Novation Nocturn
29th Sept 2008
I purchased it because V & Bass station are out of stock, and this was next on the wanted toys list !
£60
Macbook 2.2. @gig Ram. Logic Studio 8 and Traktor
Good Points
1) It's incredibly flexible
2) The Automapping software is a neat idea that allows you to store and recall customised control setups
3) It's small enough to be taken just about anywhere
4) It's well laid out and intuitive to use
5) It's price !
Low Points
1) It takes awhile to get into. A paper manual would help
2) The encoder resolution can be a bit fiddly
3) It doesn't always automap correctly
4) It has issues with Mac OSX and NI Traktor. Takes time to figure out the workaround.
How could it be better?
1) Screens to display encoder function names
2) More encoders
Rival Comparison
The closest rival is from M-Audio
M-Audio X-Session Pro USB MIDI DJ Mixer Controller at DV247.COM
WHilst the M-Audio has more physical encoders to play with, the Automap software makes the Nocturn much more flexible. Flip a page, and you can use the same controllers to control completely different functions of software. The Automap supports upto 127 different encoders on different pages. This makes it much easier and quicker to re-assign controls then the M-Audio Unit.
Am I Happy?
I would buy this again, but would go for one of the bigger Novation Controllers. This is the baby of the range, but still represents a good piece of kit !
It works on both Mac and PC. Just be aware of the Mac/Traktor issues.
Summary
An excellent idea. Really flexible and adaptable. Mac uers have their party spoiled by Apple though. The Automap doesn't work with Logic's default plugs, but will work with their hidden
AU devices. It also has issues with NI Traktor, that require a bit of tinkering to sort. But if you take the time to program it, the rewards are very worthwhile ![/COLOR][/B]
9/10