Logic Pro 9 Logic 9 Best Midi Controller Keyboard

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derajj

Logician
I am looking for the best keyboard controller for use with Logic 9.
I want transport control, plugin/mixer control, with 49 keys and above, either weighted or semi-weighted.
I am mainly considering the M-Audio Axiom pro 49, Novation Sl MkII 49, Novation Impulse 49 and Akai MPK61.
Which one is the best, what are your experiences with them?
Can all be easily auto mapped to Logic 9?
 
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I'm not a keyboard player, so cannot comment on the feel of the keys. The Novation SL MKll 25/Automap works great as a control surface for Logic. I initially ordered the newer Impulse but sent it back due to: 1. being bulky compared to the SL MKll, and 2. having fewer controller surface knobs, sliders, etc.

Some folks prefer mod and pitch wheels rather than the SL MKll joystick. I'm very pleased with the joystick's spring tension on the horizontal motion for pitch. Releasing the spring allows the vertical motion for modulation to be placed, where it remains, which is great for switching articulations in EXS 24 instruments that use CC#1 ranges.

My 2¢
 
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I have a new Novation Impulse 61, and it works great with Logic. Automap is very intuitive. Customizing assignments is doable. The transport controls work fine. The arp and roll features are a nice bonus, and fun to play with :)

It's not a replacement for a full dedicated control surface, but to grab a few volume faders, mute/solo tracks, maybe tweak a few band so EQ here and there, it's fine.
 
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Thank You for the replies.

I would like to know if anybody have used M-Audio Axiom/Axiom pro 49 and Akai MPK61 with logic 9.
What are your experiences with them?
Can Akai be easily auto mapped to Logic 9?
 
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I have and use the M-Audio Axiom Pro 61, the M-Audio Keystation es, and the Arturia Laboratory 61 keyboard. Of these - the Laboratory leaves the Axiom and Keystation far behind. It has great aftertouch, and integrates with the Arturia synths and software i use. For Logic -- it was hard to match the ease of Hypercontrol, which mapped the Axiom controls to Logic. That said -- the Axiom feels like cheap plastic compared to the Arturia keyboard. Until the end of the month-- you can get the Arturia keyboard + the Laboratory software (which has 3600 presets, and four of the Arturia software synths) for less than the cost of the Axiom Pro. I wish i had known this a month ago.. as my Axiom Pro is gathering dust in the corner and needs a new home.. :)

joe
 
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I use the Novation SLMkII 49. The keyboard is well responsive and of good quality (the keyboard is manufactured by Fatar), with channel aftertouch. The controls are abundant and various (faders, rotary encoders, stop knobs, push buttons, drum pads, XY pad, XY joystick) and are all touch sensitive. Every features works great but the drumpads are poor in response quality and the XY pad need to be actuated with either a marble or the top of you nail to respond properly. You can control everything in Logic. The different modes allow to use the different controls for different uses on the same plug-in and therefore multiplying the available controls. Automap is also great with Logic; it's nearly plug&play with Logic and its native plugins. Additionally you can remap the controls to your preferences, either in Automap mode or MIDI mode. Using SLMkII without the Automap yield to even more flexibility but at the cost of having to program the controls yourself, which is not so "rocket-science" once you get the gist of it.
In short if you are looking for a full fledged controller, this one is pretty hard to beat.

I heard/read good reviews regarding the Akai's MPK ones...
 
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Eli said:
I have a new Novation Impulse 61, and it works great with Logic. Automap is very intuitive. Customizing assignments is doable. The transport controls work fine. The arp and roll features are a nice bonus, and fun to play with :)

It's not a replacement for a full dedicated control surface, but to grab a few volume faders, mute/solo tracks, maybe tweak a few band so EQ here and there, it's fine.
Click to expand...

Hi Eli, How is your Impulse working out for you so far?
Have you had any problems with it?

I am asking cause I read some bad comments on Novation's forum on Impulse.
I like the Impulse but I read on their forum from few users comments like that the pad lights will go off and it feels cheap etc.

I am not sure now, should I get the SL Mkll instead....
 
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derajj; said:
Hi Eli, How is your Impulse working out for you so far?
Have you had any problems with it?

I am asking cause I read some bad comments on Novation's forum on Impulse.
I like the Impulse but I read on their forum from few users comments like that the pad lights will go off and it feels cheap etc.

I am not sure now, should I get the SL Mkll instead....
Click to expand...

To be honest, I haven't been using the Automap functions much lately. I do very much like the overall "feel" of the keyboard. It feels solid and robust. The action on the keys feels nice. The knobs and sliders seem solid. I actually like the feel of the pads. They are velocity sensitive, which is very cool not only for drum programming, but for creating musical sequence patterns. I haven't had any problems personally with the pad lights.
 
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Today, I updated the SLMkII Automap to v.4.4 (available lately).
Problems after the procedure occurred again! :brkwl:
Every time I update Automap, problems arise, and the SLMkII start to malfunction.
The Automap will not work on my system if it is not the first control surface installed in Logic.

Solution: delete all the other control surfaces from the setup (including Automap) and reinstall them all, one after the other, starting with the Automap...

I did not mention about another control surface that I warmly recommend if you have the chance to own an iPad. It's called V-Control Pro.

http://www.neyrinck.com/en/products/v-control-pro

It allows control of nearly every aspect of Logic plus the other apps running on your Mac. A nice advantage is that it interconnects via WiFi, therefore wireless and allow remote control. It works reliably. Although the interface is tactile, if you are looking for real knobs to twist or faders to ride, that is not exactly that, but very close!
 
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derajj said:
Thank You for the replies.

I would like to know if anybody have used M-Audio Axiom/Axiom pro 49 and Akai MPK61 with logic 9.
What are your experiences with them?
Can Akai be easily auto mapped to Logic 9?
Click to expand...

I've owned the MPK 25, 49 and 61. They feel alike and they work very well.

I've also owned the M-Audio Keystation Pro, and the Axiom 25 and 49. I wasn't that happy with any of them, as I didn't care for the keybeds, and they felt less well put together than the Akais.

I use a Yamaha 88 key controller when I want a piano feel, as I like the keybed, though it has fewer other features. I use the MPK for those features.
 
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Atlas said:
...
I did not mention about another control surface that I warmly recommend if you have the chance to own an iPad. It's called V-Control Pro.

http://www.neyrinck.com/en/products/v-control-pro

It allows control of nearly every aspect of Logic plus the other apps running on your Mac. A nice advantage is that it interconnects via WiFi, therefore wireless and allow remote control. It works reliably. Although the interface is tactile, if you are looking for real knobs to twist or faders to ride, that is not exactly that, but very close!
Click to expand...

Sorry, I had lost track of the "keyboard" part re controller's query...
:redface:
 
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