Akai APC40 Abelton Controller

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1. Eon Fontes May
   October 7, 2010
   11:22 pm

   Review by Eon Fontes May for Akai APC40 Abelton Controller
   Rating:
   I’ve been drooling over this since it was announced, and I am so happy that I finally broke down and bought one. It’s a shame that there are no reviews up yet, so let me be the first to say that this controller is amazing. Make sure that you erase any previous midi mapping that you’ve done and then restart Ableton, and you’ll find that it has perfectly automapped itself. At first I thought that it was a little strange that there’s no manual included… but after five minutes, I realized that it DOESN’T NEED A MANUAL. That’s just how intuitive it is, from top to bottom.

   The hardware itself is up to usual Akai standards: the knobs and faders feel weighty and responsive. This thing is both larger and thinner than I thought it would be, but after playing around with it the size feels perfect. The two-way communication is killer- just drop an audio clip into Live and it will instantly appear on the grid, color-coded to match its status. Recording and triggering loops couldn’t be easier, and the entire interface perfectly emulates what you’re used to seeing on the screen.

   In the upper right-hand corner you have control over the pan and sends A through C for tracks 1-8, which is really nice. My only complaint is that I would have preferred to have it become all the sends for whatever track is highlighted, but I’ll get used to the new workflow. Part of what makes Ableton Live great is that it accommodates so many different styles of music, so making a universal controller for the program was a bit of a challenge. Akai really stepped up and once you get your hands on it, you’ll see what all the hype is about: this really is the be-all and end-all of hardware for the program.

   One downside I’ve found is that navigating the plugins can be sort of clunky. First you highlight a track and then the knobs in the lower right are assigned to the first plugin you’ve placed there. Then you use the left and right buttons to scroll through each unit, and when you do the knobs reassign themselves to control the appropriate effects. I find that having to click through them all is sort of difficult, but there’s nothing stopping me from using the mouse like I used to. I guess the only thing that is stopping me from handing out a 5-star rating is that the APC40 sort of forces you to use the workflow they’ve designed. Remapping the controls isn’t difficult, but everything is laid-out and labeled in such a way that it sort of corrals you into getting used to doing things their way.

   This review is starting to look a little long, so I’ll just sum it up: I absolutely love this thing. I wish I had picked it up sooner and if you are AT ALL considering this purchase, just do it already. Well-constructed, well-programmed, and absolutely worth the money. Like me, you’re probably used to using an assortment of controllers and you’re wondering if you need to spend the cash. Well, this thing will replace all of those and more, and you’ll quickly get used to the layout. Just do it!
2. Bjørn Borud
   October 8, 2010
   12:16 am

   Review by Bjørn Borud for Akai APC40 Abelton Controller
   Rating:
   The APC40 feels like a quality product. The knobs and sliders have good feel, the buttons are precise. The integration with the software (Ableton Live is surprisingly intuitive and I managed to figure out how to use the APC40 within a few minutes of playing around with it.

   The only thing I am missing is some more visual cues that makes it easier to see which “track control” knobs belong to which track. A backlit LCD might be a good idea for the next revision.
3. Shahram Maleki
   October 8, 2010
   12:57 am

   Review by Shahram Maleki for Akai APC40 Abelton Controller
   Rating:
   I am new to computer music production and “DJ” style chopping and remixing. Ableton seems to be the best tool for how I work, and this device lets you control it’s most important features with something other than a keyboard and mouse. I love it, it’s so much fun to use, you can perform a Live Set differently each time, you don’t have to program a linear music arrangement that plays back the same each time you press play. I know I’m describing Ableton more than I am this device, but they are not really mutually independent, and Live comes with the APC40. Yes, it’s a cut down version, but if you are new to it, it will have more than enough features to keep you busy and you can upgrade to the ful version later at a much discounted price if you choose too. So far, I haven’t seen the need to. The best way I can describe this device is that it lets you play Ableton like and instrument. Highly recommend.
4. Aubuzzboy
   October 8, 2010
   1:53 am

   Review by Aubuzzboy for Akai APC40 Abelton Controller
   Rating:
   This controller integrates perfectly with Ableton – I highly recommend it if you want a physical representation of what would normally either consist of keyboard shortcuts or mouse clicks… I LOVE IT
5. Daniel González Briseño
   October 8, 2010
   2:43 am

   Review by Daniel González Briseño for Akai APC40 Abelton Controller
   Rating:
   This is a great midi controler, the best in all times for ableton live.

   The wheels are infinite, it maps autimatically to effects racks, great iluminaty, it has some details, the volumes sliders is not equals than crossfader, its more dificult tu up or down volumes.

   You can use buttons like percs pads, this buttons are not sensible, you have to push buttons hard.

   The software is for ableton live 7. Its not updated.

   Good thing, you dont need drivers for windows 7, the operating system installs for you.

   I recomend this controller for playing in live performance o DJ setting.

   Greetings from Mexico Sonus Beat Dj and Producer.