Reviews | Imagination Works

Akai MPK88 Hammer-Action – professional MIDI keyboard with full spectrum of functions

Lets review professional MIDI keyboard Akai MPK88 Hammer-Action. It has full spectrum of functions for music playing and DAW control. Following modules are integrated into it : 88 velocity-sensitive keys with Aftertouch function; 16 velocity-sensitive drumpads, which also react on pressure strength and have access to 4 samples banks; pitch-bend and modulation control wheels; 8 knobs, 8 buttons and 8 sliders with assignable functions, together they can control 72 parameters with use of Q-Link technology; 6 transport control buttons; Key Split function, which allows to play 2 sounds simultaneously from 1 keyboard; MPC Note Repeat, MPC Swing and arpreggiator modules; MPC Full Level, MPC 16-Level, Tap Tempo and Time Division units; inputs for optional pedals; USB port, through which it is powered and communicates with computer; and MIDI input-output. Keyboard works in Windows XP, Vista, 7, 8 and newer and Mac OS X 10.4.11 and newer operating systems without need of additional drivers installation via Plug and Play technology and tightly integrates with modern DAWs, their instruments and VST plugins : Steinberg Cubase, FL Studio, Cackewalk Sonar, REAPER, Avid Pro Tools, Ableton Live and others.

MIDI keyboard Akai MPK88 Hammer-Action ( rear view )

MIDI is bundled with DAW Ableton Live Lite Akai Pro Edition and is optimized for work with AIR Ignite software. Its sizes are 1.31 ( width ) x 0.38 ( depth ) x 0.13 ( height ) m, and mass is 30.4 kg. Package contains : MIDI keyboard Akai MPK88 Hammer-Action itself, USB cable, optical disks with software and user’s guide. It is very good keyboard with wide range of functions and controllers and corresponding price.

Sony Alpha SAL85F28 85mm f/2.8 – entry level tele-photo lens with 5 glasses

Lets meet with entry level tele-photo lens Sony Alpha SAL85F28 85mm f/2.8. Its 85 mm focus is fixed, diaphragm can be set in f/2.8 – f/22 range with use of 7 diaphragm blades; it is attached to camera via Sony A mount. Field of view with 35 mm full-frame sensors is 29 degrees, with APS-C sensors : 19 degrees. Objective lens supports automatic focusing with use of Smooth Autofocus Motor ( SAM ), which is useful for videos recording; and does not support optical image stabilization ( which camera can perform by itself via sensor shifting, if it supports such function ). Minimal focusing distance is 0.6 m. It has only 5 lens elements in 4 groups, this reduces light dissipation and internal reflections amount, all glasses are covered with protective and anti-reflective multicoating. There is ability to attach 55 mm optical filters to it; its sizes are 52.1 ( length ) x 70.1 ( diameter ) mm, and mass is 173 g. Package contains : Sony Alpha SAL85F28 85mm f/2.8 photo-lens itself, frontal and rear caps, carrying and storage case and user’s guide. This is good entry-level tele-photo lens with small glasses amount and auto-focusing, which can be used for video recording, if camera supports image stabilization, and which fits very well for photos making by novice and experienced photographers.

DAW REAPER : creating variation on Jingle Bells theme

DAW REAPER : variation on Jingle Bells theme

Let us continue studying of DAW REAPER, today we will create small variation on Jingle Bells theme. As components we will use the same drums sounds and VST-synthesizer Genobazz 2, which is created by TEK’IT Audio. You can download archive with REAPER project, all sounds files and completed FLAC file of composition via this link : variation on Jingle Bells theme in DAW REAPER. For main melody I used preset Default of synthesizer and for basses Acid Tweet Arp preset. First lets create main melody with use of MIDI notes, then copy their block needed amount of times on its track; then we will use it for basses, by copying and replicating block on their track.

