Comments on: Keyboard Geeking Day: What’s New in the Novation SL Mk II Controller Keyboards http://createdigitalmusic.com/2009/05/07/keyboard-geeking-day-whats-new-in-the-novation-sl-mk-ii-controller-keyboards/ The latest gear, software, and techniques for electronic music production and performance Sat, 21 Nov 2009 14:00:11 -0600 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.5 hourly 1 By: qu.one http://createdigitalmusic.com/2009/05/07/keyboard-geeking-day-whats-new-in-the-novation-sl-mk-ii-controller-keyboards/comment-page-1/#comment-898780 qu.one Thu, 21 May 2009 11:37:40 +0000 http://createdigitalmusic.com/2009/05/07/keyboard-geeking-day-whats-new-in-the-novation-sl-mk-ii-controller-keyboards/#comment-898780 i can't live without my 25SL at home, or my Nocturn on the go. i can’t live without my 25SL at home, or my Nocturn on the go.

]]> By: wacht http://createdigitalmusic.com/2009/05/07/keyboard-geeking-day-whats-new-in-the-novation-sl-mk-ii-controller-keyboards/comment-page-1/#comment-898538 wacht Thu, 21 May 2009 05:51:00 +0000 http://createdigitalmusic.com/2009/05/07/keyboard-geeking-day-whats-new-in-the-novation-sl-mk-ii-controller-keyboards/#comment-898538 Yeah, why is it so hard to make a durable, professional USB MIDI keyboard? They built sturdy synths like Korg M1 for decades, why can't anyone build a controller keyboard to the same standards? Must it be third-rate cheapo plastic just because it doesn't have sound generation capabilities? There are dozens of these products but there's something fundamentally wrong with every one of them. If they're not made from flimsy plastic, they're ugly. If they're not ugly, they have the wrong set of controls. Or they're lacking in the LCD display department. Or the number of keys is wrong. Or they have those endless rotaries, like the ones from Korg (bloody useless). Novation, Korg, Yamaha, Akai, Fatar, Roland/Edirol, M-Audio, CME, how many more companies and products does it take before we can have the MIDI controller keyboard DONE RIGHT? I just want a 49- or 61-key keyboard with a rugged and tasteful enclosure, just plain brushed aluminium and black, not painted in any god awful colors or decorated with ugly print. Basically it should have the design sensibility of Euphonix MC Mix and build quality of a MacBook Pro. And every fader and rotary should have an LCD display. And it should have MPC-style drum pad buttons that are sturdy, not flimsy ones that feel like they will disappear into the device if you try to reach velocity 127. With the old Novation SL mk I series, they got it almost completely right. Black/silver. Displays on all faders and rotaries. No tasteless colors or ornamentation. But the build quality was shifty and the material was the usual flimsy plastic. Now they had a chance to get it right with mkII, and what did they do? They removed one of the displays, added garish ornamentation, kept the flimsy plastic, and jacked up the price. €579 for a stripped down 61SL mk I? What a joke. Try €250. Yeah, why is it so hard to make a durable, professional USB MIDI keyboard? They built sturdy synths like Korg M1 for decades, why can’t anyone build a controller keyboard to the same standards? Must it be third-rate cheapo plastic just because it doesn’t have sound generation capabilities?

There are dozens of these products but there’s something fundamentally wrong with every one of them. If they’re not made from flimsy plastic, they’re ugly. If they’re not ugly, they have the wrong set of controls. Or they’re lacking in the LCD display department. Or the number of keys is wrong. Or they have those endless rotaries, like the ones from Korg (bloody useless).

Novation, Korg, Yamaha, Akai, Fatar, Roland/Edirol, M-Audio, CME, how many more companies and products does it take before we can have the MIDI controller keyboard DONE RIGHT?

I just want a 49- or 61-key keyboard with a rugged and tasteful enclosure, just plain brushed aluminium and black, not painted in any god awful colors or decorated with ugly print. Basically it should have the design sensibility of Euphonix MC Mix and build quality of a MacBook Pro. And every fader and rotary should have an LCD display. And it should have MPC-style drum pad buttons that are sturdy, not flimsy ones that feel like they will disappear into the device if you try to reach velocity 127.

With the old Novation SL mk I series, they got it almost completely right. Black/silver. Displays on all faders and rotaries. No tasteless colors or ornamentation. But the build quality was shifty and the material was the usual flimsy plastic. Now they had a chance to get it right with mkII, and what did they do? They removed one of the displays, added garish ornamentation, kept the flimsy plastic, and jacked up the price. €579 for a stripped down 61SL mk I? What a joke. Try €250.

