AKAI MPD 32 or Nanopad 2

Hi, I need some advice. I want to get a pad controller to ... controll pads within Reason and other software.

The nanopad looks very nice, it is very cheap and has a X-Y-controller as well, which is awesome.

The AKAI has probably the better pads, some normal controller and is much bigger, but it costs like almost 200 euros more.

Which one would you buy?

there is actually a very thick line between the two that could make the choice pretty easy. akai pads are very stiff, you really gotta pound on them. this can be great when you want to be deliberate with stuff that generally doesn't have to be too velocity sensitive (constant velocity on hip hop beats or something). korg pads on the other hand are much more playable. i'm 95% sure that the nanopad uses the same pad setup as the old korg padkontrol which i used to have (i also have an akai mpd26). i personally found the korg pads to be much better when i wanted to rock out on an acoustic drum sample library where you'd want the subtleties of ghost notes and whatnot.

as a midi controller the akai wins hands down. akai in my opinion makes the best knobs and faders i've ever used (even better than my novation which cost so much $$$). but that's why you would be looking at the higher price than the nanopad which really is aimed at the portability market. apples and oranges really, but as far as your bread n' butter pads, they each have their advantages and disadvantages.

I hate pads that I have to get all mantis style kung fu to get them to register.

Korg PadKontrol

the new thick pads from http://www.mpcstuff.com/ are tons better than the standard akai ones

Wow thanks for the review and ideas.

  Quote

That's because the MPD32 is not just a control surface; it contains some of the key MPC technologies that have made the MPC the de facto standard it is. MPC Note Repeat is a capability that enables the MPD (or MPC) to automatically play a rhythm pattern, such as 16th notes on a hi-hat, for accuracy and speed of entry. MPC Swing is sometimes referred to as "the heart and soul of hip hop" because it turns perfectly aligned sequences into human-feeling time alignments. You can specify exactly the degree and timing of swing you want to apply for the perfect feel. The MPD32 also has MPC Full Level and MPC 16-Level on its pads.

What is that about? Can I use the MPD like a MPC or what? So it isn't just a MIDI-controller or what?

  On 11/8/2011 at 10:50 AM, tokn said:

Wow thanks for the review and ideas.

 

  Quote

That's because the MPD32 is not just a control surface; it contains some of the key MPC technologies that have made the MPC the de facto standard it is. MPC Note Repeat is a capability that enables the MPD (or MPC) to automatically play a rhythm pattern, such as 16th notes on a hi-hat, for accuracy and speed of entry. MPC Swing is sometimes referred to as "the heart and soul of hip hop" because it turns perfectly aligned sequences into human-feeling time alignments. You can specify exactly the degree and timing of swing you want to apply for the perfect feel. The MPD32 also has MPC Full Level and MPC 16-Level on its pads.

 

What is that about? Can I use the MPD like a MPC or what? So it isn't just a MIDI-controller or what?

dunno bout about the MPD but the note repeat on the MPC is pretty freakin sweet,

it kinda works like an polyphonic arpeggiator with aftertouch

the only blag is the same button is also the tap tempo so you have to be careful when holding it down

Mhh it's really a hard question. On the one hand I would love to have a AKAI and a MPC-like device, but on the other hand the Korg is so much cheaper and has this cool X-Y-controller, which I would love to play around with.

  On 11/8/2011 at 12:30 PM, tokn said:

Mhh it's really a hard question. On the one hand I would love to have a AKAI and a MPC-like device, but on the other hand the Korg is so much cheaper and has this cool X-Y-controller, which I would love to play around with.

That's why I suggested the PadKontrol. It is MPC-sized and MPC-like but it has the cool XY pad that the nanopad has

  On 11/8/2011 at 2:18 PM, analogue wings said:

  On 11/8/2011 at 12:30 PM, tokn said:

Mhh it's really a hard question. On the one hand I would love to have a AKAI and a MPC-like device, but on the other hand the Korg is so much cheaper and has this cool X-Y-controller, which I would love to play around with.

 

That's why I suggested the PadKontrol. It is MPC-sized and MPC-like but it has the cool XY pad that the nanopad has

Oh yeah i totally overlooked that... looks like a good thing inbetween the two I am looking after. Do you have it? Do you like it? How do the pads feel?

Dont have one but was totes about to buy one till i decided to get a Maschine instead. I've seen some great second hand prices.

I'm sure I saw the soniclab guy do a video review, but now i cant find it...

Well I bought a AKAI MDP 26, since I found out, the MPP 32 only has a few more buttons, kobs and faders, but not more functions. 26 is my favourite number by the way and I just wanted the nice MPC-feeling. It's my first peace of hardware equipment which is not totally shit in regards to quality so I'm really looking forward. I hope I can find a way to control my reason tracks for a kind of live jam/mash up with this nice controller. Lot's of work to do, but winter is coming, so...

  On 11/9/2011 at 10:33 AM, tokn said:

  On 11/8/2011 at 2:18 PM, analogue wings said:

  On 11/8/2011 at 12:30 PM, tokn said:

Mhh it's really a hard question. On the one hand I would love to have a AKAI and a MPC-like device, but on the other hand the Korg is so much cheaper and has this cool X-Y-controller, which I would love to play around with.

 

That's why I suggested the PadKontrol. It is MPC-sized and MPC-like but it has the cool XY pad that the nanopad has

 

Oh yeah i totally overlooked that... looks like a good thing inbetween the two I am looking after. Do you have it? Do you like it? How do the pads feel?

My friend has it, pads feel really great.

  On 11/8/2011 at 3:49 AM, soundwave said:

the new thick pads from http://www.mpcstuff.com/ are tons better than the standard akai ones

thanks for this, might order these if they really improve things (their cork pads were shit though). do you actually have experience with these or have you just heard reviews?

  On 11/12/2011 at 5:45 AM, ryanmcallister said:

  On 11/8/2011 at 3:49 AM, soundwave said:

the new thick pads from http://www.mpcstuff.com/ are tons better than the standard akai ones

thanks for this, might order these if they really improve things (their cork pads were shit though). do you actually have experience with these or have you just heard reviews?

got some sexy back one fitted on my 1000BK and it's transformed the machine into more an instrument now. the pads sit much higher and are made from firm rubber and are much more responsive although you do still need to give it a proper tap you don't have to be anywhere near as heavy like you do with the stock pads

I had a go on my mates stock MPC the other day and the old pads and they just felt horrible and squishy with shit response, I'll never look back

well worth the money although you do need the later BK pad set sensors to begin with (i.e. the later model pads which all joined together)

The AKAI MPD 26 (my favourite number by the way) arrived yesterday and I'm so happy. It's high quality and the functions like 16 Levels and Note repeat are awesome. Connecting it to reason and using it as a MIDI clock works perfectly as well. And I like the way the pads work: Yeah you have to hit them hard and in the center, but I prefer this to pads being hyper sensitive. So, I'm very happy now and can start to try to perform my tracks with this little machine. Thanks for your help over all!