stoken6

I've not researched those - thanks for the suggestion. I never thought of AKAI as a ROMpler company. The MPC One does more than I need (CV/gate, for example), and costs more than the MC101, however. Cheers, Mike.

Thanks everyone. I am aware of the Fantom's ability as a ROMpler (and more), with sample playback pads. It doesn't meet my brief in that it's a keyboard. I have a waterfall Nord as an upper tier, which I like for the ease of access to front-panel controls. I have a weighted action controller underneath it, so the way to go would be to replace it with a Fantom 08. But I don't want an 88 (too big, especially with wheels to the side). If there was a Fantom 00 module, with sample pads, it would be perfect. I'm already running BandHelper on my iPad. So if there's a way to run a ROMpler app (responding to MIDI) and a sample-playback app (responding to prods of the screen), and BandHelper (sending MIDI) and all three play nicely together, I would consider it. Cheers, Mike.

Have you thought of adding the Mixface to your P125? Cheers, Mike.

For most of my "run-of-the-mill" gigs my Nord Stage 2 does the job. Some of the more prestigious pick-up gigs I do require two things: - "More ROMpler" than the Nord's two synth slots - One-hit sample playback (think orch hits, rises, FX...) I was wondering if there's a product that can do both of those? So far the Roland MC101 looks plausible - any others I should look at? MUST: - Sample playback ("playback to end of sample" and "playback while pad held" is sufficient, no looping required) - Ability to load user samples - At least 8 sample pads - Simultaneous ROMpler playback via MIDI (I'll use Nord Extern sections) - 5-pin MIDI (not USB, and preferably not mini-TRS) SHOULD: - Audio in, to avoid needing a mixer. Cheers, Mike.

I don't lust for one in the slightest. But I think the draw of VST-quality sounds in a portable package, no laptop needed, will attract some. Let's wait and see... Cheers, Mike.

Now available in the cloud, for an "easy" monthly subscription... Cheers, Mike.

I suspect that most of what you want to take out of the board isn't going to be that heavy. Looking at a pic of the A70, most of the front-panel "furniture" is fairly shallow - apart from the pitch/mod wheels and joystick, which you should be able to remove. If you want space for an ipad or similar, how about a carefully designed "shim" that sits over the remaining panel space, with cutouts for the existing buttons, so that you can rest something on there. 3D printed, perhaps? Or skilled woodwork/marquetry? Cheers, Mike.

For some reason I love the whole modular scene, without in any way desiring to own one. I think it's just too impractical to gig vs the flexibility of modern digital all-in-one boards. Cheers, Mike.

@LarsHarner are you driving a software rig? The Mixface outputs MIDI over USB, meaning you can only connect it to a USB host (PC/Mac, Kronos and certain other, but not all, boards). Cheers, Mike.

If you pinned me up against the wall and forced me to predict a price, I would probably have gone "it's worth £1399, and it will be priced at £1499". So that advertised price is actually a nice surprise. Cheers, Mike.

for Tom Lehrer. If you enjoy that song, check out UK comedienne Victoria Wood's "The Ballad of Barry and Freda", for a uniquely British take on related subject matter: Cheers, Mike.

My slight nuance on that: trap is of course a valid rhythmic style, and the Axis progression the basis of many great songs - but lazy overuse of them is not acceptable. I would put "Autotune as a creative effect" in the same bucket - "Believe" was at least innovative, even if you don't enjoy the resulting song/product. "Autotune as an effect most people wouldn't notice" is like covering your food in salt and spices - you can't discern the quality of the underlying ingredients. Cheers, Mike.

That does look secure. Good choice. Cheers, Mike

Tell them the buttons are superficial - it's what's on the inside that counts... Cheers, Mike.

That's crazy (and not in a good way)! The guy we use regularly will tell me things like "this mic is for your trombone player, it's amazing on baritone sax and cello as well". Cheers, Mike.