i have the nanopad and am wodering the same thing, in fact im considering getting a mini KP and not using the SL effects, but i may use the SL effects and not get a KP.
not sure what to do. but if the effects are good with the nanopad, i wont get the KP.

not sure what to do, cause i know the mini KP has some tight effects the SL2.0 wont have. all the KP's have great effects. its only $120 for the mini KP and would aleviate a better midicon and i can leave my nanopad's config as is.

Even with the new 68, you'd still need a controller of some sort to use the effects in SL2. The 68's effects controls are only for the effects built into the mixer, itself.

If you're looking at the Korg Nanopad, the Korh Nanokontrol might be a better option for controlling the effects in SL2. Or maybe the new NI Kontrol X1. Or an A&H Xone:1D. If you've got stacks of cash burning holes in your pockets, then something like the Vestax VCM-600 might make a pretty sweet effects controller for SSL...

what about the Akai pro LPD8 u can use pads to trigger effects and knobs to superknob control

I'm a nanoPad user and I'm thinking of switching to the LPD8 for that reason.

yeah i know, but well see how it maps once 2.0 is out. maybe the pad will do something. i dont know what the superknob does though. just "tweeks" the effect? may not need to get a new midicon if it just tweeks the effect.

The "superknob" is so named because it basically lets you multi-map several effect parameters to the same physical knob.

From the stuff shown at NAMM, SSL2 has two effects buses. Each effect bus lets you chain up to three effects on the bus. (Which ITCH cannot do, and will be interesting to see if they add this to ITCH2 with NSFX/VFX/etc.) So you could have a flanger run into an echo run into a reverb. With a large MIDI control surface, you could map the parameters for all of those effects to separate controls for individual control. (This is why I mentioned the VCM-600, with its six channel strips -- 3 strips for controlling the 3 effects on FX bus one, the other 3 for controlling the 3 effects on FX bus two.) With the "superknob", you can map say the main parameter from each of those three effects to the same physical knob (and from the video demoing it out of NAMM, set ranges on it as well) so that one twisting one knob tweaks all three effects at the same time.

I'm thinking of getting the Traktor X1. It's looking really good, specially since it has push knobs.

push/turn knobs very much like a 57.That is the one control that i miss the most when i don't play on my 57

I also like it because of where it sits. Between the mixer and the turntable.I dont like midi controlers that you have to find some stand,bracket to use.Thats just more crap to log around!

I am not a mod, but from the video and screen shots, if you only use the nanopad, you will be limited on the amount of control you have over the effects. Unless, you want to use your mouse. You will be better suited will a controller with a few knobs.

me too

+1000 mine lasted mabye a month

thats cause you bought the cheap ones that were demo and b-stock. with people its either complete broken or lasts forever

damn i need to figure out which ones in the box behind the counter at GC are bstock and demoed lol

Mine was pretty new, no broken box, no opened plastic, no traces of fingerprints smudges, and some of my pads still stopped working within 2 months.

I got an AKAI LPD8 controller last month, I was going to return it (30 day return) but now that SL2 is coming out, it looks like it might have to keep it

will i be able to assign the effects to the effects buttons on the cdj 400's? as they were before ?

cheers dave

Another option to think about might be something like the Akai MPD32. Yes, it's meant to be used for creating drum grooves, but it's really well built and *extremely* customizable. You get four banks of 16 pads, which you could use for cue points, SP6 sample triggers, etc. You also get 3 banks of 8 faders, 8 switches, and 8 knobs. That is a lot of control for the effects. You could use 6 switches for individual effect on/off, 6 faders for each effect's wet/dry level, and 6 knobs for a main parameter for each effect. And that all fits within just one of your three available banks...

what about the akai apc40? i just bought the denon hc1000s to control scratch .... but will def be looking into another controller for ableton suite which i also just bought. the apc40 makes sense for ableton, but i was thinking (if possible) to use it for both ableton and the effects on SL 2.0? ...then use the denon hc1000s to control the reg scratch funtions. can i run both controllers and map some aspects of SL to each one?

I own an APC40 (as well as the MPD32 and an MPK25 -- Akai makes great gear). The APC40 is another button and knob monster. However, I didn't recommend it for the following reasons:

1) It is not internally re-programmable. All MIDI messages it sends are fixed. Granted, this won't prevent you from mapping SSL to it, but it means you can't have one preset mapping for Ableton use and then a different preset to switch to SSL use. Whereas the MPD/MPK (they all seem to share basically the same OS and setup features) allow for 30 different presets. So you could switch between an Ableton and an SSL mapping on the fly with the MPD/MPK.
2) With the coming of The Bridge, I am assuming that people will want to use the APC40 to control Ableton rather than SSL effects. Of course, if you don't use Ableton, or care about The Bridge, then there is no conflict here.
3) The APC40 requires a power supply to operate, whereas the MPD/MPK are USB powered. The APC40 power supply is also a wallwart, making it even more of a nuisance. Just one more adapter to carry and lose/have fail on you when out gigging.

