Akai MPD18 - Korg PadKontrol

[globalk]

Hi Guys,

Quick question for those of you who have owned or used both - just in terms of pad quality and feel which unit is superior.

Follow up question - are the padkontrol pads the same as the microcontrol (same size, same response etc)?

In the market for a now drum controller after hocking my old one!

Cheers

gk

[v00d00ppl]

korg pad kontrol all the way and thats coming from an mpc owner....my mpc pads are great...but since each side of the pad has equal pressure distribution....get the pad kontrol....

if you are really broke then go to guitarcenter.com and click on the used section and do a search there...

[globalk]

Not that i'm broke mate - just don't need any bells or whistles (read knobs or sliders).
Just something with great pads!

[rikhyray]

Tried it yourself- it depends on your needs. I had all the controllers for longer time and I am percussionist. padKontrol - the worst (better for non players though) then Akai then, surprise - Triggerfinger, I am no M audio fan but somehow this ugly duck has the best pads.

[AceLuby]

I have the MPD18 and it is great for what it does and the price is perfect. Personally, I didn't like the pads on the PadKontrol or the Trigger Finger.

[delicioso]

Padkontrol by far. Don't forget to use it with the amazing farmpad (free) if you're on a mac. I've tried the padkontrol and akai pads side by side. No comparison. Padkontrol is much more sensitive, whereas the Akai pads are by design more prone to mis-hitting or double-hitting. A very revealing test is trying to play melodies on them when mapped like a keyboard, like playing chords, sustaining notes...etc. Padkontrol can do this easily while the Akai pads fail miserably.

[hiphopdontstop]

PadKontrol has the best pads by far.

Check out my thread in this section called Akai MPD and MPK mods - tips for better pad sensitivity. People want more sensitive pads and all Akai products do not deliver in that department.

The Trigger Finger sucked, too.

I swear by my PadKontrol. And I'm very picky as a drummer and producer. Nothing beats it (except my fingers)

[globalk]

Thanks for the feedback guys - was leaning towards the padkontrol too.
Might go try one out tomorrow. Unfortunatly can't try a MPD18 anywhere around here.

[exper]

It's really best to try them all out. I've had the padKontrol, the trigger finger tried out a friend's MPD32 and now I use Maschine for pads. TBH, Maschine's pads have the best feel out of all of them, with the padKontrol coming in at a close second. Maschine's pad are just very playable, and are very easy on my fingers even after long sessions. I remember my fingertips would go numb with the trigger finger...

If you can swing it though, try out the Maschine's controller. You could try to get a deal, and you'd get great software to boot...

[globalk]

It's really best to try them all out. I've had the padKontrol, the trigger finger tried out a friend's MPD32 and now I use Maschine for pads. TBH, Maschine's pads have the best feel out of all of them, with the padKontrol coming in at a close second. Maschine's pad are just very playable, and are very easy on my fingers even after long sessions. I remember my fingertips would go numb with the trigger finger...

If you can swing it though, try out the Maschine's controller. You could try to get a deal, and you'd get great software to boot...

Purposefully avoiding maschine at the moment - it's appealed to me from the get go, it's a struggle to walk past it in my local music shop everytime I visit. One hang up for me is I could get a used mpc1000 for the same $AU to be honest as much as I would like either/both I don't need them! Not after anything that makes sounds at the moment with the hopes it will lead to better use of what I already have.

Just after a good no frills controller (trigger fingers need not apply ) so i can save the change to put towards new synth later this year. I have a date with a pk tomorrow at a good price so I'll be a happy new daddy if the pads are the money

[SubFunk]

PadKONTROL

[globalk]

PadKONTROL

PadKontrol wins out!

Had blast mucking around on it tonight - loving the pads.

Tomorrow I start programming it *yay*

[SubFunk]

PadKONTROL

PadKontrol wins out!

Had blast mucking around on it tonight - loving the pads.

Tomorrow I start programming it *yay*

and if you are on OSX google farmpad (it's free)

it's sooo.... good!

[channelite]

After owning the Pad Kontrol for a year and a half, I started using the XY controller alot more. I made my on control script for the PK, so the XY and knobs control the macros. The XY controller is great for filter cutoff and res for NI's Massive or Live's Auto Filter or any other effect.

[globalk]

After owning the Pad Kontrol for a year and a half, I started using the XY controller alot more. I made my on control script for the PK, so the XY and knobs control the macros. The XY controller is great for filter cutoff and res for NI's Massive or Live's Auto Filter or any other effect.

Hi Mate,

When you say you created you own controller script, was this done using padfarm?
If you created you own from scratch i'd be pretty interested in any resources you could point me in the direction of that would help me do the same .
I have set up scenes to do about 70% of what I want to do already but I'm not sure I can get this thing to 100% of where I want it to be for live use (fine in the studio with the 'scenes') using the editor software alone.

Farmpad, nativekontrol, pad[squared] all look pretty good but they are not what I am looking for (just indepth drum control, not scene launching).

Does your custom script need a bridging program like the 3 aforementioned items?