Midi Controller - Novation Nocturn 25 or Remote SL Compact

MoodyB

MoodyB

MoodyB

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Joined
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Motherwell, Scotland
Hey all,

Currently trying to decide between the above 2 controller keyboards, and hoping to get some opinions on them if possible ?

Atm I have a Yamaha CS1x + Nocturn and want to add some drumpads into the mix, so I decided that I'd have more desk space if I sold the Yamaha & Nocturn and bought a 2 octave controller keyboard instead.

Anybody here happen to have either of the above controllers ? If you do, how useful are the drumpads on them ? I've read that the ones on the Nocturn are pressure sensitive but the SL Compact pads are always described as 'trigger' pads which makes me think that they aren't, which means they'd be no more useful than standard buttons :confused:

Anyway, any opinions are appreciated.
 
My budget's probably around £150-£175.

I have looked at the Axiom ( and the Akai MPK25 ) but the DAW I use isn't listed as supported by their DirectLink or HyperLink software , although I am wondering if I should change to a more common program for these kind of reasons. I could just use midi control mapping instead but its not something all the vst's I currently use support.

Do you have an Axiom yourself Maccy ?
 
I used to, but sold it and bought a cheaper 49 Keystation instead. I just didn't need the advanced features of the Axiom (and needed the cash at the time), however it was fantastic.
Which DAW are you using?
 
I'm currently using Podium - http://www.zynewave.com/index.html - as it was a bargain for the money a few years ago ( before Reaper appeared ), has excellent track freeze / bounce support & has always had a hierarchical track layout / folder tracks. Not everyone's cup of tea, but I can get along with it.
 
Interestingly I've never heard of that. However having a quick search of their forum, it seems as though some users are using the Axiom with no issues at all. If you can get to a music shop and try out some MIDI controllers with pads, then that would be ideal. Alternatively you could check out some reviews online, make a purchase and if it's not right for you then return it under the DSR?
 
Good point about the DSR. Forgot all about that :cool:

Podium is definately one of those 'marmite' DAWs. You either like its workflow or you don't. It has its good points & bad points but for $50 it was a no-brainer if you were on a budget... until Reaper appeared that is.

After watching a video about the Axiom editor software, I'm tempted to stick with Novation controllers as I'm used to their AutoMap Pro software, and being able to assign DAW shortcuts to controller buttons comes in handy with Podium.

Just need to decide which one now, as a Remote SL MkII video has tempted me to blow apart my budget :eek: Might not be able to make use of all its functions right now in Podium, but if the dev doesn't add midi cc support for mixer controls & a few other niggles soon I'll probably look at other DAWs.

Decisions, decisions...
 
I think the Axiom would include a free copy of Ableton Lite too, of which a lot of people on here would highly recommend.
 
It does which I am tempted by, but Lite is fairly limited which would mean I'd need to upgrade to the full version, which isn't cheap at around £200.
 
Last version of Cubase I tried was SX2.0 iirc. Didn't get on with it too well back then, but I probably didn't give it enough time.

Is it Cubase you use yourself ?

Might give Reaper a try soon, as it has a very good reputation these days & is much cheaper than either Cubase or Ableton, which is a plus.

I've managed to find a 2nd hand Zero SL Mk2 + Alesis Q25 controller keyboard for not much more than what a new Nocturn 25 would cost, so I'm going to go with that setup instead.
 
I used to use Cubase when I was a Windows user, however I now solely use Logic and Pro Tools (when in the studio). I still think the Cubase has the best MIDI editor out of any DAW though.

I never used SX2, however I used to have SL3 and then version 4 which was pretty good.

Good luck with the purchases and let us know how you get on :)
 
Well I missed out on the 2nd hand Zero SL MkII unfortunately, but managed to get an ex-display Remote 25 SL MkII for a good price inc 1 year warranty & software bundle.

Just need to get rid of the CS1x, Nocturn & my Tx81z to cover the cost.

And keep the Ableton Lite disk unopened so I don't get enticed by its features...
 
The SL MkII arrived yesterday. Integrates very nicely with Live, as long as you avoid mapping the sliders to any plugin controls. If you did, the sliders would need 'reset' back to the previous mixer volume levels again as they're not motorised. Maybe they'll add them for the MkIII.

Other than that it's nice being able to keep you hands mainly on the midi keyboard & mouse, once you spend bit of time mapping plugins / keyboard shorcuts to the MkII controls via Automap.

Also installed the 30 day trial of Live 8 as well. Only problem so far is the session view & Looper have induced many hours of just playing around / tweaking, meaning no actual 'work' has been done yet :)
 
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