On the plus side, though, Odyssey has a custom case for the APC40 (with space for the power supply). Whereas I haven't seen any dedicated cases for the MPD/MPK controllers.

the new APC20 looks pretty tasty. thinking about getting one of those for the bridge. hopefully they are bus powered.

thanks for the reply, thats awesome info!

so to dumb it down for someone who has never used midi... you're saying with the MPD/MPK it would be as easy as flipping a switch to control ableton or the SL2.0 effects? would i still be able to use the denon hc1000s to control the other functions of SL? ... and with the apc40, it's one or the other and would not be able to control both?

i really llike the size and layout of the denon controller, thats the only reason why i bought it. i actually bought SL3 yesterday to replace my SL1, and the dennon controller because i prefer the dennon over the ttm57 or 68 layout. also, its nice not to have to swap out mixers at your gig every time just cause the club uses pioneer or something and your serato in stuck inside your rane mixer...the small box is portable that way.

i need a solution for everything, $cost doesn't matter.

thanks for your help

oh..another thing about usb power is....im running out of usb ports on my computer. everything is usb now, but my laptop only has 4 ports

^^ my thoughts on the apc20 is lack of knobs though. any concerns with that? what if you want to adjust the amount of effects over the original source on multiple effect types? like 10% flanger, 20% delay, 10% wah or something. or what if you want to adjust the effect parameters seperately on the fly? thats why i thought the apc40 cause you could map all the knobs to so many different parameters right? im guessing...but thats why im here asking too :)

also...i bought the pioneer efx500 yesterday too. hoping with the combination of everything, i shouuld be able to do some pretty crazy shit for remixing that just cant be done with the industry standard rig that most everyone else will have

APC20 = useless in my opinion, exactly because it doesn't have the knobs. However, as a basic clip launcher, it should be just fine. And I believe I saw a power cable connected to the APC20 in the various videos out of NAMM, but none of the videos really focused closely enough to confirm this. Maybe someone that was at the show can confirm/deny this?

With the MPD/MPK, you have 30 presets. These presets are the complete MIDI mappings for every single button/knob/key on the device -- you can individually map EVERYTHING. Additionally, the MPD/MPK advertise multiple MIDI input ports to the host computer over USB. By default, all the factory presets are configured to transmit to the computer on the first MIDI port. Using the included editor software (you can also edit directly on the device itself via the LCD display, but the computer-based editor is MUCH easier and faster to use), you could create a new preset for SSL control. This preset you could configure to output on the second MIDI port. Then you configure Ableton to only look at the first MIDI port (which is the default for Ableton anyway), and Serato to look at the second MIDI port. If you put the Ableton and SSL presets in adjacent preset slots, it would be very fast to switch between them. Twist the preset select knob one detent and then press the knob in and Bobs Your Uncle.

Conversely, the APC40 has no presets -- as I said, the MIDI map on it is fixed. And the APC40 only advertises itself to the host as a single MIDI port. Thus, while you could have both Ableton and SSL looking at it at the same time, hitting a button on the APC40 would try to control both Ableton and SSL at the same time. This will most likely result in nothing but mass chaos and undesirable effects.

As to the MPD/MPK being USB powered and you running out of USB ports. You have two options. First, the MPD/MPK have a jack for an optional power supply. (Which you would have to purchase separately.) Or you could use a powered USB hub. The powered hub would give you the flexibility for connecting even more USB devices, and would be a single additional power supply to power however many extra USB devices you desire to use. If you do go the route of an external USB hub, the most important thing is to get one with a multi transaction translation architecture. For example, a Belkin F5U237 (www.amazon.com).

As to your Denon HC-1000S. That is a GREAT little MIDI controller for SSL. However, one of the Serato folks will need to confirm if you can use it at the same time as another MIDI controller. (I'm an ITCH user, so don't have SSL to confirm this myself, sorry.) Basically, the question is, does SSL support listening to multiple MIDI ports on the machine at the same time, or does it only support a single MIDI port at a time? If it supports multiple MIDI ports, than you are good to go. If it only supports a single port, then you will not be able to use the HC-1000S at the same time as another MIDI controller, unless you use something like Bomes MIDI Translator to combine the various controllers into one virtual controller that you point SSL at. Bomes is advanced geekery voodoo, however, so not for the feint of MIDI. :)

yeah lack of knobs is definitely a set back for the apc20, but could map a fader or two to control fx type functions. apc40 is way too big for the booths i work so would prefer a smaller option

bomes looks like a good option actually. im sure it would take a little while to set it all up, but once it's done...it's done right? so no big deal. it makes sense. ive never screwed with midi b4, so im jjust learning now how it all connects together. its pretty straight forward. bomes is only $81usd as well, not a big deal for the benefit!!

