Quality controller with Live integration 16-Jan-12
Novation Impulse
12:45 mins
Streaming:
The most pronounced and obvious thing about the Novation Impulse is that it feels luxurious, an extremely rare phenomenon within this price range. They have obviously put the time in to make sure that the semi-weighted, ultra-sensitive keyboard not only plays well but feels and looks like a piano keyboard, you'll be left wondering if how they did it. The Impulse feels robust with its chunky sides, but is in fact surprisingly light. The knobs, the buttons, mod and pitch wheel are all solid but tactile with their neoprene-like finish. The low profile faders (nine on the Impulse 49 and 63, one on the Impulse 25) feel firm which bodes well for longevity. It is clear that Novation wanted to develop a versatile controller, that was also very simple to use. This can be seen in the way that the Impulse's screen is always telling you what's going on, or indeed what it expects you to do next. If that wasn't enough, by hitting the HELP button the Impulse asks you to touch a fader, knob or drum pad and it tells you what you can do with it.
Of course, not everyone wants to use it as a DAW controller though. So fortunately, the whole standalone set up is very inviting. A clear screen and template editing, being able to split the keys into (up to four) zones and even preview what assignable knob, pad, button, fader is being assigned to what CC.
I really dig the arpeggio on the Impulse too, it has some unique features with warp and beat roll, which to my mind are enough to make the Impulse a very desirable object. The pads also have a luxurious depth and feel for beats, as well as allowing you to integrate with Live for some clip launching, and feature tri-colour back-lit action, making them stand out for stage use.
Automap 4 is a vast improvement on Automap 3. (which is multiple award winning software in its own right) Automap 4 is much more polite, and just pops up with a little window in the top right of your screen to tell you what’s going on. The new set up wizard is a darn sight easier than reading a pdf too. There’s just step by step instruction on how to set it up with your (supported) DAW: ProTools,Live, Logic, Cubase, Reason/Record and Sonar as well as Studio One, Garageband, Reaper and FL Studio
All in all, I’m very impressed by the Impulse. My only niggle being that the LEARN and SHIFT buttons are the one and the same thing. I really had to concentrate on not messing up and shifting when I wanted to learn and vice versa.
After little time you’ll find yourself integrating with the Impulse and controlling your DAW and other gizmos like second nature. By utilising the Impulse’s unique and nifty features such as the arpeggio warp and beat roll you’ll also find that the Impulse has some off the wall ideas, even if you’re running out of them.
A worthy purchase if you are in the market for a quality, do-it-all MIDI controller keyboard with a little extra besides. In not the lowest priced controller on the market, but in this case, the features justify the price.
Available now (street prices) Impulse 25 £199 / $249.99 Impulse 49 £249.99 / $349.99 Impulse 61 £299.99 / $399.99
Impulse "clicky-clacky" keyboard is total rubbish in comparison to SL series. Also the unit looks and feels very cheap. Returned it after one day of use...
16-Jan-12 08:07 AM
Brian from USA Said...
Nice to see you back Shorn and a very nice review. In-depth about just the right things, thx. Sounds like I should go take one for a spin.
16-Jan-12 09:40 AM
Pablo Said...
61 keys, my man!
16-Jan-12 10:49 AM
Midi boy Said...
Good review man, nice to see some enthusiasm and no sign of an IPAD. Well done. When will Novation be fetching out another hardware synth like the KS rack.
So when is Shorn going to have a recurring role as an intergalactic pirate on Doctor Who? He'd give Captain Jack Harkness a run for his money and heck, BBC wardrobe wouldn't have to do a thing because he already dresses the part! (I'm only semi-kidding...I think he'd actually rock on DW, LOL.)
anybody out there know if theyv'e updated automap4 to work with Cubase4.5.2 yet-I have cubase essential 4-5-2 and it is not recognized in automap 4 so i went back to using automap3.7 with my nocturn and it's fine but I want to buy an Impulse but don't want to update Cubase. I found Automap works seamlessly with no bugs and midi-maps for other stuff I created work perfectly
my impulse after 10-15 minutes of playing, is losing the connection with ableton, that is, ableton dont receive the MIDI SIGNAL. the midi indicator dont show anythink. the strange is that the impulse receive the parameteres when you modify somethink in ableton. Any idea of what is it? thank you
@sonicstate - Hey buddy, I bought this awesome keyboard to use with my iPad 2. I've got the camera connection kit and it powers up fine, but I'm getting no sound with Garageband! There's another video on here where a guy just plugs in and plays. Is there something I need to do or something I'm not doing? Thanks in advance for your response :-)
I like to see this keyboard having soft buttons, thats another weak pint of anthing M-Audio all buttons are like clicky and feel like your tv power button if you kno what i mean
@mindstormsabrewin, While I can relate to that, as I as was once a beginner, I can also tell you that if all you want to do is be creative and that's it, well that's when you go to a professional studio that has an engineer and you pay him to do the things that you don't know how to do yet. Or, you could just start to learn how mixing is done and how the gear will help you to that end. There is no way you can do quality music at home without knowledge and the SL is perfectly designed for that.
I have a 61 sl. It's torture trying to figure it all out. New to midi and recording. How is anyone supposed to make music when they have to be goddamn computer expert first? These engineers are killing my creativity because I'm spending all my time trying to figure out their overcomplicated gear. That's THEIR job! Make it work simply and elegantly. As a newcomer to this stuff I must say it's hell for people just starting out. Not everyone has an engineering degree! Why can't it be easier?
I have M Audio Axiom Pro 64 and this Novation Impulse looks exactly the same, and pretty much does exactly the same thing, but im still thinking of switching to Impulse because of automap, M Audio Hybrid mode is absolute shit when it comes to controlling Logic or Ableton.
Hey pharmaecopia5, all Sonic State reviews are "real" and it's totally genuine excitement! The way the keyboard plays, the arpeggio and drum roll features are awesome! The Impulse is a great controller and well worth getting excited over!! :D And thanks for the kind comments, it means a lot to me! :D
Excellent review... I'm actually now rethinking M...ahem.. Audio... this Nov Impulse looks like it possibly allows you to kind of forget you're using the keyboard... meaning all the features seem geared to getting things done.
For a minute, I thought I was in *that* part of YouTube again. But, once you get past the popped collar and odd furry/feathery dress, he's not bad at all. I still prefer the bald guy, though :)
So, the differences between this and the SL are, this has nicer drum pads, a simpler screen, and lower price, and the SL has Nocturn-sized pads, a nicer screen, and an X-Y pad and joystick instead of mod wheels?
Loved the review. Now I can't decide between this or a copy of Reaktor. Damnit.
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Sonic LAB: Novation Impulse Review
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