Joined: Oct 06, 2007 Posts: 463 Location: phoenixville pa
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Posted: Sun Sep 18, 2011 4:34 am Post subject:
launchpad-type devices
Hi! The novation launchpad does cool stuff with triggering phrases & riffs from Albeton. Now I'd like to know if there is a similar device which works WITHOUT a laptop! Something that you can record riffs into, and trigger them back with buttons or pads.
I have been looking for something like this for a long time. I tried the Korg MicroSampler..it is cute but it is really not up to the job; it is mostly for small one-shots and 1-second loops; it only has 160 seconds of storage time on each of its banks. Also I am not happy with its clumsy and toy-like interface. If I found a more satisfactory device I would probably trade the microsampler in.
Alternately I do have a mac laptop with a copy of Reason and if I could find a device similar to the Launchpad that worked with Reason, I would consider that. I wonder if one of the small AKAI midi controllers with square pads (AKAI MPK) would work as a phrase trigger device.
I am just older-generation and don't like being constantly tied to a computer, which gets wonky, refuses to communicate with my devices, constantly needs to have drivers reinstalled etc. It is just an annoyance
Laura _________________ The most important gear is the brain behind the instrument.
I totally agree on the computer part, recently having had lots of problems with MIDI on my windows desktop. You would think that MIDI, being such an old standard and with its narrow bandwidth, would be easier to handle in a computer than audio, which (for the moment ) is working just fine.
There are not many hardware alternatives around nowadays though. The Elektron Octatrack comes to mind, and may not be what you have in mind, but it does a lot of things that Ableton Live does, without the lappie.
There are also a fair bit of looping pedals around... didn't Roland just come out with one? They will be cheaper and could be a solution if you find triggering loops with your feet a good idea.
Last year I sold my trusty old Akai S20, a very simple thing with limited editing and storage (floppy) which holds the record for being the simplest live device I have ever used. They are rare now. _________________ Muied Lumens Sub Forum Bandcamp
Joined: May 16, 2005 Posts: 8933 Location: Birmingham, England, UK
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Posted: Sun Sep 18, 2011 9:06 am Post subject:
Re: launchpad-type devices
laura woodswalker wrote:
I am just older-generation and don't like being constantly tied to a computer, which gets wonky, refuses to communicate with my devices, constantly needs to have drivers reinstalled etc. It is just an annoyance
Join the club Laura!
But you know, it's a 'computer', sort of, but what about an iPad?
Alternatively what about a secondhand Yamaha SU700? The principle is very similar to Ableton. You can get then for about $100 now (or less).
_________________ ACHTUNG!
ALLES TURISTEN UND NONTEKNISCHEN LOOKENPEEPERS!
DAS KOMPUTERMASCHINE IST NICHT FÜR DER GEFINGERPOKEN UND MITTENGRABEN! ODERWISE IST EASY TO SCHNAPPEN DER SPRINGENWERK, BLOWENFUSEN UND POPPENCORKEN MIT SPITZENSPARKSEN.
IST NICHT FÜR GEWERKEN BEI DUMMKOPFEN. DER RUBBERNECKEN SIGHTSEEREN KEEPEN DAS COTTONPICKEN HÄNDER IN DAS POCKETS MUSS.
ZO RELAXEN UND WATSCHEN DER BLINKENLICHTEN.
The SU700 is a nice piece of rig! It does do loops & resampling very nicely. (I'd try to replace the floppy/SCSI storage, see if you can find an old 2GB SCSI hard drive to use with it. )
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