Akai APC40 Controller for Ableton Live - Wow

I just reviewed the APC40 for the Harmony Central Confidential newsletter, which will ship next Wednesday (if you aren't a subscriber, go to the home page and under Resources, click on Newsletter - it's free). The review is pretty detailed - I love not having to worry about page counts!! - but to give you an overview, it's really very cool. Apparently it was in development for 3.5 years, and it shows; the integration with Live is very tight, it's the right size, and there's a great feel.

At first, I was disappointed there are only eight channel faders; I need 16 for my Live performances. However, you can gang up to six APC40's for controlling up to 48 channels so if I'm willing to spring the extra bucks, I'll be covered.

If you're an Ableton Live user, I'd say this is a definite . Just thought you oughta know

There's a nice out-of-the-box video here. A minute or so in Tom goes to a split screen screenview that gives a great idea of how the APC is integreted with Live. View it in fullscreen mode (symbol next to the "v" in vimeo) for the best effect. Interesting to see how he assembles his sets too.

For what I do, it's nothing I need, but a very cool tool nonetheless.

Wow, this looks like a great tool for DJs and solo acts! I'm looking forward to the newsletter, Craig!

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So, is it time to retire the Peavy controller then?

Best,

Geoff

Only if I can swing the bucks for two APC40s...although probably using one APC40 and the Peavey would cover me.

yup i've been looking forward to this ever since i saw the preview video

very excited!!!!

Myshell, you're gonna love it. Do you use Ableton Live for DJing live, or only in the studio?

no i use Live for DJ'ing as well.

i trust you. i think it's gonna be awesome!!

i've been using a trigger finger and an oxygen 8 for my Live sets but this looks perfect;)

Ohhhh! If only I could get someone to pay ME to write reviews on line without regard to length. It's becoming a real problem to me both as a writer and reader. But those short reviews give me more time to try to get my new TV set working.

LOL Mike.

Hey Craig, I don`t use LIVE yet.... but that unit does look like the fa-shizzle!

btw- I sent you those songs but they went to the wrong address.

Duh...

I have to re-send tomorrow when I get back into the studio.

Peace,

EB

If you're using the Oxy8 to trigger notes, you'll still need it but the Trigger Finger would definitely be redundant.

BTW I checked out the videos of you DJing, and I don't think the APC40 would cramp your style. You can get surprisingly physical with it for something so compact

ya it's gonna totally replace my trigger finger. i'd like to faze out my oxy8 but i am still playing some notes. it's nice not having to lug too much stuff around (not to sound like a whiner compared to most rock bands...lol)

thanx for checking out my site

and it's great having the inside scoop on the controller. that way i'm not going in blind.

One thing I should mention is that I couldn't find ANY documentation other than a Quick Start guide - no PDF on the distribution CD, or online manual. However, I think I pretty much figured everything out because the physical interface is so close to the virtual one in Live. The only tricky part is that there's a shift key for accessing alternate functions, for example, with the device controllers, the shift key lets you access other pages of the device. Also, the Bank Select feature has no equivalent in Live, but it lets you choose other groups of faders and scenes if you have more than the controller itself can accommodate.

I mention a lot of this stuff in the review so if you're not a subscriber to the HC Confidential newsletter, subscribe now so you can get next week's issue with the review...it has tips you will likely find useful.

The APC40 comes with a lite version of Live, 7.0.13. The latest revs of Live 7 and Live 8 have the "hooks" for the controller, but anything before Live 7 does not, and from what I understand (I could be wrong, but I don't think so), there are no plans to update the older versions for full controller compatibility. However, you can use the APC40 as a generic MIDI controller and get a decent amount of functionality.

Just occurred to me - you could probably replace the Oxy with one of those little Korg micro keyboards. Haven't tried 'em myself, but people who have say they really do the job. Certainly the size is a lot smaller than the Oxy.

Just out of curiosity, how well would Native Instruments' Maschine be able to duplicate the APC's control of Live?

Best,

Geoff

They're Apples and Oranges. I REALLY need faders with Live, because I'm often bringing groups of faders up or down simultaneously. Although Maschine has knobs, that won't cut it for me with Live. Also, one of Maschine's strongest points is that the MPC-style pads are so predictable and responsive, but all you need to trigger clips or scenes in Ableton is a basic on-off trigger...so all that nice Maschine technology is pretty much wasted.

The more I play with the APC40, the more I like how well it integrates with Live. After you've been spoiled by the tightness of that integration, anything else - even as capable a controller as Maschine's - seems like a kludge.

Thanks, Craig.

Best,

Geoff