]]> By: KeHoeff http://createdigitalmusic.com/2009/05/07/keyboard-geeking-day-whats-new-in-the-novation-sl-mk-ii-controller-keyboards/comment-page-1/#comment-895749 KeHoeff Fri, 15 May 2009 12:44:52 +0000 http://createdigitalmusic.com/2009/05/07/keyboard-geeking-day-whats-new-in-the-novation-sl-mk-ii-controller-keyboards/#comment-895749 Is there a specific section on here that I should use to advertise my website? Just wanted to make sure I asked before posting about it ... Thanks! Is there a specific section on here that I should use to advertise my website? Just wanted to make sure I asked before posting about it …

Thanks!

]]> By: pg13 http://createdigitalmusic.com/2009/05/07/keyboard-geeking-day-whats-new-in-the-novation-sl-mk-ii-controller-keyboards/comment-page-1/#comment-892427 pg13 Tue, 12 May 2009 06:20:11 +0000 http://createdigitalmusic.com/2009/05/07/keyboard-geeking-day-whats-new-in-the-novation-sl-mk-ii-controller-keyboards/#comment-892427 Yah I never enjoyed using Automap in Logic. Turn a knob and you never know what parameter you just changed! Well, I m sure you can tell on the screen, but i could never wrap my head around it. Yah I never enjoyed using Automap in Logic. Turn a knob and you never know what parameter you just changed! Well, I m sure you can tell on the screen, but i could never wrap my head around it.

]]> By: Motion http://createdigitalmusic.com/2009/05/07/keyboard-geeking-day-whats-new-in-the-novation-sl-mk-ii-controller-keyboards/comment-page-1/#comment-892019 Motion Mon, 11 May 2009 11:50:08 +0000 http://createdigitalmusic.com/2009/05/07/keyboard-geeking-day-whats-new-in-the-novation-sl-mk-ii-controller-keyboards/#comment-892019 Hi Peter Maybe you know of these people but thought I would mention these guys at Infinite Response and hope maybe they plan to come up with something in a smaller mobile version with controller features (but with this mobile quality I might not care)...seems the build, weight, patch management and play dynamics are top (the blog talks about playing preferences amongst piano and synth players)...I guess we'll have to wait and see but 76 keys with this sort of durability at 25 pounds is pretty impressive. http://www.infiniteresponse.com/ Hi Peter

Maybe you know of these people but thought I would mention these guys at Infinite Response and hope maybe they plan to come up with something in a smaller mobile version with controller features (but with this mobile quality I might not
care)…seems the build, weight, patch management and play dynamics are top (the blog talks about playing preferences amongst piano and synth players)…I guess we’ll have to wait and see but 76 keys with this sort of durability at 25 pounds is pretty impressive.

http://www.infiniteresponse.com/

]]> By: p2b http://createdigitalmusic.com/2009/05/07/keyboard-geeking-day-whats-new-in-the-novation-sl-mk-ii-controller-keyboards/comment-page-1/#comment-890877 p2b Sat, 09 May 2009 21:37:04 +0000 http://createdigitalmusic.com/2009/05/07/keyboard-geeking-day-whats-new-in-the-novation-sl-mk-ii-controller-keyboards/#comment-890877 Do the new pads allow sustained notes? I can't stand the fixed gate length style of the original. I want to play the damn things! Also, I find Automap to be completely useless. It never seems to map the parameters I want and the ones it maps are in odd locations. I've noticed it seems to be conflicting with some of my past set ups (causing the tempo in Live to suddenly jump to zero!) When I first downloaded Automap3 I couldn't figure it out so I checked a somewhat helpful albeit brief tutorial on the Novation site, got it working (pretty lame). It is really not intuitively laid out and no manual/pdf? So, I forgot how to use it and tried for weeks to see that darn tutorial again but they removed it! With no other info on the site...so does anyone really use it?...or know of any manual for it? Anyway, all that said I love my SL25 even it feels like it's going to crush under the weight of my finger. Do the new pads allow sustained notes? I can’t stand the fixed gate length style of the original. I want to play the damn things! Also, I find Automap to be completely useless. It never seems to map the parameters I want and the ones it maps are in odd locations. I’ve noticed it seems to be conflicting with some of my past set ups (causing the tempo in Live to suddenly jump to zero!) When I first downloaded Automap3 I couldn’t figure it out so I checked a somewhat helpful albeit brief tutorial on the Novation site, got it working (pretty lame). It is really not intuitively laid out and no manual/pdf? So, I forgot how to use it and tried for weeks to see that darn tutorial again but they removed it! With no other info on the site…so does anyone really use it?…or know of any manual for it?
Anyway, all that said I love my SL25 even it feels like it’s going to crush under the weight of my finger.

