Novation 49SL MkIII 49-Key MIDI Controller Keyboard and Sequencer with DAW integration

Product Information

With the SL MkIII you could control a few select instrument plug‑ins by creating templates, as you would with a hardware synth. Input notes step-by-step, or record as you go; you can play and edit your sequences directly from the keyboard. Computer Music magazine is the world’s best selling publication dedicated solely to making great music with your Mac or PC computer.

This would however require flipping to internal Sequencer mode and losing other DAW controls while you do it. With only two rows you’ll be banking about a lot, but they’re nice to have, especially for initiating a new clip recording. As far as other DAWs go, Reason faired well, enjoying smart mapping to all its built in devices and instruments. There’s just one arp to share among your Parts, you can either set it to follow focus or lock it to one Part. You can then set the keyboard itself to filter out off‑key notes, snap played notes to the nearest note in the scale, or allow all notes through.It doesn’t quite match the plug-and-play immediacy of NIs’ Komplete Kontrol system, but offers much more flexibility for interfacing hardware and software. The marketing imagery is bang on trend: less DAW‑focused, and showing the keyboard at the heart of a hardware synth studio. Note that enabling MPE for the input port means that all MIDI channels are in use, so it's not possible to set a track to discretely respond to one MIDI channel.

Step 1: In Logic, for example, there’s an External Instrument plugin found in Instruments » Logic » Utility » External Instrument.Beyond that, you'll find that building mind-blowing arrangements is easier than ever, thanks to an internal 8-track sequencer, a built-in arpeggiator, and scales, modes, and zones.

I’d prefer that the other way around so you can flip between rehearsing and recording with one hand. You can control your whole studio from this controller, without ever having to look up from your keyboard! Each Part can output note data from the sequencer as well as automation data controlled by the pads, buttons, faders and rotaries.Ableton Live users get the best deal, with near plug-and-play setup and tight interaction with most Live elements, including parameter feedback provided by the five screens. But I'd been happy enough with my Novation Peak and have a number of hardware synths I integrate, so convinced myself to splurge and got the 61 SL Mk3. Unpacking the SL MkIII, I couldn’t help but note some contemporary influences, starting with an Elektron‑style braided USB cable. The SL MkIII boasts our finest, most playable and expressive synth-style semi-weighted keybed, with a sprung action and our highest scan rate, all tuned to the needs of the experienced player.