Ableton Forum

Hi, I have a couple of friends that I jam with from time to time. I use Live 8 as I would any other instrument, playing stuff on my Akai MPK Mini, instead of doing EVERYTHING electronically (Drawing MIDI notes, using the scale plug-in, etc.) We are getting pretty serious and want to start a band similar to Passion Pit. I am wondering which controller to invest my money in. Im unsure whether to get Ableton Push, or a good-sized keyboard like the Akai MPK49. And yes, we will be playing live shows. Any input of any kind would be greatly appreciated.

the question would be... how do you prefer to play live live? are you a clip-triggerer or are you a vsti player?

Vsti player all the way. I play all of my stuff live, like I would a real instrument. Probably doesnt matter, but I also play saxophone, piano, violin, and sing.

griffinryan11 wrote:but I also play saxophone, piano, violin, and sing.

Well there's no need for the rest of the band really.

Asking guys what is the "best" controller is almost like asking "should I get a PC or a MAC". There are loads of opinions and most will suggest obviously what they have but if you are already a musician and play Piano, I would suggest a keyboard and the MPK should be pretty good (has some pads and controls to play with). Maybe a Launchpad can be used to compliment it so you can easily record ideas to clips and have them loop on the fly and juggle. Both of these would be about the same cost as Push and I am sure people will be selling their Launchpads and APCs after the launch so sit back for a bit and wait for a bargain.

griffinryan11 wrote:Vsti player all the way. I play all of my stuff live, like I would a real instrument. Probably doesnt matter, but I also play saxophone, piano, violin, and sing.

Cool, prob go the keyboard option with some buttons, knobs, pads or sliders so you can assign them to change between sounds and/or tweak some fx without having to go near your laptop.

I saw a friend of mines bands new setup the other day and they use 2x small midi controller keyboards (48 keys I think) set up next to each other to play different instruments simultaneously by one player.. Seemed like a simple but effective solution.