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Novation Impulse vs Arturia KeyStep Prro
I’m considering buying one of these to use with iPad and Cubasis.
My reasoning is to learn and use the sequencing and arpeggio features from a single piece of hardware, rather than with apps. Pay to learn once and save time. Plus, reaching up and twisting knobs and pressing buttons on hardware should be faster and easier, and also less tiring from constantly staring at and working on a screen. What say you all?
Please, your feedback on my thinking to use hardware over software.
As for the hardware comparison, the Impulse has bigger and more keys (@49 & 61), yet it’s less expensive. Both controllers are filled with features I’d have to learn, so I expect a steep learning curve.
I’d really appreciate your feedback on both of these controllers.
Thank you!
John
Comments
You will get bored of sequencer and ios will be better.
How good are the keys if its all you end up needing.
I like my launchpad x.
Its cool for programming synths so will be ok enough to play synths to a sequencer
and will be nice for pianoteq steel, hand drums etc.
Think the steels will be nicer than even mapped drum machine pads.
The Novation Impulse is a really old model (2012 iirc) and probably isn't supported any longer as it's been replaced by the Launchkey series or there's also the SL MK3 if you want something beefier (onboard sequencer and external hardware control).
I actually have both the SL MK3 and a Keystep 37 as well. They're both incredible. The SL MK3 is the center of my studio while the Keystep 37 is my portable patio jammer when I'm on my iPad.
Thanks both of you for your feedback!
@sigma79 Powerful arpeggiator features are the most important to me. Being able to sequence them in the keyboard controller is a plus. Boring? I sure hope not.
@bluegroove I’m going to check out the SL MK3. Thanks for letting me know the Impulse is an aged product.
You are welcome. Let me know if you have any questions about it.
Novation also sells B stock if you are looking to save some money. I bought mine as a B stock and it was in flawless condition and half the price. It's direct from the manufacturer so you can always return if you aren't happy:
https://reverb.com/item/39639249-novation-sl-49-mkiii-b-stock
The reason I bought the Keystep Pro is that the switching between a sequencer app and synth apps on iPad was a buzz killer for me. Keystep Pro+AUM fits much better to my preferred workflow.
The cons are:
The big pro is that once you became familiar with KSP’s functions and the workflow, you’ll see it’s a super-efficient tool.
Another option is to get a master keyboard with 49 or 61 normal size keys (e.g. Arturia Keylab Essential or Novation Keylab series) and get a Korg SQ-64 hardware sequencer. The price of this combo is similar to a Keystep Pro.
I’ve had my Impulse 61 for 19 months, I knew it was from around 2012 era, but comparing this keyboard with all the other models of its size and features was a win for me. I love the aftertouch, it has 20 midi mapping templates (the majority being blank), Cubasis is not supported in the templates but creating a midi map for it is easy and exactly how I want it.
The downside is the pitch bend is not recognised by Cubasis, but running Midi Wrench in the background fixes this.
The Arpeggiator can create some very interesting patterns, the ability to turn notes on or off by tapping on one or more of the pads during whilst playing takes away the boredom, there is also a fast staccato Upton for fast repetitive notes.
My other two keyboards are now gathering dust, they are - Kawai Spectrum and a Roland JX1 performance synth, both 61 key, they are not midi controllers, they both have very lightweight keys compared to the Impulse’s semi weighted keys which is a joy to play.
One big advantage of using software for sequencing is that you can save actual projects and share them. So I would stick with iOS for the sequencing itself, and go for a keyboard / controller. For me that is the good old Arturia Keystep.
This is a good point on the power of the software sequencers, and the reason why my old base-model Keystep survives so many rounds of gear swapping when larger, more complex hw sequencers do not.
There is room for a good hybrid setup, too, if one really wants a more powerful hw option like the Keystep Pro: Use the hw sequencer as-intended, and then record the MIDI stream as it comes in. On iOS I often use MTR for this. This allows capturing the sequencer output easily, and that allows recycling project slots more easily.
In terms of the hardware @Johne1, I've always had good experiences with Arturia. Their configuration app is a little...idiosyncratic?...but it gets the job done.
I have a hybrid setup and use it in a similar way: The simple Sequencer in the KeyStep is great for quickly punching in a bass line or sketching out other musical ideas. Then I often simply start that sequence and record it into another hardware sequencer or a sequencer app on the iPad.
This is specially useful for devices and apps that offer no step recording. For example the Korg Volca Keys.
Agreed, and I especially like the arpeggio mode on the Keystep for this type of workflow.