Next we will add accords to main melody : they are 3 notes, which are played together; additional notes are taken through the white key from main note or already placed note, they can be located in the same octave or in different from main note. They can be chosen by the ears, so that they will sound in unison with main melody; also, there is ability to read additional information about accords and their classifications. Then we add drums sounds to composition with use of snares and hats WAV files, which we place in needed places. After arrangement of composition, it starts to sound and now there is ability to continue work on it, making it more interesting. If you have questions about creation of variation on Jingle Bells theme in DAW REAPER, then ask them in comments, I’ll answer on them as soon as I’ll have free time. This is all for today, see you in the next lessons.

Review of photo lens Sony SEL50F18 50mm f/1.8 for Sony E mounts

Lets review photo lens Sony SEL50F18 50mm f/1.8 for Sony E mounts. It is light objective lens with 50 mm fixed focus and f/1.8 – f/22 diaphragm, which is set by 7 diaphragm blades. With APS-C sensor field of view is 32 degrees, minimal focusing distance is 0.39 m, lens supports optical image stabilization Optical SteadyShot and automatic focusing with use of silent motor, which is very convenient for videos recording. It has 6 lens elements in 5 groups, they all are covered with protective and anti-reflective multicoating. There is ability to attach to it 49 mm optical filters; its sizes are : 62 x 62 mm, and mass is : 202 g. It is produced in 2 color variants : black and silver, its body is made from aluminum. Package contains : Sony SEL50F18 50mm f/1.8 photo lens itself, frontal and rear caps, lens hood and user’s guide. All in all, it is good light photo lens with small amount of glasses ( for light dispersion and internal reflections reduction ), automatic focusing, image stabilization and support of manual focus and diaphragm settings, so, it will be useful for novice and experienced photographers for photos shooting and videos recording.

Review of Novation Impulse 25, 49 and 61 MIDI keyboards

Today in audio part we will look on professional MIDI keyboards Novation Impulse 25, 49 and 61, which are modifications of the same keyboard with according velocity-sensitive keys amounts. Besides them they have : 8 knobs, which can be rotated any amount of times in any direction; 8 velocity-sensitive drumpads with backlight; 9 sliders ( on 49 and 61 models ) or 1 slider ( on 25 model ); 6 transport control buttons; pitch-bend and modulation wheels; 2 octaves control buttons; LCD display; 6 programmable buttons, 4 of which has backlight; 4 control change buttons ( 49 and 61 ) or 3 such buttons ( 25 ); 9 mute and solo buttons; and arpreggiator. They have following ports : USB connector ( through which they are powered and communicate with computer ); MIDI input and output; power adapter input, which is needed only in MIDI connection case; 1/4” ( 6.3 mm ) TRS jack inputs for sustain and expression pedals; and Kensington slot. Keyboards support High Rate Scan ( HRS ) technology, with which they scan their state 10000 times per second and acquire all nuances of musician play. They are tightly integrated with modern DAWs, their instruments and VST plugins : FL Studio, Cackewalk Sonar, REAPER, Avid Pro Tools, Ableton Live, Steinberg Cubase and others. MIDI keyboards are supplied with DAW Ableton Live Lite 9.

MIDI keyboard Novation Impulse 25 ( rear view )

They are compatible with Windows 7, 8 and newer and Mac OSX 10.8 and newer operating systems. Keyboards sizes are : 25 : 525 ( width ) x 332 ( depth ) x 100 ( height ) mm; 49 : 864 ( width ) x 332 ( depth ) x 100 ( height ) mm; и 61 : 1022 ( width ) x 332 ( depth ) x 100 ( height ) mm. Their package contains : Novation Impulse 25, 49 and 61 MIDI keyboards, USB cable, optical disks with software and user’s guide. They are good and functional keyboards with full spectrum of controls and adequate price for their functionality.

