I should test?
In general I have feeling that most (maybe 90%) of those midi-controllers are NOT made for serious player. They have thousand of buttons and computer interaction features but those companies have compromised with the keyboard action which is normally very plastic.... Can you think about doing those 2-hand organ glissandos with them?
I've never trusted magazine reviews.
(1) They don't have the time to do a review properly.
(2) They are writers (like musicians they are creative) and are not often subjective.
(3) They rely on advertising to stay in business (their only revenue source) - if they told the truth they'd have no income.
It doesn't matter what the magazine's name is - they're all governed by the above realities.
Glenn
+100 to everything Glenn said -- these magazine "reviews," in general (whether for audio gear, software, computer hardware, etc.), are superficial crap. In fact, the ONLY reviews which ever REALLY did anything for me were Macworld's takes on Pianoteq and MetaSynth -- but, honestly, the reviews simply pointed me toward the programs, and the rest is history!
(I've never given any credence to the computer-audio mags -- they are obviously ad-driven wastes of paper.)
I use an Axiom 61 (not "Pro," but the previous generation, dressed in black ) to play the VB3, and I'm quite happy with it in this context. I find that it's also quite "friendly" with Pianoteq, too, but I prefer using my full-piano-action Kawai MP9500. Having said this, the "semi-weighted" feel of the Axiom isn't too shabby, really -- it's a rather nice compromise for cheap plastic crap!
(Note: I've bought a LOT of cheap plastic crap in the past. Ugh. The Axiom's at the topmost point of the crap-heap, and I'm honestly saying this as more of a compliment than an insult.)
I've gotten a fair amount of useful information from SOS and Keyboard Magazine over the years, but I try to disregard their evaluations and just use them for general information about functions etc. THE most useful place I've ever found is Harmony Central for it's user reviews section.
I've owned several M-Audio keyboards, and they're a mixed bag quality-wise. You can get a good one, or you can get a bad one. AFA bang for the buck, and controller software, I think they're outstanding. Their actions have gotten better over the last year or so. Prior to that they were plagued with sticking notes and uneven velocities from note to note. Their synth actions are pretty light, so if you like a little more resistance these might not be the way to go.
Michael
I'll admit that I've been swayed by "reviews" (to my chagrin).
When we are checking out some specific product, we WANT to find/read something good about the product (self assurance?).
When the review states what we want to hear, we fall for it, and therein lies the danger.
As Michael says, there can be some good information in the magazines - the trick is to recognize good from bad - and act accordingly.
Glenn
I'm very happy with my Novation X-Station
It has a great synth, it's a sound card and it's a controller at the same time.
The key action is good and has after touch
Recommended !
In the past you had to rely mainly on magazines but nowadays you have a reasonable chance of getting good opinions by checking out forums as well... And even then people can be pretty biased so no real difference between that and a magazine.
I tend to wait a bit longer before buying new products. In the meantime other people will have bought the product and have used it in practice. But it still comes down to reading between the lines and not taking every comment as absolute truth.
cheers
Hans