Is all of the APC 40 hate justified or just gear-head rants?

[Dhak]

So i'm literally on the verge of purchasing an APC 40 (as in I would have ordered it tonight if the checks I deposited today cleared), and I am really happy even thinking about having a hands-on controller. Right now it's just me and my laptop, which can get a bit stale and boring after a while.

I thought I did enough research and of course came across negative comments in the process, but after reading through the Machine thread on here i'm second guessing myself.

Some people have posted things that make the APC sound not so good after all. Someone even mentioned that they felt that Ableton and Akai were duping people into buying a controller that pretty much only launches clips.

So, before I drop the $300 i'd like to open this up for honest discussion. I realize that forums like these tend to attract people who seem to be always complaining and are never happy with their set ups. It's the same kind of people who ask if they should buy Nexus when they already have Omnisphere, Alchemy, the entire Komplete collection, Rob Papen synths, Sylenth1 etc. These are the people who spend more time reading and acquiring gear then actually making music.

Now, I am not expecting the APC to be the end-all of controllers. But is there any really serious draw backs to it? I know that it isn't the best thing to use as a drum machine (although i've seen videos of people who seem to do it just fine), and that I would maybe need to get something else in conjunction with it, but in your opinion is it worth the $300?

Is it a good controller? Are people's bashing of it justified?

[ark]

In my opinion, the two biggest drawbacks of the APC40 are its size and the fact that it is not bus-powered--it requires an external power supply.

Also...don't drop $300 on an APC40 -- B&H Photo is currently selling them for $238.95 including shipping anywhere in the US.

[eddiex]

dude don't believe the negative hype....the apc40 is pretty awesome....i love mine.
it does a little more than just launch clips......i mean it is basically a hardware version of live session view with control over effects etc.
cons for me....sometimes it hums.
i can't believe how much "not bus powered" is an issue.....
i think it is gear head rant....i mean depending on what you want an apc for.

[infiniteB]

8*8 grid HUGE difference on Novation Launchpad. Launchpad lighter, more intuitive, quicker IMHO. Yeah, you miss a knob or two, but that can be added with Nocturn, Zero SL MKII.... No, I dont work for Novation, but with Automap and the parameters/quality,/interfaces of their gear, I think you got options beyond. Also, you can connect up to 6 Novation Launchpads together-- that's 48 tracks of solos, mutes, infinite scenes, assignable buttons, globally quantized scenes (stutters, DMC shit, etc.), Pans, Volume, etc... I guess it comes down to what you do (press play, twist a knob here or there, change a scene here or there, or rock it. You can rock it with both, but IMHO, go with the Launchpad and more...

[skatr2]

No hate here. Love mine and the scripts out there to run it. Just wish akai did more for it out of the box than a clip launcher. Also not sure why people say controllet a is "more intuitive". some may find using the grid to adjust levels less intuitive than simply having a channel fader at your fingers. But that's how intuitivness is...to each his own.

I do recommend it...esp if you plan on "playing" more live.

[Felonius]

I realize that forums like these tend to attract people who seem to be always complaining......

X 500

[antarktika]

Yeah, you miss a knob or two, but that can be added with Nocturn, Zero SL MKII....

don't forget the Korg NanoKontrol as long as we're talking light and compact. With this script http://post.monome.org/comments.php?DiscussionID=5510, and a launchpad, you practically have all the functionality of an APC, with a much smaller footprint.

[Forge.]

Yeah, you miss a knob or two, but that can be added with Nocturn, Zero SL MKII....

don't forget the Korg NanoKontrol as long as we're talking light and compact. With this script http://post.monome.org/comments.php?DiscussionID=5510, and a launchpad, you practically have all the functionality of an APC, with a much smaller footprint.

yeah I generally recommend to people to get something like launchpad + nanoKontrol - so much more portable and flexible, and if one breaks you only need to replace that... and cheaper -plus if you're playing in a small DJ booth you can fit them around your space more easily, rather than needing a huge space for one controller AS WELL AS your laptop....

