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User comments (1)

• Beany

  

  Sat 7 Nov 2009, 1:21 am UTC

  User rating 5 of 5

  I've had this nearly a year now and I'm still in love with it. The main reason being the MPC chip, it spits out a swing that, to my ears, can't be matched by a groove template. I'll start a track by laying down a swung hi-hat and force my DAW to follow that groove.
  I don't use the pads quite as much as I thought I would but the faders and pots are great at the arrangement/mixing stages. The pots are continual and not notched so you can do smooth effects sends. The faders are also smooth and short too. This is actually a good thing, I thought I'd maybe need 10cm motorised faders, I don't.
  The keys are still very firm, even springy (which I have grown to like) with responsive aftertouch. I had an Axiom before and that had more of a piano feel. I tried to like the Novation controllers (mainly for the Automap functionality) but the keys felt unresponsive in comparison. This is nearer the Axiom in quality, but think keys rather than piano.
  It's built like a tank, maybe the pots & faders are a little bit plastic (Hey, I feel a slight mod coming on!) but it looks and feels like a proper synth rather than just another midi keyboard.
  My synth-envy died when I bought this, each new soft-synth I buy feels like I downloaded new patches/a new engine to an already great synth (PS this has no on-board sounds)
  Plus it's Black & Red, very 80's. Although I reckon the 90's are now the, er..., place to be :D

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