Old 02-23-2022, 10:12 AM   #1
Misterhabit
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Default Midi controller for Reaper

Hi All,

I am relatively new to Reaper and was looking at a $300< upgrade of midi controllers. I am looking at the Novation Launchkey 49 MK3 or Nektar Panorama T4 49-key Keyboard Controller. I am also looking at the 61 key version of each. Does anyone have a recommendation of one over the other? I am not a good keyboard player and will be using this for sounds/rudimentary keyboard parts and to tap out the drums etc. Thanks in advance!
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Old 02-25-2022, 05:06 AM   #2
airon
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Default

You'll want to check some good Youtube channels for recommandations, because each of these keyboards has their strengths and weaknesses(more or less).

Sanjay C is a good one, though there are plenty of others. A search for the best midi keyboards will get you some good pointers.

It's all about what you need in the end.

Keep in mind that Reaper has multiple methods of putting midi gear to good use.

For the ultimate in customization, the CSI project(Control Surface Integrator) is likely your best bet.

ReaLearn is interesting, though watch its videos to know what you're getting in to, because I have little idea how it works.

Perhaps the device you're choosing is supported by DriveByMoss (forum thread) which gets you very competent setups ready to go.

As for Reaper all by itself, it can do a lot as well.
Reaper itself can bind actions to incoming midi or OSC messages. For that the device needs to be enabled in the MIDI DEVICES section of the preferences to send control messages.

Or Reaper itself supports it with a control surface driver. If the device supports the Mackie Control Universal protocol, you're reasonably well set too.

Check Youtube videos on Reaper setups. There's a lot of good info out there and ask questions here if you want to know something specific.
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Last edited by airon; 02-25-2022 at 05:14 AM.
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Old 02-28-2022, 02:57 AM   #3
Evertschut
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Default My expierence with the T4 (so far)

I suspect my situation is somewhat comparable. I was looking for a better keyboard than I had (The Nektar Impact LX25). 25 keys is handy if you only have a small desk area, but I found out that 25 keys are just not enough. I now have the Nektar Panorama T4 with 49 keys. That is a lot more playable and not too large for my desk. The only reason I might still regret not bying a 61 keys version (the T6) is that I can't use key switches out of the box. You can however reprogram to any key you want. I haven't tried that to be honest so I can't tell you how easy (or difficult) that is. I'm sure you can find a you tube video that can help you though.

I find the quality of the keyboard is fine. Like you I'm not a real keyboard player. I still have my very rudimentary skills from a few months of piano lessons when I was 11 years old or so (I'm 65 now)...... But the whole thing is pretty solid, all the knobs and sliders work fine and the after-touch works. Again, I can't tell you if it works any better or worse than any other keyboard in that price range. What I can tell you is that the Nektarine plugin you get with the T4 works remarkably well with Reaper. You place it at the start of a plugin chain in Reaper (similar to Realearn) and you insert whatever plugins you want on that track within Nektarine. A surprising number of commercial plugins run straight out of the box. I haven't had the need to program any myself (too lazy too put in the time - but I'm sure I will if I really need one that isn't plug and play). I can't compare it to other ways of using midi control like Realearn. My guess is that Realearn is capable of even deeper integration, but from my one time of trying to use Realearn I found it has a bit of a learning curve, so the question is: are you prepared to put in the time or is the extensive integration you get out of the box with Nektarine good enough?

Oh, and by the way, Nektar (directly out of the box, without Nektarine) can also be used as a DAW controller. I don't use it much though: I find I'm so used to using a mouse I don't bother. I only use it for automation now and then, but I'm considering getting a dedicated large slider for that purpose (Behringer X Touch 1?), because the T4 sliders are quite short in their range.

Hope that helps!
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