as for the mpk thing, i feel that might be a nnice option to go. i was actually looking at a small keyboard option as well but got to thinking there might not be enough button and knobs to do everything on ableton. i dont want to buy somethign and find out how limiting it actually is a few months down the road and then end up trying to screw with my mouse during a live set. and yeah, with that said... the mpk88 looks amazing! throwing in some live bass lines, riffs or whatever you feel at the moment like throwing in would be incredible. the thing is, when your just sampling an instrumental or premade beat or whatever premade you got handy, its always going to sound the same.

thats why i hate xxxxxxxxxremix services. ok....some of them are amazing mixes, but the problem is, if you use it a second time at the same venue....its the same old sound as last night/week. zzzzzzzzz

having the ability to fully throw in your own creation on the fly would keep things fresh all the time & def seperate you from the rest of the pack. im not a music writer or anything and wouldnt even pretend to be....especially live. but how cool would it be to play a riff from a smash hit and create you own twist to it, or go into a riff from another hit....not from the original instrumental, but just kinda hidden in the background a lil with a bass line that you are playing live....or whatever, i mean the possibilities are really endless.

all of this buying spree and getting myself updated on new gear and whats going on in the industry is cause im bored silly of just 'djing'. everyone does that, i want to produce live, and have all the tools to properly remix at home. ive had a chance to work along side several top40 performers, opening etc....and what comes from that are great connections and i always wanted to properly remix some of their stuff... but never had the gear to do it. opportunity, yeah, several times. but not the gear or true interest to do something about it till now

the nano pad was perfect because of it size and portability. Now SL 2.0 is going to require more knobs. Hoping a company gets on the ball and meat those needs SOON!

Problem with the MPK88 (or any full-sized keyboard) is that there is no way it will fit in most club/bar booths. Even something like the MPK49 is large enough that you'll have real trouble finding a place for it in most booths. The MPK25 is tiny (comparatively speaking), but still larger than the MPD32 or APC40. (If only just...) The MPK25 does have octave shift buttons on it as well, so you can play full range, just not anything more than two octaves apart at the same time.

The default mapping of the MPK25 in Ableton automatically maps the pads for drum racks. However, racks in Ableton assume a 4x4 grid, and the MPK25 is only a 3x4 grid. It uses the switches for track arming in Ableton, and the knobs for device parameters and track volume. For a live DJ performance, you are probably going to want to make your own custom map for Ableton.

The default mapping of the MPD32 gives you a full 4x4 pad grid for your drum rack, the faders are track volumes, the switches are again track arming, and the knobs are again device parameters. But here too, you'll probably want to remap this to be more suitable for a live DJ performance than a recording/production tool.

However, you did say that money is no object. So again, you might look at the Vestax VCM-600 that I mentioned earlier. The VCM-600 has a shift button on it to give you two banks of 6 channel strips. You could use one bank for Ableton and the other bank for SSL and have a positively massive number of buttons and dials available to you. You would probably need to use Bomes to split the VCM-600 into two virtual MIDI ports based on the state of the shift button, however, to keep Ableton and Serato from trying to respond when it is in the alternate state.

The VCM-600 would thus give you the smallest physical footprint while in the booth and is a capable Ableton control surface. A single MPD or MPK would be comparable in size. However, while the MPD and MPK would both be very flexible for SSL, they are probably not ideal as your sole control surface for live Ableton DJing. At a minimum, you'd probably want both an APC40 plus either an MPD or MPK. You could still switch the MPD/MPK to Ableton control to bang out some live drums/riffs, but you'd mainly be using the APC40 to control Ableton while the MPD/MPK is used for SSL. On the other hand, if you're only using them to control SSL, then something like the NI Kontrol X1 or an A&H Xone:1D is a lot smaller and should still give you plenty of control for the effects in SSL.

I got the nanoPad when they first came out. The black ones weren't even out yet so i popped mine open and painted it. Even after that its still working till this day.


now saying that I'm sure it'll go out tomorrow.

good info CAW! Good looks!

