Is the Novation Remote SL Worth It?

Baron von Case · Post by **Baron von Case** » Sat Sep 27, 2008 12:39 am

Bear in mind, before you answer, it's fucking expensive.

I have had my eye on it ever since before it came out. And I'm blowing lots of money on gear that's not working out for me.

My main concern is key action. I'm a paranoid schizophrenic when it comes to key action.

sytnh · Post by **sytnh** » Sat Sep 27, 2008 2:18 am

i've tried it, it has a great feel in knobs, faders, keys, and i think it depends.

what would you use it for?

cmreal04 · Post by **cmreal04** » Sat Sep 27, 2008 2:50 am

I sold mine on ebay. I really liked the key action and of course auto map, but personally thought the build quality wasn't all that good. Now I have the mpk49 and am much happier.

CM

Mike Goodwin · Post by **Mike Goodwin** » Sat Sep 27, 2008 3:15 am

have one sitting in front of me. The keys feel great for a synth type keyboard. The build quality is pretty bad when you look at how much it costs if you ask me. I would never give it up though as my main studio controller.

glitchrock-buddha · Post by **glitchrock-buddha** » Sat Sep 27, 2008 3:30 am

There are certain things I would like to see improved, such as the encoder feel, but overall it's great for 3 main reasons:

- great feeling keys
- LCD display
- a lot of controls (8 faders, 16 knobs, 40 buttons, 8 pads, cy pad)

And these are benefits without even considering automap. I use the ableton automap template as the cornerstone of my live setup. Many people love automap universal too for plug-ins too.

posssu · Post by **posssu** » Sat Sep 27, 2008 3:34 am

pros:
-automapping works well and is really handy
-quite good key action
-lots of sliders and knobs and buttons (+ automapping, of course)
-Automapping Universal sounds like a good concept, if you need that kind of stuff

cons:
-faders not motorized
-Lemur Dexter sounds better (physical vs touch screen), but not for Live (yet)

Geezus · Post by **Geezus** » Sat Sep 27, 2008 4:59 am

I really like mine. True the build quality aint as hardcore as it probably should be, but the automap functionality makes it almost indispensable in my studio. The ability to map out all a vst's parameters exactly the way you want across pages and pages of controls and have them saved as a default for whenever you pull the plug up is pretty effin' sweet, plus you can combine that with the server's MIDI channels and you got 16 channels of multiple pages of controls for any live gig you may have. its a lot of fun

rikhyray · Post by **rikhyray** » Sat Sep 27, 2008 10:48 am

Assembling your own 3 octave controller- just bend and modulation, nothing else- will cost you nearly same as SL 37. I bought Doepfer 3 octaves keys long ago, they are a bit better then novations, some day will get it finished when I got time and need.
So you can say everything else is a bonus and as some people already said of much use.
It is controller I use most often- studio and live, compensate the shortcomings with Faderfoxes for mixer and MPD32 for pads, rotaries etc.
Akai MPK is the only competitor in that quality but I hardly used mine after getting SL and finally sold it since it only collected dust.

Crash · Post by **Crash** » Sat Sep 27, 2008 10:54 am

Just replace the cheapo plastic knobs with tactile rubber ones, it's dead easy. One problem is that the space between adjactend knobs is too small. Faders may have a different feeling to them, some going more easy than others. Remove the plastic cap and bend the metal stick some so that it doesn't scratch to the plastic chassis anymore.

Baron von Case · Post by **Baron von Case** » Sat Sep 27, 2008 11:30 am

Thanks all so far,

It sounds like the only complaint as of yet is the unhardcore build quality. Does this really affect anything if you transport it with care and don't tend to throw things in frustration?

Automap, the XY pad and millions of other controls, the LED displays, etc. all sound magnificent. Agreed.

The keys are my only concern...
I do tend toward synth action more than weighted. Is that good or bad news in relation to the Remote SL? Call me crazy, but having trained myself on cheap and plastic-y Yamaha PSRs for my formative years, I feel a great deal more control on synths... it's like I don't know how far to push down the key or how hard to get what I want on weighted boards.

I remember touching a key on this board at a Sam Ash a couple years ago and not being terribly impressed. Then again, it wasn't hooked up to a module or anything, so I wouldn't know what sound would result.

I'll try and audition one for real this time. They are ridiculously hard to find though.

vicz · Post by **vicz** » Sat Sep 27, 2008 11:32 am

I have a Remote SL61. The keyboard action is really good, keys are solid with a good quality feel and aftertouch . Automap works well but is really overkill for what I do with it. Controllers and sliders are well made and have a good solid action even though they look and feel a bit plasticky. LCDs are bright and contrast adjustable. Bad points: pads lack feel and are pretty useless IMHO, and the USB socket feels loose and a bit fragile.

The whole thing is surprisingly light and the case is all plastic. It flexes a bit and doesn't look as if it would take too kindly to being dropped or having stuff stacked on it. Overall I wouldn't hesitate to recommend it for home/studio use. On the road I would probably look at something cheaper and more robust, such as a CME, or at least get a good hard case for it.

Mr Man · Post by **Mr Man** » Sat Sep 27, 2008 11:35 am

them keys are gonna get you

Baron von Case · Post by **Baron von Case** » Sat Sep 27, 2008 11:52 am

vicz wrote:I have a Remote SL61. The keyboard action is really good, keys are solid with a good quality feel and aftertouch . Automap works well but is really overkill for what I do with it. Controllers and sliders are well made and have a good solid action even though they look and feel a bit plasticky. LCDs are bright and contrast adjustable. Bad points: pads lack feel and are pretty useless IMHO, and the USB socket feels loose and a bit fragile.

The whole thing is surprisingly light and the case is all plastic. It flexes a bit and doesn't look as if it would take too kindly to being dropped or having stuff stacked on it. Overall I wouldn't hesitate to recommend it for home/studio use. On the road I would probably look at something cheaper and more robust, such as a CME, or at least get a good hard case for it.

Hey well that works, 'cause I have an amazing hard case (which I got for something insane like 75% off because of a noticeable but irrelevant defect), and I use the keys for drums, not the pads.

Baron von Case · Post by **Baron von Case** » Sat Sep 27, 2008 11:53 am

Can someone please explain what this Type B factory discount thing is? I would say it sounds like a screw-over, but the lister does have a 99.5% positive rating...

http://cgi.ebay.com/Novation-Remote-61S ... 286.c0.m14

mesaboogiewes · Post by **mesaboogiewes** » Sat Sep 27, 2008 3:15 pm

I have an maudio axiom 49 that belongs to a friend of mine. He wants like $200 for it.

I really need something to get me more control over live than it offers...

would I be better off keeping the axiom and getting the remote zero, or just telling him to keep it and getting the remote SL?

I'm pretty much sold on novations auto map - i'm looking for something I can use to both create/produce new tracks, play, and DJ.

Any advice is appreciated!