New Nektar LX 49+ review first use

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Nestor
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New Nektar LX 49+ review first use

Post by Nestor »

Hi guys, well…, 😊, at last, I can review my brand-new keyboard, I had to pay a price for it, I paid it gladly and here I am (well, as gladly as a human being can, installing all again is not “that” fun). Now I’m making some music! I was begging to play it for too many days already so I am eager to go through all the details and keep playing.

So far, my first impression is: I’m loving it! It is a GREAT midi controller overall and I will explain you why.

I’ve tried several midi controllers out there, I would say better brands than Nektar it’s true, like Novation, who’s quality is pretty good, Roland, even better, Korg, very good, and Native Instruments, with very good quality midi controllers and keyboard feel in general, but…, they all fall short in what I truly want: INTEGRATION.

Let’s talk about DAW integration now, that is something quite different to having a good playable keyboard, it is a whole other matter to consider which, for me, it is essential an most wanted. I am a home-studio composer, my needs are very specific to that.

First of all, if you want a really, really good weighted keyboard, you have to pay for it…, and they are very expensive for my pocket, in the other hand, they don’t offer me what I want and need.

I don’t want a great keyboard with great keys just to play, with poor connectivity and poor DAW integration, I want an instrument to control efficiently what I do while composing, in a fast and EASY way, I want to interact with Cubase without reaching that much the writing keyboard and the hideous mouse that brakes your hand after many ours of use. The Nektar LX 49+ does just that, truly! Nektar Tech did not lie about it in their advertisement, it is not an exaggeration to say that it really controls your DAW in a very fast, efficient and intelligent way. In that regard, it is so far, the best midi controller brand in the market, if you are a home studio musician.

I did not realize how much programing power you have here, because you have all the knobs, the faders, the pads, but you also have a dedicated middle section that let you toggle between “Mixer”, “Instruments” and “Presets”, and with a “Shift” key you can access many other extra parameters with useful assignations that fly in your fingers, no need for complex programs installed in your PC, they are in Nektar keyboard itself.

When you want to control a VSTi or a VST, faders and knobs are automatically assigned to your plugins which is a dream for any home studio. Great time saving feature really! Then you press “Mixer” and there you go, faders and knobs are automatically assigned to the mixer mode in a second, and with the press of a single button. Press “Preset” and get into the presets of your VSTi or VST, (as long as they are into the programing language of your DAW, if they are independent, they would not be recognized). Of course, you also have the transport bar which works great too, I like to have it in the keyboard itself without reaching the mouse or the pc keyboard. There is also a very smart secondary level of programing with the keys of your musical keyboard itself, so you can assign controls to midi messages, it is funny to see the "Enter" key in the top key at your right in the key bed. So… 😊, this little friend gives you much more that you could expect at first glance, that is where the power of this controller rests, IN A PERFECT DAW INTEGRATION not found in any other midi controller of the market.

Many plugins, a few hundreds, are already pre-mapped so you go straight to control them with the LX, then you can try to apply an automatic programming, if the plugins is not into the list of pre-mapped plugins, it works 80% of the time, then you fix what is not mapped. Then you have weird plugins, those with an strange morphology, strange knobs, those experimental ones you know, in these cases, you can map them manually, which is very easy, and you do it ONCE, that's it, you save it and the next time you load it, it is already mapped.

Pads are assignable too, which is great, because you can use them to toggle between articulations in Kontakt, it is like having 8 more keys after the 49 you have in front of you, so kind of 57 keys in fact. You don’t need to use the pads exclusively to play drums, you can do whatever you like with them.

I use the Nektar LX 49+ with Cubase mostly, and I’m starting to use it in Bitwig as well. With Cubase the interaction it is of about 80%, with Bitwig it is of 100%! There are many unique controls that are dedicated to Bitwig only, they works very fast like real time, your software becomes hardware.

The pitch and mod wheels works great, no lag at all, like with other brands happens. The pitch wheel it is a little bit stiff for me, slightly harder what I would like, but it’s ok, I can see I will get use to it. Overall quality for the price, ufff, superb, cannot complain or ask for more, that would be so egoist. The key bed is more than acceptable, it is better than the M-Audio Keyrig I used to have anyway. Overall, I am very happy with it really, I only hope it lasts.

Conclusion: The Nektar LX 49+ it is ideal for home studio guys like me, you have more than you expect, very good quality for the price, DAW integration is second to none like nothing else in the market, and I want to remark this point, the programming behind it is GREAT, you can have several presets, if I remember well, up to 5 of them, for different DAWs, but if you switch DAW, you switch format too, of course. What I mean is that you are paying for a good midi controller overall, as hardware, which is already in a competitive price, but you get kind of for free, all these amazing integration, which, we all know, it represents a lot of work from the side of Nektar Tech. I would easily give this keyboard a price of 400 USD because of the flowless integration.

I recommend it 100% to anyone of you looking for a fantastic way to control your DAW, as long as your DAW is in the list of supported DAWs, otherwise, you should look elsewhere.