To be fair, I don't have an APC40 - but when I've tried them I found a couple of things a little irritating, such as the stiffness of the faders and the way the sends work

I do have the VCM600 and love it, but it's just too fkn big - I wish they did a VCM200

[skatr2]

i can't believe how much "not bus powered" is an issue.....

I generally never find it an issue...until last week. I tend to spend time at some local coffee shops to mess around with patterns and work on the step sequencer. Downside is when I hit one the other day, the wall I was working on had a busted outlet and it was the only seat available. Kinda mood killer. But any piece of equipment can have a bad day and not work on you. You may never want it to leave the house.

[LeifonMars]

I own them all, APC40, Launchpad and SL mkII 49, but mostly use APC40. I have nativeKontrol scripts on my Launchpad and sometimes I use it's sequencer, but other than that I find it hideous to learn so many pages of non marked functions. I find the build quality of APC40 superior to that of Novations: the knobs and faders have more accurate feel than those of the SL mkII and even though the pads of the Launchpad have maybe slightly better feel than the ones of APC, those 2 haven't been able to replace APC. In production APC is killer, for performance there are things that favor Launchpad.

[agent314]

I love mine. Having dedicated buttons for the metronome, record quantizeation, overdub and tap tempo buttons has come in way more handy than I ever thought it would, not to mention the solo+arm buttons. Lack of record/solo buttons on the main page makes a Launchpad only solution unfeasible for me.

Definitely wish it was bus-powered though, for convenience's sake.

I'd say that 85% of the hating is gear-head ranting. There are some legitimate complaints about it (that may or may not be a big deal for you), but if I had to choose between having one or not having one, I'd absolutely go with having one.

[WaveRider]

well, it takes some space but it'S only because I have so much cool hardware around...

even for recording clips on the fly, I have to have it around, I tried going back but it's just so immediate, the build quality is there, it's going to last, so for the moment it's staying at the center of the computer rig, I am looking for things to sell, but its not on the list yet.

If I am only going to get 200$ for it I am keeping for sure

...as long as I use LIve

[yellow]

I think the right controller depends much on your way to work or to perform live.
I love the APC 40.

[starving student]

the apc 40 is a great controller the main thing like everybody is saying it depends on how you use it, I could describe all kinds of reasons why it's not a great controller for me but that could mean next to nothing to you unless you're looking for the same thing I'm looking for out of a controller. i do not think all the bashing is gearhead lust Instead I think never before now have we had such a plethora of different controller types to choose from so people are really starting to get their needs catered to, for instance if you need to bang on some pads+ you want a hardware step sequencer+you want to control ableton+ you want an mpc sampler then maschine just simply makes sense, it's not hype it's allot of people experiencing that capability for the first time in a midi controller to this extent. and then if you want/need a little ass monome clone that much more portable and won't set you back and is so much fun
especially if you use aurexs launchpad apps then it's just a no brainer to get a launchpad, they're cheap as fuck, fun as fuck and cost a buck
and if you want a controller that feels different than both of those, something that holds live together for you it just makes sense to go for the apc-40, probably a real good combo would be the apc-20 + the new mikro maschine, or the launchpad + anything is also a great combo, the apc-40 and the regular maschine are two pieces that can do allot on their own and I think the launchpads limitations stimulate creativity in a very fun manner.

and then there's the nano thingys that people come up with new uses for everyday also fun and cheap so the good news is there is allot to choose from but the better news is that if you know how you want to use your controller then it should be easy to choose one of them or maybe all of them because it's not like they feel the same in the least..... they don't.

[Hermanus]

those ranting about external psu do this mainly because their setup is already fulfilled with Power units.

I've always found those comments kinda subjective.

I love mine, overall because it has the better Monome emulator on the place.

Launchpad has one called nonome and other(s) made with max4live...
But they are not enough efficient when time comes to run Molar vst from Steve Duda [the main monome app I use]

I got one back bag that can handle my 17" laptop + apc40 + external soundcard + cables.
Faders and knobs turns this apc40 into an ubber monome64 Imho