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The Ohm64's build quality is impressive.

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Recently, for plenty of reasons, live performance of electronic music, has evolved beyond the humble DJ set, with more and more acts turning to their laptops and triggering external gear, internal tracks or controlling visuals, lights, patch changes, MIDI triggering and syncing with their performance pals.

There's a world of options once you take your live show to the next level and everyone's preference is unique.

There is one consistency throughout the new controllers that have landed, though, and that's their grid-based layout. It's no coincidence – each one of them is squarely aimed at the most popular performance software in town: Ableton Live.

Much like Akai's APC40 Live controller, the Ohm64 features an 8x8 button grid as its main feature. We'll try not to compare too much to the APC40; although they are incredibly similar in approach, once you delve into the details, they are very different beasts. However, it must be said, there's only room for one or the other in your setup.

Overview

The layout of the Ohm is very straightforward with four faders each side of the grid, with one pot per fader and an eight-knob matrix in the top left. The build quality, like its sibling the Ohm Controller, is absolutely fantastic. It feels incredibly solid, but isn't too heavy, and its varnished wooden exterior is slick and stylish.

Each fader is perfectly smooth but solid and tight at the same time, with a hardened rubber coating, while the pots are of a similar style and stiffness – this thing feels like it's going to last a lifetime and already, its price tag begins to be justified.

Round the back of the Ohm sits its connectors – namely USB and MIDI. The MIDI I/O is a welcome addition for controlling external gear but, for some reason, the ports don't have In and Out labels – an odd omission.

Regardless, this is a really useful extra – using the Ohm Editor software (more on this later) and with a little help from your manual, you can go ahead and map a complete custom controller for any synth, hardware effects unit or even lighting rig (the Ohm will have to be connected to a computer for power, though).

In detail

After the initial wow-factor of the exterior, it's time to get to work with mapping. Before we even open an application, there are a few things to bear in mind with the Ohm64. Livid Instruments has designed it to be completely adaptable – every element of the controller can be customised, from the CC/Note of each button right down to the LED feedback response.

Livid is keen that you make the controller your own, and the included software editor is on hand to make life a lot easier. It acts as a kind of software middleman, and is where all your customising of the Ohm64 takes place.