Novation SL MkII 61 review: specs and price

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The device has an electronic display to present information to the user.

Buttons will light up when pressed, resulting in better visibility to users.

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The octave buttons are used to shift the keyboard up or down in one octave increments. This extends the range of the keyboard in either direction, which lets you play notes that lie outside the number of keys available.

The more buttons the device has, the more complex the input can be.

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Faders can be either channel volume faders, pitch sliders, crossfaders or even EQs.

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A type of knob that has a push button functionality built in. Encoders are for browsing and selecting your digital sound files or turning on a function that makes use of a control's rotation such as sound effects or tempo/tap tempo selection.

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The pitch/modulation stick is used to change pitch or modulate a sound in real time with one single control.

More knobs (rotating controls) can give the user more dedicated control over the device, eg. volume, effects, EQs etc. Types of knobs may differ: endless type or step type.

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Similar to a weighted action keys, but with less resistance and a slightly springier release, semi-weighted keys are popular with many players. If you don’t need realistic piano response, but also don’t care for spring-loaded synth actions, a semi-weighted keyboard might be ideal for you.

The pads section is ideal to trigger loops and samples, using your finger drum skills.

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The amount of keys the controller has on the keyboard.

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Velocity sensitive keys are just spring loaded keys that sound out louder the harder you hit them. If you "lightly" press a key, the sound will be quiet; the harder you press, the louder it gets.

The keyboard also respond to the amount of force applied after initial impact. On electronic keyboards and synthesizers, this pressure sensitivity is usually called aftertouch.

With a touchpad, users can control the device by moving their finger on a touch-sensitive surface. This can facilitate a more complex interaction.

The MIDI-Out port is used for transmitting data.

When pressed, the sustain pedal allows all notes to sound and “vibrate” freely. All notes played will continue to sound until the pedal is released. This is perfect when you need a sturdy and responsive control over sustain.

Dedicated expression pedals let you have a hands-free control over your keyboard's volume, vibrato, and more.

MIDI-In Port allows data to be received by a MIDI-compliant device. The “in” port enables the MIDI keyboard to be controlled by an external device or sequencer.

The "thru" port, emits a copy of everything received at the input port, allowing data to be forwarded to another instrument in a “daisy chain” arrangement. This allows the user to have more than two MIDI devices connected as a studio.

Devices can communicate in both directions with each other without any additional MIDI interface. The biggest advantage is that the USB connection can be used for everything; power supply, MIDI-in and MIDI-out. This means you need less cables.

It is compatible with PCs and laptops running the Windows operating system.

Users can map, set and regulate the entire midi controller giving different functionalities to all different buttons, knobs and faders. The device could be also set up with different softwares.

With automapping technology it is easier to set up your MIDI device and assign all different controls to your software (DAW).

It is compatible with Mac OS X devices such as MacBooks and iMacs.