Recommended good quality midi keyboard for Live

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_estibi_
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Recommended good quality midi keyboard for Live

Post by _estibi_ » Mon Jan 13, 2014 11:39 am

Hello,

Which midi keyboard would be the best one to use with Live 9.1 on OSX 10.9.1 ?

I'm looking for a good quality 49 or 61 keys.
The knobs, pads and sliders are not required (I have APC40 and TouchAble 2 for that).
I would avoid keyboards with additional programs like Automap if possible.
(Do I need to run that if I'm not using any VST plugins? )

Regards,
Last edited by _estibi_ on Mon Jan 13, 2014 1:51 pm, edited 1 time in total.

timday
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Re: Recommended good quality midi keyboard for Live

Post by timday » Mon Jan 13, 2014 12:41 pm

I'd still recommend a Novation Impulse. You don't need to install Automap (all functions work just fine without including the clip launch mode if you decide you ever want to use it), it has velocity sensitive drum pads and a nice step arpeggiator mode, nicely weighted keys (with editable velocity curves etc) and aftertouch, and seems solidly built. We use them at work and I liked them so much I bought one.

xbitz
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Re: Recommended good quality midi keyboard for Live

Post by xbitz » Mon Jan 13, 2014 2:48 pm

just a side note, Groove3 has just released a tutorial about:
The Novation SL MkII keyboard controller is one of the most popular controllers available today, but it can be confusing, as it can do so much. No worries, let Novation pro Eli Krantzberg take you on a guided tour of this power packed controller from Novation and help you to control your instruments and DAW like never before.

Eli begins with an introduction and overview of the SL MkII, and then goes right into Global Keyboard Options, Start Up and Routing, Making Zones, and Working with SysEx Data. Drum Pad and Pitch and Mod Wheel Calibration is next, where you'll see just how to fine tune the pads and wheels for perfect triggering and control...
- http://www.groove3.com/str/Novation-SL- ... ained.html

--
personally I have MAX49 it's also a great, it has the MIDI controller of the year title
http://www.musicradar.com/news/tech/the ... -589975/10
if it mean something, I'm not sure about it :mrgreen:

JuanSOLO
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Re: Recommended good quality midi keyboard for Live

Post by JuanSOLO » Mon Jan 13, 2014 2:58 pm

I used Novation keyboards for years, they are my favorite for the way the keys feel.
However I have been using an Alesis Q49 for a while now.
I needed a plain 49 keyboard, that felt decent.
It cost $60.

re:dream
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Re: Recommended good quality midi keyboard for Live

Post by re:dream » Mon Jan 13, 2014 3:06 pm

How does the action of the Alesis compare with, say, an AKAI MPK49? I looked at the latter and it has some nice MIDI control knobs as well, but the action is horrible.

JuanSOLO
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Re: Recommended good quality midi keyboard for Live

Post by JuanSOLO » Mon Jan 13, 2014 3:19 pm

Akai always felt really stiff and surprisingly terrible to me, maybe they get better over time?
The Q series just felt like the closest thing to a Novation without that "semi weighted" feeling, and the keys seem a bit lighter on the Q.
It reminds me a bit of older Korg keys, poly 61 or even the MS2000 a little.

Martin Gifford
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Re: Recommended good quality midi keyboard for Live

Post by Martin Gifford » Tue Jan 14, 2014 10:41 am

Novation Impulse ftw. Great feeling keyboard to play. Excellent pads. Unfortunately the automap is useless. Also, it's a big clumsy thing. And the colour is tomato red. Blah. I like sleekness and colours like Cobalt blue and really classy display. Maybe next version.

timday
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Re: Recommended good quality midi keyboard for Live

Post by timday » Tue Jan 14, 2014 7:47 pm

Martin Gifford wrote:Novation Impulse ftw. Great feeling keyboard to play. Excellent pads. Unfortunately the automap is useless. Also, it's a big clumsy thing. And the colour is tomato red. Blah. I like sleekness and colours like Cobalt blue and really classy display. Maybe next version.
Yeah but, it turns out you don't need Automap because you can create and edit all the mapping templates internally.

Also I quite like the red.

It is pretty bulky though, I'll grant you that.

beats me
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Re: Recommended good quality midi keyboard for Live

Post by beats me » Tue Jan 14, 2014 10:28 pm

xbitz wrote:just a side note, Groove3 has just released a tutorial about:
The Novation SL MkII keyboard controller is one of the most popular controllers available today, but it can be confusing, as it can do so much. No worries, let Novation pro Eli Krantzberg take you on a guided tour of this power packed controller from Novation and help you to control your instruments and DAW like never before.

Eli begins with an introduction and overview of the SL MkII, and then goes right into Global Keyboard Options, Start Up and Routing, Making Zones, and Working with SysEx Data. Drum Pad and Pitch and Mod Wheel Calibration is next, where you'll see just how to fine tune the pads and wheels for perfect triggering and control...
- http://www.groove3.com/str/Novation-SL- ... ained.html

--
Interesting. Does it go a lot into using it without Automap?

yur2die4
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Re: Recommended good quality midi keyboard for Live

Post by yur2die4 » Tue Jan 14, 2014 11:32 pm

I always use mine without automap. It's pretty easy to program. Hold down Edit and you're rockin' and rollin'

Or grab the editor from the Novation site.

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Re: Recommended good quality midi keyboard for Live

Post by Tarekith » Wed Jan 15, 2014 12:45 am

The Novation and MPK series by Akai both used to use the same Fatar keybeds if I'm not mistaken, so the keys should be almost identical. I've had both and preferred the MPK myself, the rest of the controls on the Akai are a lot more solid feeling to me than the Novation stuff. Novation encoders I always had issues with, they feel really flimsy.

But in terms of pure key feel, they should be almost the same.
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Martin Gifford
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Re: Recommended good quality midi keyboard for Live

Post by Martin Gifford » Wed Jan 15, 2014 2:11 am

Yeah, encoders are flimsy feeling.

But it's not just the weighting of the keyboard. I love the feel of the black keys on the Impulse. They are wide and flat and they have a bit of grip, so my fingers don't slip off them. Fantastic keyboard. Within a few hours, I completely forgot about the keyboard - it felt so right that it was like part of myself. Of course, it might depend on the individual. If they improve the whole instrument in other ways but leave the keyboard itself exactly as it is, I will be in heaven.

eyeknow
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Re: Recommended good quality midi keyboard for Live

Post by eyeknow » Wed Jan 15, 2014 8:10 am

Another happy impulse user. I have automap installed here on the new computer, but don't have the plugs scanned for automap versions. It's handy having the faders and controls even if you have a redundant controller.

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Re: Recommended good quality midi keyboard for Live

Post by JuanSOLO » Wed Jan 15, 2014 2:48 pm

Tarekith wrote:But in terms of pure key feel, they should be almost the same.
It's been a while since I last played an Akai, but I remember them feeling very different.

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Re: Recommended good quality midi keyboard for Live

Post by Tarekith » Wed Jan 15, 2014 5:02 pm

They must have changed them then, or perhaps only the smaller versions use the same keybed. Oh well.
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