In this youtube video you can pretty clearly see that the APC20 has both a USB cable and a power cable connected to it: Watchwww.youtube.com

One thing the APC20 has that the APC40 does not is 'note mode'. So you could use it to bang out some drums as well (albeit without velocity sensitivity).

yeah, great info! thanks!!

ok, so yeah as you mention having a combination sounds like the best solution for running the best of both softwares. the vcm600 looks interesting from the couple youtube vids i just watched but the thing it does lack is a bank of large buttons you can smack when your amped :)

im waiting to get the other 1/2 of my rig for another 3 months or so because i need time to play around with ableton and see just exactly what can be done with it through SSL and what can't be done. then i'll pick up whatever tool i need to *bridge* the gap (hehe). i just got a feeling the bridge they are coming out with will just touch the surface of what is actually possible if one was to become ambitious about it.

for the time beng im learning more about midi and live production

i think so far of this lesson today, bomes is going to def be on my list. the rest will take time and research

i mean, that is..if you can assign only a few controls of one software to 2 or 3 midi controllers...if i could do that with both SSL and ableton, then GOLD!!

for me, the layout of the midi controller (such as the denon hc1000s is more worth the extra money than the straight up ability to map function half-assed across a midi controller build for general purposes.

value is important, saving money is key in any business...but i want to enjoy doing what im doing, and for me that means the gear needs to be easy to use when needed for a split second and portable & able to take a beating by agro baggage carriers,lol. so when i say price isnt an issue....it always is, but other things are more important than saving a few hundred bucks on the whole rig.

Using Bomes, you could probably make a single APC40 work for both Ableton and SSL. Bomes would be providing the 'shift' key functionality to remap the APC40 for you depending on which app you want to control at the time.

Mine lasted about a month as well.
No Korg Nanos for me either.
I am thinking of buying the Akai LDP8 as well.

Zonkers is onto something

i won't buy a nanopad

**tracks discussion**

I have the AKAI LPD-8 and i can full recommend it to you guys out there ..
it works great!

How long have you had it for?

the more i research, the more i'm thinking just a straight-up trigger finger as the best option... it's semi-compact, has 16 pads, 4 sliders, and 6 knobs and relatively inexpensive.

The LPD-8 would be great but 8 pads is a little lacking for me. I've been messing around with my MPD 32 and although i love the controller, it's way too bulky and big to be bringing to gigs - better off as a piece of studio kit.

I think a dedicated 2.0 FX controller is coming.
I don't know who's going to make it.
But, It's the only thing that makes sense.

trigger finger
+1

had the LPD-8, good but not enough.

The bad thing about a dedicated controller is they are not future proof. The dn-hc1000s is a perfect example - it just came out, but I bet when sl2.0 drop folks are going to looking a better midi controller. Thus, low sales for the unit.

2 of november !
especially the ligthed keys are plus if you play in a dark club.. and the rotary knoobs i use for browsing loop rool and ..... =)

does the LPD-8 allow you to switch banks like the mpd32?

I'm surprised that nobody has mentioned the Novation Nocturn...I already own it and it looks like it has a great layout for triggering 2.0's effects...

us.novationmusic.com

Plus, it only retails for $99....

Yes

I've got a nanopad and love it but I can see where a few knobs would come in hand on the 2.0 update. Can you plug two midi contollers is or not? If so I'll get another midi which has mainly knobs on it.

Yeah you can have multiples just use a different midi ch. for second one ...I use nano pad and kontrol since last feb. and have not seen anything that gives this much control in a small foot print for such low cost....

im just gonna use this BCR2000..its got 4 banks of 16 encoder knobs plus some buttons and the top row acts as push button switchs as well as rotary...... I think this will be all i need to rock the internal effects.....

www.soundslive.co.uk

BCR is a great controller... good choice ...

thx...basic but recon thats all you need for twisting a few knobs within serato.....

Nano Pad and Nano Kontrol sounds good to me as I already own one of them. Might be a dumb question but how to you set a different channel for the second midi, or is it automatic when assigning it?

Use the kontrol editor software that came with your pad ...you don't have to do this as the pad is sending midi notes mostly so conflict will be minimal ... but it keeps things easier to fix or troubleshoot later ..

I've just bought a stanton scs3d. There's already a 1.9 preset so i'm hoping to edit this to add in the effects as i think it'll be a while before stanton get a preset out. The 1.9 preset is still only in beta!

today i picked up the novation 25SL MK2. seems pretty awesome so far, i really like th eidea of having a pad on it, thats what sold me over the other options

Zonkers,

I've been looking at this unit. You've gotta post a review of its usefulness for SSL, once it's broken in.

Cheers.

sure. but i also ordered the denon hc1000s for ssl. i got this unit for ableton and to hopefully control the bridge and new ssl effects with the pad once 2.0 is out.

there is a program listed above somewhere that should make it all work together properly, instead of just having 1 controller per software package. i should be able to use the denon to control the basic ssl funtion and the novation for ableton and some other ssl funtions.

so its gonna be awhile b4 i can give any feedback regarding ssl ...need to wait for 2.0

one thing i can tell you though, is the keys feel pretty awesome. much better quality than i thought. ive bene playing piano/keyboards as a young child....so props to them for all around quality and feel

Love the LPD-8 so far. Was trying to map the K6 rotary knob and its not working!! All the others work! May have to return it for a new one?

^ set it to another cc