New to Ableton

[BoxDJ]

Hello, I've downloaded the trial of Ableton Live Intro, and its seem great so far. I"m most likely going to purchase a APC 40, but I need a keyboard with drum pads and full sized keys. Any suggestions? I'd prefer if it was supported by Ableton as well. Right now I'm considering the, Akai MPK 25, Korg Microkontrol, and the Novation Remote SL Mk II series. I'd like to keep it small because I'll be traveling with this stuff as well.

*Or would it be better to buy a dedicated drum machine?

[cotdagoo]

just got the 49 key version of the mpk this year after having a separate drum pad & keyboard. pretty happy with it so far. pads are a little harder & take some getting used to after using a padkontrol but having the combination of keys & pads with all the knob & fader assigning you you can do made it a worthwhile purchase for me.

the best thing to do would be to figure out which way you plan to use live be it live music/djing, production, etc.. it's hard to give advice if we don't know what you're planning on using live for.

will you be using session view, or arrangement view most often?

[Jekblad]

yes yes, more info on what you are going to be doing.

i will say the novation products have always made me happy.

[Tone Deft]

I'd go for the MPK.

get a drum machine if you find the latency between the MPK's pads and Live is too much.

buy one thing at a time, learn it well, then evaluate what you need.

[BoxDJ]

Well, I'm going to mostly playing live so usually session view. I'm planning on doing more House/Ambient music. Any more suggestions? If I were to buy a drum pad at some point which do you guys recommend?

**EDIT**
What do you guys think of the E-mu 0404? Its seems to have been treating me rather well. If I do want to upgrade that, what do you guys recommend? Sorry I'm asking so many questions. I've been an FL studio user for 3 months prior to Ableton Live Intro.

**EDIT2**
Any good Ableton full courses? Video, not online courses.

[BoxDJ]

bump

[cotdagoo]

Yeah, for session view the apc40 is great djing/firing clips - so long as you're not wanting to play it like a keyboard (as far as I know the buttons aren't velocity sensitive) you should be fine with it.

I've had a m-audio trigger finger, a korg padkontrol and now the mpk49. Out of those the korg has the best pads hands down. Soft to the touch, don't need to be in the center of the pad to get a good velocity. With the trigger finger you had to make sure you got closer to the center of the pad to get the same action. I do kinda miss the padkontrol simply for the pads, but just couldn't deal with 2 interfaces taking up more room on my desk than a all-in-one controller like the mpk that would do the same thing + more.

Best way to learn Ableton imo is to start with the built in lessons if you haven't already done so. There's soo much to be learned, and having it at your fingertips within the program is great. Also make sure you leave the help window open in the bottom left near the device/audio effects area (? will show/hide this box) - when you mouse over something it'll give a little description. Very helpful if you're coming from another program and just need to learn where everything is that you're used to.

Haven't done much in the way of courses personally.. Im sure others could point you in a better direction. I found just digging in, and using the software as much as possible helped quite a bit - if you already kinda know what you're doing it helps too. Just a matter of finding the things you're used to and how live works a little different that most other sequencer/daws.

[Emissary]

Personally I'd go the novation route,

http://uk.novationmusic.com/products/mi ... er/sl_mkii

http://uk.novationmusic.com/products/mi ... /launchpad

but thats personal preference. Good luck with your music and whatever you choose.

[BoxDJ]

Thank you all so much!

[Akshara]

May be worth looking at the M-Audio Axiom 25 (non-pro version) too. I have one here which my wife uses, along with the 49 key version for myself. The pads are great, the keys feel solid, the units themselves are solidly built, and they are simple to program while still offering the advanced midi control of a traditional hardware synth, if that is desired. The 49 key has the faders, which are great if you don't have a dedicated mixer already; and the 25 key is really portable, can throw it in a backpack.

[BoxDJ]

So this is what I'm thinking of buying. Does this look good? Red are being bought first.

Novation 25SL MkII Keyboard Controller
Ableton Live Intro Software
Akai APC40 Ableton Performance Controller
EMU-0404 Already bought
KRK Rokit Powered 5 Generation 2 Powered Studio Monitor
Alesis SR-18 Drum Machine

**EDIT**
I'm probably going to need headphones. Any suggestion for those?

**EDIT2*
Second choise for a drumpad would be the padKontrol. Any pros and cons?

[Akshara]

The Novation 25SL and APC40 have a lot of redundant features as a mixer/controller. I would think that Novation's LaunchPad would be a better match when paired with the 25SL.

Sennheiser HD280s are solid studio headphones for $100.

The PadKontrol has excellent pad response, and the X/Y pad is an indispensable feature for live performance, once you get used to having one.

It may be worth checking out the nativeKONTROL demo videos for the pKC and apC series before deciding. http://www.nativekontrol.com/Products.html

[Bleep Blop Ima Robot]

So this is what I'm thinking of buying. Does this look good? Red are being bought first.

Novation 25SL MkII Keyboard Controller
Ableton Live Intro Software
Akai APC40 Ableton Performance Controller
EMU-0404 Already bought
KRK Rokit Powered 5 Generation 2 Powered Studio Monitor
Alesis SR-18 Drum Machine

**EDIT**
I'm probably going to need headphones. Any suggestion for those?

**EDIT2*
Second choise for a drumpad would be the padKontrol. Any pros and cons?

of course i have nothing but good things to say about the apc, the mkII was one i was looking at between the mpk25 also but in the end still went with the mpk and have been pretty satisfied with it. Krk monitors get different reviews on here from what ive read and i think they are great for the value and i have really loved the sound that has been pumping from these bad boys. my 2 cents.

[BoxDJ]

Wait, so this nativeKONTROL is a bunch presets for your MIDI controller allowing more functionality? So I saw the video, and he could control the drum rack like he was using a drum machine. You can't do this without nativeKONTROL right?

[BoxDJ]

The Novation 25SL and APC40 have a lot of redundant features as a mixer/controller. I would think that Novation's LaunchPad would be a better match when paired with the 25SL.

Sennheiser HD280s are solid studio headphones for $100.

The PadKontrol has excellent pad response, and the X/Y pad is an indispensable feature for live performance, once you get used to having one.

It may be worth checking out the nativeKONTROL demo videos for the pKC and apC series before deciding. http://www.nativekontrol.com/Products.html

What would the redundant features be?