£14 Temu Midi Pad M-VAVE SMC - Cheap But What Is The Real Cost - NervousCook$

[@nervouscooks]

Part 2 of this video where I look further into the functions is here: kzbin.info/www/bejne/npawo3eJoNCbhbMsi=klDOR-2FVyqx4D2d

[@aquietgarden]

I'm having a nightmare getting this to work with either my iPad or iPhone. Could you please read and let me know if I might be missing something obvious? I've followed the instruction manual, and your video several times over, and over again. But it won't map MIDI over bluetooth, only via USB-C cable. I'm starting to think mine might be faulty, unless I'm missing something obvious (which is entirely possible). It's just not working over bluetooth. It shows as connected in CubeSuite, and then also in Koala. But the moment I try to map MIDI in Koala, nothing happens, on both the iPad and the iPhone. It will only map MIDI if I connect it via USB-C cable. Then it works fine over USB-C cable. Which isn't the solution I got this controller for. I bought mine on Amazon at the beginning of the month for £45.99 here in the UK

[@malachyokeke5693]

Please, i don't have any qr code behind my m-vave. And it's difficult coming to map it

[@krazywabbit]

Mad respect for the closing part of the video.

[@nervouscooks]

@@krazywabbit thank you. I’m no saint but as I get older I’m beginning to realise what goes on and hopefully think more carefully about my own actions. 👍

[@ceciliafbrown373]

Man with a conscience! Good for you outing these companies we need to be made a where of what is going on behind the scene.

[@nervouscooks]

@@ceciliafbrown373 definitely, I think Temu are even sponsoring KZbin creators now and so I wanted to point out the reality here. 🙂

[@1980JPA]

M-Vave (or Cuvave) is decently well known in the budget guitar gear realm. They also have a keyboard controller. Knowing their quality for their guitar gear, my expectation of this unit would be that it works well, may not include amenities of some other budget brands, and that the weak point will be the software. But would be a good starter workhorse. That's pretty much the definition of their guitar gear also. They actually just entered the market with a more "big-boy" effects unit with their "Black Box" for guitar. Seems to be pretty good for their first foray into the higher level effects unit with software. Thanks so much for covering this. More coverage of their products opens up other options to those looking for budget solutions and also makes their products better, as they do actually listen to the community and makes changes as as needed or pointed out from their reviewers and users. Also their gear is available through other (more reputable) distributers.

[@bobbymobetta]

Good looks for that perfect lengthed, well-detailed precise on the company which in fact PRODUCES the device! Not to say that a full explanation of what it is we can smell coming from Temu's side of the street isn't called for, such information is essentisl to the full view of what's up for discussion here. But with that said (and since certainly many voices online currently are speaking directly to the pros AND concerns that T-Rock and it's peers have brought into mainstream line of sight) when you tune to a video about an SP-404, as a totally unrelated example; ), that post might contain a few words about Sweetwater or wherever it was purchased, but far more relevant would be a fact-filled rundown on 'what else ROLAND..and/or Boss... has released that might help inform my complete pre-purchase knowledge-base about a Sp-404..A, in this case'

[@ezion67]

The most direct way of buying from M-Valve seems to be their Aliexpress store. Not ideal but better for the sellers than Temu or Bezos.

[@nervouscooks]

@@ezion67 that’s good info! 👍👍

[@artephank]

That’s the way I got mine

[@1980JPA]

yeah, that's how i bypass TEMU and Bezos (and even Walmart). We can only do so much while still purchasing these products so i usually try to check out the actual factory/company itself, and buy as directly as i possibly can, which is AliExpress. I'm absolutely sure that they have issues also, but it's the most direct I've found. And can also speak to the company directly through Ali also. I never feel bad asking a bunch of questions, and usually am given the info I'm asking about fairly openly, or as freely as any of us could expect. If they have any issue with me asking questions then that tells me a lot in itself and i keep it moving.

[@James-fe7wd]

If only I didn't have to pay $400 to have something shipped to me in two weeks by Aliexpress via private courier. Instead I must wait at least 2 months if I pay a nominal postage fee or use their cheap option.

