More Buttons, More Blinky Lights!
Just when I thought I was about done with hardware controllers for my music making, this comes along:
Akai has released a hardware controller for the software application Ableton Live. Live is sort of a DJ/Live Music audio workstation – a lot of it’s functionality is geared towards live performances. I don’t gig, but my god, LOOK AT ALL THOSE BLINKY BUTTONS!
A lot of things are being released at Winter NAMM ’09. M-Audio has a new version of their Axiom controller line, the Axiom Pro. Good thing I read about this before I bought a plain-jane Axiom (on my future wish list). This one seems more advanced (hence the “Pro”) but I hope it doesn’t cost too much – otherwise I will be going with the Edirol PCR-800.
On a related note, I’m still saving up for my MacBook Pro – the good news is that I can custom order my laptop at Sweetwater.com (not the restaurant). I’m ordering through there because I have an undying loyalty to that place. Their sales engineers are the most helpful and well informed group of salespeople anywhere. So I buy through them whenever I can. I’m looking to take the top MacBook Pro model and upgrade the hard drive to 7200rpms (from the standard 5400rpms). That, along with everything else maxed out, should give me complete freedom with graphics, illustration, and music. The bad news is that I’m going to have to wait for my next paycheck cycle.
Last night I had Live open and had a simple software drumkit loaded. Granted, it was a synth drumkit using the Operator instrument, but playing a simple groove ate almost 50% of my CPU. That shouldn’t be happening. Yeah, I need more juice.
