Now that I have it... is it what I thought it was?

Some of you may recall that I wrote some rather flattering words for the QuNeo back during my tenure as the Community Manager here at Equipboard, but confessedly I didn't have all that much time with the unit as I'd have liked while writing those words. I had played with the unit, sure— but I hadn't put it through the wringer of a genuine on-stage performance yet. So, how does it hold up compared to my original idea of it (which would probably put it somewhere between winning the lottery and attaining nirvana)?

Yes, nearly everything on this controller is mappable. Every corner of the 4x4 grid's buttons can be mapped to be its own thing, including pressure and X/Y information. It really is capable of as much as it says it is. But... is it really that necessary? I've switched from using the "8x8" setup in live settings to just using them as a basic set of 4x4 buttons with no pressure. The pads feel wonderful when you're using them as just pads; as their own 'knobs', however, getting the pressure right takes a LOT of fine-tuning and tedium. You CAN use it with the pre-set tuning right out of the box, but be ready to over-mash or under-mash in the heat of performance. Using the 'faders' behaves similarly— be ready to adjust them quite a bit over time. (I use this with Traktor in most cases, though the ability to swap into a mode with a channel controlling Ableton Live has made it VERY useful in live situations.)

This is NOT to say that the QuNeo is not ideal, nor that it can't be tuned to suit anyone's needs. It really is one of the most flexible and capable controllers on the market, outside of the MIDI Fighter 3D. However, if you really want to unlock the full potential, be ready for a LOT of trial-and-error and some frustrating nights with the software— all ENTIRELY rewarding, mind, and the constant reminder that you can do as much as you can do with the controller undoes most of the damage of those nights. However, it really shines as just a straightforward set of drum pads— lusciously squishy drum pads that tend to be just responsive enough to hit that 'sweet spot'. DEFINITELY worth a purchase as a 4x4 grid, as well as a more expandable controller. If you don't want to pour a lot of time into a controller, it may not be for you, but the reward of that time is well worth the trouble.

4.5/5 - Some needed fine-tuning for pressure & X/Y keep this controller from pure godliness.

What a great Midi controller

Great build a lot of functionality very compact plus a very good investment.

tops

really nice and touchy good for doing lots of things