]]> By: Dvice http://createdigitalmusic.com/2009/05/07/keyboard-geeking-day-whats-new-in-the-novation-sl-mk-ii-controller-keyboards/comment-page-1/#comment-890440 Dvice Fri, 08 May 2009 23:15:20 +0000 http://createdigitalmusic.com/2009/05/07/keyboard-geeking-day-whats-new-in-the-novation-sl-mk-ii-controller-keyboards/#comment-890440 I got my Remote 25 SL almost a year back, I use Reason. Even without the new version, it is still the most user friendly pretty straight forward yet affordable midi keyboard/controller around, I am really satisfied. Automap? Still can't figure out how to use it. :) I got my Remote 25 SL almost a year back, I use Reason. Even without the new version, it is still the most user friendly pretty straight forward yet affordable midi keyboard/controller around, I am really satisfied. Automap? Still can’t figure out how to use it. :)

]]> By: lokey http://createdigitalmusic.com/2009/05/07/keyboard-geeking-day-whats-new-in-the-novation-sl-mk-ii-controller-keyboards/comment-page-1/#comment-890407 lokey Fri, 08 May 2009 20:17:08 +0000 http://createdigitalmusic.com/2009/05/07/keyboard-geeking-day-whats-new-in-the-novation-sl-mk-ii-controller-keyboards/#comment-890407 there are a plethora of knob boxes out there. What i still fret over is the lack of a good quality set of upfaders in a portable usb package. Vestax's faderboard was such a neat idea, and id love to have a bank of faders to play with, i just cant justify yet another bank of buttons just to get a brace of faders a la the mpc40. Its the one thing i still miss about traditional external dj mixers... there are a plethora of knob boxes out there. What i still fret over is the lack of a good quality set of upfaders in a portable usb package. Vestax’s faderboard was such a neat idea, and id love to have a bank of faders to play with, i just cant justify yet another bank of buttons just to get a brace of faders a la the mpc40. Its the one thing i still miss about traditional external dj mixers…

]]> By: Birds Use Stars http://createdigitalmusic.com/2009/05/07/keyboard-geeking-day-whats-new-in-the-novation-sl-mk-ii-controller-keyboards/comment-page-1/#comment-890305 Birds Use Stars Fri, 08 May 2009 12:20:33 +0000 http://createdigitalmusic.com/2009/05/07/keyboard-geeking-day-whats-new-in-the-novation-sl-mk-ii-controller-keyboards/#comment-890305 What's this? The knob freaks are staying quiet? Fine then, I'll say it. MORE KNOBS (knobs EVERYWERE) What’s this? The knob freaks are staying quiet? Fine then, I’ll say it.
MORE KNOBS

(knobs EVERYWERE)

]]> By: Tim http://createdigitalmusic.com/2009/05/07/keyboard-geeking-day-whats-new-in-the-novation-sl-mk-ii-controller-keyboards/comment-page-1/#comment-890301 Tim Fri, 08 May 2009 11:48:36 +0000 http://createdigitalmusic.com/2009/05/07/keyboard-geeking-day-whats-new-in-the-novation-sl-mk-ii-controller-keyboards/#comment-890301 I think the biggest drawback of the original SL remote series is that it only supports parameter feedback in automap mode. I like to use it as a standard controller with my own mappings and use the drumpads to switch to different presets/plugin-mappings. But I now switched back to 2 Behringer BCR2000. 1 for full control of the selected channelstrip (including the inserts and sends) in cubase and 1 for controlling my main synth (V-station). I'm curious to see if the new MK2 has parameter feedback in non-automap mode. I couldn't find a midi implementation chart of the mk2 on the novation website. I think the biggest drawback of the original SL remote series is that it only supports parameter feedback in automap mode. I like to use it as a standard controller with my own mappings and use the drumpads to switch to different presets/plugin-mappings. But I now switched back to 2 Behringer BCR2000. 1 for full control of the selected channelstrip (including the inserts and sends) in cubase and 1 for controlling my main synth (V-station).

I’m curious to see if the new MK2 has parameter feedback in non-automap mode. I couldn’t find a midi implementation chart of the mk2 on the novation website.

]]>