Novation Impulse 49 Reviews

impulse

Impulse is a very responsive keyboard with pressure-sensitive pads that you can also use for a arpeggios, integrates seamlessly with all the main daws I use it as main keyboard in my set and I'm really happy with it

I had this for 2 years

When i ordered it I expected the keys to be weighted...I had this controller for 2 years,and today i noticed that the one pictured looks like it has keys like a piano,but mine came with what you would find on some synths or organs,not weighted!!!Other than that it's a great controller with many functions,works perfect with ableton.

Amazing value!

This keyboard's value in my home studio is amazing. Appregiator, CC assignments and features that allow me for smooth automation in Logic Pro X and more.

The build quality is very good for the price, yes the faders and knobs are made out of plastic but I didn't expect them to be metal out of aluminium. The keys have a really nice weight to them and feel very durable.

The integration with DAW of my choice is fantastic and speeds up my creative process. Simple solution like rewind, record, stop etc. are also a bonus.

Pros:

- A lot of actually usable features

- Bang for the buck

- Nicely weighted keys

Cons:

- Plastic faders, don't feel too precise.

Overall, in my opinion this is one of the best MIDI Keyboards and controllers you can buy in this price range. It has been used not only in my home studio but also by my friend for Live Applications. The USB Port could have been slightly more sturdy (but that's the case with A LOT of interfaces) so if you're planning on using it as a Live Controlles I'd recommend taping your cable to the USB Slot (or securing it any other way)

Overall, great product and would buy again!

Excellent Aftertouch with Arpeggiator

Cotrols bot Ableton and Cubase in my setup with all transport, faders + customisable features.

Aftertouch works well with my DeepMind 12.

Sturdy, nice semi-weighted keys. I purchased this nearly a year ago and it still looks new.

Serious alternative to the newer Launchkey Mk 3 with better keybed and aftertouch.

All round excellence!

Used with Logic Pro X 10.4.8

Pros:

- Easy to use with smooth faders and rotary dials and great feeling keys.

- Auto-map feature is really diverse, works on all major DAWs.

- Its faders can also be used as a control surface for Pro Tools using Auto-map. (NOT as a replacement for Avid's dedicated control surfaces for example Avid S1)

- All features are similar to the 61 key version

Cons:

- The compact size may result in lower stability on a keyboard stand (in my case Millenium KS-1001). Can be solved using an extension handle on the keyboard stand.

- For some VSTs, 61 key version would be easier to use. (This is more of a luxury than a necessity.)

Overall it's a good balance between premium features and affordable pricing.

Easy to use and has a great feel.

Packed with almost all possible features that one might need for a bedroom project music production setup. For everything else, there's always your mouse ;)

My first decent controller keyboard

I needed a controller keyboard that would give me more control over my software synths and after reading reviews I decided to go with this one.

I use this soul in the studio and I have really enjoyed the functionality. The arpeggiator is useful as is the roll function on the 8 drum pads. Very intuitively laid out and I would recommend this to beginners.

The only negative I can give this product is for the included mapping software. DO NOT USE IT! Automap attempts to allow control over your plugins with the rotary controllers on the keyboard and it’s definitely given me the biggest headache ever. However, if you’re looking to waste an afternoon trying to get it to work - be my guest! 😊

Complicated

It has a lot of options and features but I only use it for ableton so it is unnecessary features for me.But great stuff if you want to play on stage.

Perfect tool with one tiny flaw

I just want to add that Novation did not follow all MIDI standards.

They forgot to provide the 5 volt at pin 4 on one of the MIDI connectors that is needed to power some devices.

To use it with the "Quicco Sound mi.1 Wireless Midi Adapter", I had to solder a simple resistor inside the Impulse 49 to fix this.

Rather Cheap feeling

One of the rare Novation products that feels cheap and not great to play on. the Keys are very plastic feeling and i would not recommend it. Very bulky and plastic.

Brilliant!

Great midi keyboard, loads of features and easy to use especially with the mapping to DAW packs included

Nice one

works great for me.

the sensitivity is pretty much what you expect.

novation impulse 49!

Easy to use, user friendly.

i highly recommend it for hoe studios and live performances

Fantastic

This keyboard is perfect

The keyboard itself makes your workflow smoother whether you use Pro Tools, Logic or any other software the Automap makes communicating with your computer easy.

The semi-weighted keys enables you to play with feeling expression and dynamics and for this price range it does the job almost perfectly.The response on the pads is rather good

However,the tutorials provided by Novation are just focusing on the basics,like I had to find a way to assign my pads and I couldn't find anything relevant to the matter

That said, it is a really great purchase and I wouldn't change it for any other keyboard

Great midi device

Build is great and functions that Impulse provide are great. Keys are dynamic and medium hard.

I use it with Logic pro and software of Impulse could be better ... it is only downside but that could change with some upgrades from Novaiton.

novation impulse 49

I bought novation impulse before two months and it was the first midi keyboard i ever had. I was very satisfied for the begining. Very easy and quick settings and instalation. Generally, a very very good prodact. The keys, are really good, their touch and feeling, and I found the knobs etc. very useful. I work with ableton live, and i'm really glad to have all these features on my keyboard, which them i can control volume of the tracks, solo/mute etc. Drum pads are very good also. I haven't "explore" all knobs and features yet, but novation impulse has many possibilities, easy to use features, and it's a really good choice for a first midi keyboard, which will help your job, and make it quicker! Really good product

Great

This is a great piece of kit for the home studio user. I managed to get this working with Reason DAW in about half an hour (I am not very good with techy stuff). There are three main aspects:

1 The keys are nicely weighted, in Reason I can adjust the velocity of each not played if i need to and the response appears quite accurate.

2 The controllers link well with my channels in the software; which is great. I can adjust channel levels, play stop, record, I am sure I will be able to assign effect parameters when I get a chance.

3 The pads seem good, they are quite sensitive - velocity wise and seem well made enough.

On the whole the body of the unit is well made and substantial, the all round quality seems very good.

I wanted a controller and a keyboard that would work with Reason and this is perfect for me.

Impulse Purchase

Bought this as a new controller keyboard. Automap has just made my life so much easier by doing exactly what it says: automatically Mapping all of the Mixer/plugins in Logic X. It's good to get V-station and Bass station plug-ins free with this as well making it very good value for money. My only criticism is the faders are a bit cheap feeling and the action on them is equally cheap feeling. Saying that tho the rest of the build quaility is very good.

A solid, feature-laden & well thought our controller keyboard.

I'm still getting to grips with it, but so far so good. Solid Novation build, I've always felt that I can rely on them. The pots are just sturdy enough for the price and don't wobble about like on some cheaper keyboards. The faders have a nice smooth but firm motion to them. The pads feel quite hard wearing an tough - you could give those a beating! The keys feel solid and responsive, again good for the price. the display is clear and well illuminated. I'm still learning my way around Automap, but it seems great.

Personally, I'm happy with it. I'd recommend it if you're looking for a good midi controller keyboard, whether or not you're specifically looking for the extra features it delivers. Winner!

fantastic.

have been using mine everyday for the last 3 years, highly recommended from a really great company. never let me down.

A good MIDI controller

Using this with Ableton Live. Plasticky but robust and quite nice looking. Best thing about it is that the keyboard is nice to play and has great aftertouch. The implementation with Live is pretty good : the sliders are useful a volume control for the different tracks. The one thing I absolutely hate is the speed sensitive rotary controllers and this also means that I don't use Automap at all. I just can't get consistent results with these rotaries and have ended up using my old MPD instead. That's my biggest gripe with this keyboard.