felixmurray's Reviews
8 reviews Back to felixmurray's Equipboard
106
Coupled with Geco MIDI, an amazing live tool.
I bought the Leap Motion after seeing it on display in a robotics design lab at a university open day. I use mine for music performance though, not robotics - by using the GECO MIDI software and a virtual MIDI port, the Leap Motion can turn hand gestures into powerful automation effects. In fact, anything that is MIDI mappable can be controlled with a Leap Motion (to varying degrees of success). The controller itself is small, light, and works relatively well in most lighting. The motion sensitivity using GECO is alright, but can be temperamental if you don't optimise the software - the more gestures you put in the less reliable it is! However, I've got mine to work pretty well, and it's a great addition to my setup.
-s.webp?v=1784127814)
106
A simple drum pad, but one of the best.
Velocity-sensitive fat MPC style drum pads, plenty of customisation options, multiple pad/encoder banks and reliable performance make this drum pad my favourite to play on. It's a simple bit of kit, it does what it says it will do - pretty much as well as it could, so I've found it to be an excellent addition. Too much vibration on the surface underneath the controller itself (sometimes caused by playing too aggressively) can cause some trigger issues, where a random pad will also be triggered as well as the one you want, but this is easily solved by just putting it on a more sturdy surface - it's not a controller fault really. I also haven't found a proper use for the endless encoders - to be honest, I'd prefer low profile potentiometers, as found on the Akai MPK Mini MK2, but that's just personal preference really.
106
Pricey, but a good pair for everyday music enjoyment.
Disclaimer: I did not buy my Beats at full price (got them second hand for £90). Personally, I don't think they're worth the £250 RRP price tag. Beats in general get a lot of hate because the high prices reflect the brand, not necessarily the sound. That said, with active noise cancelling, a very nice aesthetic, boosted bass (which although means I'd probably not use them for actual studio use, despite the name, makes them great for casual music enjoyment), and comfortable over ear fit, I really like them. I'll deal with the dirty looks from fellow audiophiles, for what I got mine for, they're pretty solid.
106
Sounds promising, but is overcomplicated with limited benefits.
This device, in theory, is very powerful and useful in the right context. In practice, however, I have found the interface to be frustratingly fiddly, and yields no better results than other, simpler recording solutions. I actually only needed a single track recorder, but I thought that this one might be a better bet just in case I could use the other functions in an away-from-home context. Essentially, having more than one track means that it tries to be an all in one recording and mastering studio, which is not at all practical in a device that small, with one control wheel and a tiny LCD screen! As a result, I had to get through the thick user manual before I even vaguely understood how to use it for the purpose I needed (one track recording and exporting only). In retrospect, I should have bought something like a Tascam DR-44. I'm sure it's useful in the right hands, but it was not what I needed, and I'm not convinced it's a good laptop/audio interface portable recording substitute.
106
A good effects unit, although battery life is limited and output level is fairly low.
Out of the 100 effects on this unit I have my 10 favourites written down on some tape on the back - there's no way of knowing what they all do unless you look in the manual, go through each preset and pick a few to write down. The effects are actually really nice sounding and there's a lot you can get out of the unit if you use it right. The RCA inputs/outputs have been a bit of a pain: I had to buy some RCA to 1/4 inch TRS adapter cables, but they work fine. The output level is a little low, but once it's hooked up to a mixer system (I'm currently using mine in the send/return of my mixer) that becomes fairly unnoticeable. Buy the power supply though, because the battery life is fairly poor (as you might expect if it's on most of the time during a performance).
106
Fine most of the time, sometimes temperamental.
Sleek little powered hub, which works pretty well. I use it to connect 7 extra midi devices (keyboards, pad controllers etc.) to my computer. Latency hasn't been an issue that I've found so far, so that's good, and the extra power is ideal if the devices connected have a lot of LEDs (like the Akai APC Mini, for example). I did have a number of problems when connecting it to the USB 3.0 port on my computer, but that is possibly due to the connected devices having issues, not the hub. Occasionally the connected devices all need unplugging and replugging individually, which is a bit of a pain, but it makes sure all the necessary drivers start on the computer.
106
For what it is, it's great.
I bought this because I wanted a simple, relatively cheap midi keyboard for production. There's no point complaining about the lack of drum pads, or potentiometers, or faders because I could quite as easily have bought a keyboard with those on for a similar price! At the time I bought it, this keyboard was a quick fix, and I haven't actually needed to upgrade yet, although now I could do with some extra controls. It does what it says on the tin well, it's low profile and alright-looking (although I'd prefer it in black, not shiny silver), and I haven't ever had issues with it.
106
A sturdy and high quality interface, although there are better ones out there for the price.
I have had this interface for nearly a year now, and had no major problems with it. Occasionally it can fail to start - the drivers aren't the most reliable - but that tends to be a simple fix. The biggest issue I have with it is that it has two line/XLR inputs, but two mono outputs: one stereo output. Therefore, recording in a guitar and a vocal track at the same time is fine, but outputting to more than one set of speakers, for example, is not. Another issue is that the volume control is universal, there's no independent control for the headphones, which can be frustrating for recording situations. However, the physical construction is good compared to other products I've seen, and the design is clean and simple which I like. It also has a lot of controls, e.g. Low/Hi-Z settings for different input devices/levels and a USB connection option for a tablet. Overall, pretty happy, even though it isn't perfect!