Yes, I'm very satisfied and happy, very happy! :)
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Re: New Nektar LX 49+ review first use

Post by Nestor »

In fact, consider it as a deep control "TOOL" for your DAW, rather that just a keyboard, despite it has one for you to play.
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Re: New Nektar LX 49+ review first use

Post by valis »

Wall of text = player's delight is evident. Glad you're happy!
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Re: New Nektar LX 49+ review first use

Post by Nestor »

Cheers 😊, thank you
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Re: New Nektar LX 49+ review first use

Post by Nestor »

After many months of use, I can confirm this midi keyboard, the Nektar LX 49+ is an absolute delight, I am more than happy, cheers :) :) :)
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Re: New Nektar LX 49+ review first use

Post by Bud Weiser »

Happyness w/ the little Nektar,- congrats !

I too find my "small" synthaction controller keyboards workable,- but ...

I´m curious on the new NI Komplete Kontrol S88 mk 3 w/ a new Fatar poly AT weighted hammer action.
It weights 13.5 kilos, close to the Studiologic Numa X 88 stage piano (14 kilos).
So,- I guess, the new action is a Fatar TP-110 weighted hammer action w/ polyphonic aftertouch.
The TP-110 is WAY better than the previous TP100 and TP100/LR !

S88 mk 3 supports MIDI 2.0 and offers 4 CCpedal/switch pedal connectors,- up to now very rare.

Here´s a good video breaking down the upgrades and features:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G0W1jaEppBQ


Not cheap, but comparable pricepoint w/ Kawai VPC-1 which doesn´t offer any haptics and just only USB and a triple-pedal connector.
For piano purists, the Kawai action might be prefered still.

:)

Bud
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Re: New Nektar LX 49+ review first use

Post by Nestor »

It seems to be simple and good. It sure is a good choice if it matches your needs.
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Re: New Nektar LX 49+ review first use

Post by astroman »

Great that the Nektar serves you well... 8)
Myself can‘t handle keyboards properly any more, but found an alternative in MPC keypads.
Exchanging the pad sensor sheet in my 4k made a huge difference and I‘ve developed some habits to deal with the 4x4 scheme and octave switching :D
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Re: New Nektar LX 49+ review first use

Post by Nestor »

Cool you found your way too.

Are you having pain in your hands brother Tom, why you cannot play normal keyboard?
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Re: New Nektar LX 49+ review first use

Post by astroman »

Fortunately no problems with pain, just crippled...
Left hand tendons of ring and pinky, right hand broken in my youth and restricted range of movement.
I changed to kind of upright style left hand mode on bass, but fretless seems a serious challenge.
(got one since a couple of months and because it turned out a great instrument I bought the same model fretted)
Both are „sleepers“ from former German Democratic Republic each less than $150 8)
The fretless is Jaco style defretted with not properly filled slots, so could be refretted if I don‘t make any progress.

I‘m focussed on rhythm atm and the MPC4k is a great practice tool in that context (with bass).
But also a great midi controller with 4 dedicated outputs.
Bonus for nerds: an almost bizarre sound engine in technical terms, very capable, love it.
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Re: New Nektar LX 49+ review first use

Post by Nestor »

I understand Tom, I have some similar problems but playing guitar. I’ve got some tendinitis in my right arm, (upper area), and cannot longer play guitar with a pick as usual for more than 10, 15 minutes.

Look, magnesium citrate and potassium citrate have helped me a real lot on this condition. The doctor told me most people luck some of it in their bodies, particularly from the moment they reach their 50 years of age.

The intake is very simple, it comes as a powder and it has increased my health in a very straight forward way, I take it every day with water. You should, perhaps, find out a little more about these two essential elements, they might help you too my brother :)
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Re: New Nektar LX 49+ review first use

Post by astroman »

Well... I have to admit both injuries are self induced by lack of care :oops:
The broken hand was fixed by nails and I was naive (young) enough to go start a new job.
In a steel factory, moving tons of metal by hand, individual parts up to 50 pounds. It didn‘t hurt, so it was ok...

Left hand tendons were ruined by excessive climbing exercises, repeating an endurance section time and again.
At a certain position I had to hang on just the left hand, while swinging on to grab the next hold with my right.
Symptoms look exactly like Dupuytren, but most certainly it isn‘t. No one in my family has it and it‘s only the left hand at the section tortured.
Dupuytren is of unknown origin, it’s an overshooting generation of new tissue, in my case probably a reaction to the pressure mentioned above. It didn‘t hurt, so went unnoticed first. :D
It‘s really not too bad, but looks ugly and (as mentioned) it‘s absolutely incompatible with keyboards.
I‘m happy that I found a solution for bass and with proper „pinky warm-up“ I get along on the guitar, too.

Thanks for your concern, I‘ll consider the mineral aspect for cycling, though. :)
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Re: New Nektar LX 49+ review first use

Post by Nestor »

Climbing can be such a strong addiction when you get into it: adrenaline all over the place and breathing like crazy makes you feel alive and well.
I do cycle too, but with a fixed one at home.
Ok, best of lucks brother.

I truly NEED music or I get crazy.
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