ESI U46 XL – professional external audio interface, that is designed for majority of studio tasks

Lets review professional external studio audio interface ESI U46 XL, which is designed for majority of sound recording tasks. It is created on base of preceding model ESI U46DJ. Card’s frontal panel has : balanced XLR microphone input ( this allows to neutralize all noises, which are added to signal during its movement in the cable ) with ability to switch +48 V phantom pwer, switch for choosing of linear or microphone work mode of the input, phantom power button and amplification level control knob; instrumental TRS 6.3 mm ( 1/4″ ) jack Hi-Z input, its Hi-Z or linear work modes switch and amplification level control knob; TRS 6.3 mm ( 1/4″ ) jack output for monitor headphones, their volume level control and power button. Back panel of sound card has : USB port and power adapter input; analogue TRS 6.3 mm ( 1/4″ ) jack mix inputs for left and right channels; 6 analogue RCA outputs ( which can work as 6 independent analogue outputs or as outputs for 5.1 channel audio system ); and 4 analogue RCA inputs. Sound card works on 48 kHz sampling rate with 24 bits precision and 100 dB range of digital-to-analogue and analogue-to-digital conversions. Body of card is produced from aluminum to increase its durability and to reduce electro-magnetic interference on its electronics.

For it drivers are released for Windows XP, Vista, 7, 8, 8.1 and 10 ( with MME, WDM and ASIO 2.0 interfaces and DirectWIRE support ) and Mac OS X 10.3 and newer ( with support of Core Audio ) operating systems, with which it can tightly integrate with modern DAWs : FL Studio, Cackewalk Sonar, REAPER, Avid Pro Tools, Ableton Live, Steinberg Cubase and others. Card is bundled with DAW Steinberg Cubase LE for PC and Mac systems. Package contains : ESI U46 XL sound card itself, USB cable, optical disks with drivers and software and user’s guide. All in all, this a good professional studio sound card, which supports majority of functions, except of MIDI and digital connectors; its other minuses are support of only 48 kHz sampling rate ( this is due to big channels amount and USB 2.0 bus speed capabilities limits reaching; but higher sampling rates are not always needed, for example, if sound will not be processed too much after recording ) and lack of volume level and clip indicators on its body. So, this interface should be bought only if it will be used exactly for functions, for which it is designed; if there is need to simply buy studio level or fully functional audio interface, then it is better to buy device, which has full spectrum of audio connectors and functions, for approximately the same price.

Rokinon 85M 85mm f/1.4 – light photo lens for mounts of modern cameras

Lets devote today’s optics area to very light photo lens Rokinon 85M 85mm f/1.4. It is produced in variants for following cameras’ mounts : Micro Four Thirds ( Panasonic and Olympus cameras ), Canon, Fujufilm X-Mount, Nikon F, Nikon AE, Pentax, Samsung NX, Sony A-Mount and Sony E-Mount. Its 80 mm focus is fixed, aperture can be set in f/1.4 – f/22 range; focusing ( it is internal and does not alters lens length ) and aperture settings are manual. Minimal focusing distance is 1 m; field of view is 28.3 degrees; there is ability to attach to it 72 mm optical filters; it can work with full frame 35 mm optical sensors. Photo lens has built-in 9 lens elements in 7 groups, one of them is aspherical for chromatic and geometric aberrations correction; all optical surfaces are covered with protective and anti-reflective multicoating. Objective lens sizes are : 78 ( diameter ) x 99.5 ( length ) mm; mass is : 565 g. Package contains : Rokinon 85M 85mm f/1.4 photo lens itself, frontal and rear caps and user’s guide. Its is very good light photo lens, which is produced in variants for majority of mounts of modern cameras and which has adequate price. For novice photographers and for video recording difficulties can be caused only by lack of auto focusing, electronic diaphragm settings and image stabilization ( which can be performed be camera itself, if it supports such function ). So, this photo lens is the most suited for experienced photographers.

