best controller for battery 3

Hi
Im looking at selling my mpc and getting a controller to work with battery.
What's the most compatable between the Korg padKONTROL, Akai MPD 24 or m-audio trigger finger.

In the write up for the korg it says the xy controller can be used for drum rolls and flam. Has any one used it for this purpose in battery?

 

Heartily recommend the padKONTROL! The XY pad is extremely versatile -- the rolls and flams work great, and you can assign any other controller parameters to each axis as well. Installation was a snap and the included editor can't be any easier to use.

The only disadvantages: There's no "bank select" as on an MPC, so you only have 16 pads, as opposed to 64. To be fair, this can be worked around by creating additional scenes to extend the note range. Secondly, the scene names themselves aren't stored anywhere on the unit, so you have to remember that "S01" (as an example) might be your setup for Battery, "S02" your setup for BFD, etc., etc.

 

i'm hoping to get the padKontrol soon - although i dont have first hand experience with it, it seems to be the best of the lot

 

I have used pads, e-drum kit and keyboard. Each has advantages, but if I was to choose only one for battery it would be a keyboard.

Why? Battery 2 has 72 cells, now Battery 3 has 128 cells. I like access to more triggers at my finger tips than only 16 pads without having to shift groups. However, I’m biased since I'm primarily a keyboardist (main controller: Roland xp-60 with 2 CC mod pedals + on/off sustain pedal).

Have you looked at M-Audio Axiom (25, 49 and 61 note versions)? Great value at street price. Axiom provides a keyboard, 8 pads with velocity AND aftertouch pressure, 8 continous controller knobs (360 degrees) and 9 slider faders (larger versions only) plus DAW transport controls. Excellent reviews and I've been impressed testing at local store.

http://www.m-audio.com/products/en_us/Axiom49-main.html

I don’t own an Axiom yet, but wishlist to make Axiom features perfect: 1) x-y pad 2) motorized faders on sliders. 3) more CC pedal inputs.


I've looked at several other controllers (including PadKONTROL, each having strengths but something missing I want. The CME controller (VX series) comes closer on features, but at a higher price.
http://www.cme-pro.com/products-list/product-vx.html

 

Dude!

The best controller IMO is an MPC!

I sold mine and went the Battery, Logic and MPD 16 route. It completely sucked. the MPD 16 wasn't able to keep up with the real time jamming that is such a big part of the MPC's appeal. It exhibited a loooot of latency.

So I went back to an MPC as a controller for Battery via midi. So basically I sequence on the MPC but all my sounds are stored/triggered from inside the computer. This way I still have 4 padbanks as well. If you already have an MPC, give it a shot. I really love this way of working.

 

Or just buy an e-drum set, i think that's the best way to control 'drums'

After some practise: natural rolls and flams!

The Roland V-drums serie are good, otherwise the Drumkat for a portable version of e-drums.

 

Don't sell your mpc.

Just use it to contron battery. Great combination

 

is it easy, to setup the axiom pads for battery 2? how can i manage this? i use Cubase & FL

thx a lot

 

I was thinking about selling my mpc4000 and going the MPD16 route. You said there's a lot of latency...I guess that happened when you used it over USB right?? If the MPC is used over midi and the MPD16 as well, there shouldn't be any difference right?!?

Cheers!

 

as an mpd16 user i found that akais USB drivers - even the updated ones are substandard. i use the usb only for power and trigger battery3 in sonar using a regular midi cable to my amt-8. all the latency problems from the usb are gone.

one note on any real time controller, turn humanize off when doing real time jamming. especially the humanize timing control! you'll hit the key and get nothing depending on how high you have it set. took me forever to realize that.

if i were doing it again i'd go for the padcontrol because of the x-y controller, but you can get mpd16s for really cheap right now.

 

so is it? and how do you do it. I have one but don't know how to map.

 

I'm using an M-Audio Axiom with Battery but one huge irritation is that in spite of having all the great knobs for supposedly controlling everything ,for the life of me, I can't find any way to do something as simple as turn down the master volume. If you're playing live the last thing you want to do is have to go to the laptop and be fiddling with it. Also, I've found those pads on the Axion to be extremely unsensitive, regardless of the setting. Pretty useless if you want anything except maximum volume. Also, has anyone figured out a simple way to adjust the individual sounds volume via midi? It would be much easier if I could just hit the sounds midi note and then turn a know to adjust its level.

 

I agree and I use the same, except there is an incredible amount of latency. I found ways to compensate but it's still there enough to bug me. Have you found any work arounds? Shorter midi cables? Lower buffer settings?

 

I also use my MPC as controller, sometimes you have to adjust the velocity sensitivity. Its good to have a Mod Wheel for realtime editing/recording some effects...

 

I just got Akai MPD-24, and it's a match made in heaven! I can use the mod matrix to set up some mangling via pads' polyphonic aftertouch and this is total madness!!!

 

This new one looks good too.
It got aftertouch and velocity sensitive pads.

http://www.rolandus.com/products/productdetails.aspx?ObjectId=864&ParentId=114

 

www.zendrum.com
This is absolutely the best controller ever !!!
I've been using one for quite some time now and the sensitivity is amazing. Beautiful instrument too.

Cheers,
Steve

 

I'm using the MPD24 with Battery 3 and it's really good. The channel aftertouch can be mapped to pitchbend and all sorts of stuff like that.

I had the MPD16, never used it with battery, but sold it a while ago. I had it for over a year. The pads are harder and not as sensitive as the MPD24.

I also tried the MPD32 for a day, but returned it because the pads weren't as good as the 24. They were thinner and looser.

My MPD24 rocks. I actually brought the first one back to the store because one of the faders had weird nitch feeling in it. Surprisingly, the first MPD24's pad were looser then the one I have now. I got lucky with this one.

I tried the Trigger Finger and it's pads were loose at the bottom and tight on the top so I brought that one back too.

I have a pad kontrol which is cool, I didn't bring it back. The pads are really senstive and the xy control is cool/fun. Though, it's it my closet for now. May sell it soon. Haven't decided.

I really like the MPD24 the best. I like the transport controls the now transmit CCs. The slider and knobs are perfect in my opinion. The A, B, C, D banks let you preview more samples. One 16 cell row equals the 16 pads on the MPD24, so you can have 4 columns of samples per kit. I'm into making my own, so this system works for me.

Overall, MPD24 and pad kontrol are the best IMO. If the MPD32 had better pads, then it'd be good too.

 

Hefty ditto to tagpass.
I'd have the MPD 24 anyday myself!
I use Battery with an MPC 2500. I have grown to need the banks.
If you can change the MIDI note number on each of the 64 available, then, deffo AKAI for me!
If I had an MPD 24 my AKAI would only be used for recording vocals, whithout that BLOODY FAN NOISE!
An XY Contoler would Kick ass if used on Absynth or Reactor.
I would still say AKAI for me an by some way.
Don't much use Absynth an Reactor Does'nt have all the functions I need. Battery Rules!