Arturia AE 61 or M-Audio Axiom Pro

[darkneutron]

Hi!
Since now i have used Novation SL MKII 61 keyboard controller.I was totally unhappy with it...
I bought it 3 yrs ago and after first year pitch bend/mod started to act very weird then sliders values didn't go up to 127 and now half of keyboard doesn't work...So i was thinkig to buy new controller and choosing between
Arturia AE 61 or M-Audio Axiom Pro. Anybody has them or any comments?

dN

[darkneutron]

http://www.arturia.com/evolution/en/pro ... intro.html

http://www.m-audio.com/products/en_us/AxiomPro61.html

[calyx93]

I think the most important thing would be whether or not you want a piano-style/semi-weighted keybed (M-Audio) or a more traditional synth key feel (Arturia).

Even though I don't have one, this piqued my interest (I've wanted a controller for a while) and my vote goes for the Arturia. You also get a synth with it - plus, it looks better

[b3groover]

I have not played the M-Audio but I've been very unimpressed with their keyboards in the past. That cheap 88 key "weighted" controller they released (can't recall the name) was a POS.

I own the ReMOTE SL mkII as well. Mine has held up just fine even through some light touring. I also have the Arturia. It's definitely heftier. The action has less key travel (up and down) but it's not hard to get used to it. The knobs are nice. The metal case and wood end blocks are classy. I'd say go with the Arturia. If you're not a member of Hello Music, consider joining as they had the 61-note version on sale now and again.

[darkneutron]

b3groover: have you also played rhodes or piano sounds with arturia...i'm thinking maybe semi-weighted keys would be better me because i use alot of piano/rhodes/organ sounds in live but i have heard that m-audios keys are not very "quality" keys and the tend to broke easily?

[b3groover]

Yes, and it's not the best for that kind of playing. When I need to play acoustic or electric piano parts, I use my Privia. The action is great and it has USB MIDI, which makes it easy to connect to the computer.

[Bitexion]

I have an Axiom, I ordered it online coz it looked so knobby. But was severely disappointed to find out that all they rotator knobs are stepped, so they move in distinct clicks. Can't get a smooth filter sweep with them. Of course that means very little when you play pre-programmed sounds. Or you have to assign filter cutoff to one of the smooth sliders, which doesn't feel right with me.