Nektar Impact LX 49 and 61 – fully-functional MIDI keyboards with optimal prices

Lets review MIDI keyboards Nektar Impact LX 49 and 61, they are variations of one model with 49 and 61 full-sized velocity-sensitive keys. There is ability to choose one of 4 velocity curves or one of 3 fixed velocity levels. Keyboard has octave shifting buttons; pitch-bend and modulation control wheels; 8 velocity-sensitive drumpads ( there is also ability to chose for them one of 4 velocity curves or one of 3 fixed velocity levels ); 8 potentiometers; 9 30 mm faders; 9 programmable buttons; 6 transport control buttons; 5 set and recall parameters sets buttons; pedal input ( pedal itself isn’t bundled with controllers ); and USB port ( through which they are connected to computer or Apple iPad via camera connection kit and from which they are fully powered ). MIDI keyboards are compliant with Windows XP, Vista, 7, 8 and newer and Mac OS X 10.7 and newer operating systems, there is no need in additional drivers for their work. They are tightly integrated with modern DAWs and their instruments : Avid Pro Tools, Ableton Live, Steinberg Cubase, FL Studio, Cackewalk Sonar, REAPER and others. Package contains : Nektar Impact LX 49 or 61 MIDI keyboard itself, USB cable and user’s guide. These are very functional MIDI keyboards with full spectrum features : keys, drumpads, pitch-bend and modulation control wheels, control buttons, including programmable, and adequate price. One “minus” is their blocky design, but this is a matter of taste and different people have different tastes.

Zenitar 50mm f/2 – standard photo lens for M42x1 mounts, that is produced in Russia

Lets meet with Zenitar 50mm f/2 standard photo lens for M42x1 mounts, which is produced by Russian plant KMZ. With adapters and converters it can be attached to any modern camera mount and it will allow to get excellent photos, due to low lens elements amount and chromatic and geometric aberrations correction. Its 50 mm focus is fixed; its aperture can be set in f/2 – f/16 range – it is light lens, aperture is controlled via 6 diaphragm blades; field of view is 45 degrees; and minimal focusing distance is 0.35 m. 6 lens elements in 6 groups are built into it, all of them are covered with protective and anti-reflective multicoating. Lens can work with 24 × 36 mm optical sensors, optical filters can be attached to it via M46×0.75 mount. It does not support auto-focusing and image stabilization ( however, camera itself can perform it via sensor shift, if it supports it ). Lens mass is 190 g, sizes are : 45 ( length ) x 65 ( diameter ) mm. Package contains : Zenitar 50mm f/2 photo lens itself, frontal and rear caps and user’s guide. This is a great objective photo lens, with which high-quality photos can be obtained, and, accounting its price, it has no competitors. Difficulties can be caused only by lack of auto focus and image stabilization for novice photographers and for video recording. So, it will be the most useful for experienced photographers.

M-Audio Axiom AIR Mini 32 – functional MIDI keyboard with compact sizes

Lets review MIDI keyboard M-Audio Axiom AIR Mini 32, which has diverse functional and compact sizes. It has 32 velocity-sensitive mini-keys, with selectable touch curves; 8 drumpads; 8 knobs; 3 transport buttons; 10 memory cells for setting and recalling of keyboard parameters sets; pitch bend, modulation and sustain control buttons; and octaves shift buttons. Keyboard is connected to computer via USB port and receives power from it; it supports HyperControl function for integration with modern DAWs : Ableton Live, Steinberg Cubase, FL Studio, Cackewalk Sonar, REAPER, Avid Pro Tools and others. MIDI keyboard is supported by Windows XP, Vista, 7, 8 and 10 and Mac OS X operating systems; it is supplied with software DAW Ableton Live Lite and Ignite Music Creation ( which is bundled with 275 software instruments, developed by AIR Music Technology ). Keyboard sizes are : 396 ( width ) x 196 ( depth ) x 38 ( height ) mm. Package contains : M-Audio Axiom AIR Mini 32 MIDI keyboard itself, USB cable, optical disks with drivers and software and user’s guide.

MIDI keyboard M-Audio Axiom AIR Mini 32 ( top view )

It is interesting keyboard, which has 32 keys, 8 drumpads, compact sizes and adequate price; its minuses are : pitch-bend and modulation controls in form of buttons, instead of wheels, and lack of expression or sustain pedal input. So, it is applicable for wide range of uses, from home studio to concerts.

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