[@ezion67]

@@James-fe7wd I am in Europe, usually the cheap or free option takes 1 to 3 weeks. But I've had problems with stuff that didn't arrive and Ali claiming the delivery was completed = money gone. :-((

[@SONWU]

Great video. And to add what you said in the end: The sad thing is, that it's not just TEMU but most things you buy on Amazon will be the exact same product coming from the same factory, just with Amazon as a store front instead… It's hard to get around this. I don't know the answer, but I guess stop excessive spending on unnecessary things would be one step.

[@nervouscooks]

@@SONWU yeah absolutely. I definitely don’t need any more gear and I suppose that’s the point. It’s the rock bottom price that makes you think it’s ok to buy something else. I know it’s a can of worms because if we try analysing a lot of what we do as consumers and just as human beings, there is room for a lot of improvement! I just felt like it’s easy to show the product and the cheap price and leave it at that but as we know it’s not the whole story. 👍

[@SONWU]

@@nervouscooks Absolutely…a huge can of worms ;)

[@artephank]

Mwave is legit chineese company making high quality music gear for good prices. I personally got this controller because it is the only battery powered midi controller with midi out on the market. It turned out that it is also one of the most configurable one on the market and the pads are really nice - better than the one on my MPC tbh. I used to have couple of their pedals which were also good quality stuff. I feel that associating all the wrongs of TEMU with this particular company just by the fact that TEMU is selling their product is a bit unfair.

[@nervouscooks]

@@artephank I agree, it’s a good product and I deliberately said numerous times in the video that I would buy from them independently. 👍

[@artephank]

@@nervouscooks funny thing. I talked with their sales rep and he told me that they are angry about „sites undercuting their prices”. You can buy from them directly, but using Aliexpress is just cheaper (because of no-tax and free-shipping glitch the independent sales companies exploit

[@tatv2316]

Thank you for being concious about the price you pay for a product and the price "others" pay for a product. I would spend x5 times more for that same product if it would be clear that no one was harmed in the process.

[@nervouscooks]

@@tatv2316 yes exactly! 👍🙂

[@BrokeTheGamer]

What would you pay if like, three people were harmed in the process?

[@tatv2316]

@@BrokeTheGamer wrong question

[@Riggy931]

I agree with your sentiment, the only thing I would add is to not conflate price with ethical production. Lots of products cost more than 5x what this does and are made is equally bad, if not worse, conditions. The final price people pay for goods in the wests depends a lot on profit-seeking middle men. Shopping through Temu or Aliexpress lots of times youre getting stuff direct from distributors or factories, but it's the same exact factory that would make the product sold on Amazon.

[@tillorrly1128]

Chances are high this comes out of the same sweat shop which cost like 5 times more.

[@jerzboybeats]

The blue tooth lag will be with audio. Bluetooth midi is a wonderful thing.

[@sav6078]

Bar the end dialogue regarding Temu ethics, I believe you have just sold this to me

[@ThisIsDownstate]

people will be quick to slag off Temu's ethics etc mostly because its from China. But they're no different to Amazon really. Just without the markup for western markets. Half of the stuff we buy or probably way more than half comes from the same factories. I think most of us would much rather support small business and buy directly but also most of us are totally broke. I just had a surgery and was already broke and i had to sell my Keystep pro to afford to pay my rent next month so i too will probably end up buying something cheap like this until i get back on my feet and can buy another KSP. It is what it is i guess.

[@JohnyTechReview]

100%. I got pergola shipped from 2 state away from where i live for 499 vs 699 on amazon and temu also gave me 50 dollar refund when there was a price drop of about 50 bucks.. amazon can’t beat this.. same seller - 2 diff platform. One is currently better

[@dzaxys4643]

Can you complain about ethics and buy any electronics whatsoever without being a hypocrite

[@joaootaviofranciscodaconce1589]

China has much more ethics than most Western countries

[@Armrongeddon]

And I don't buy from Amazon either.

[@middlesidetopwise]

You just described why capitalism is an awful system to live under

[@jonaslana]

Great thoughts on environmental and social responsibility 10:20 . Speaking from a periphery like Brazil, this kind of deal sometimes is the one most of local producers can get.

[@FirstoftheFallen]

Just to mention that although you only have 2 banks of pads, you do have multiple +/-octave ranges for each bank. This gives you far more pads at your disposal - however I did find that colour coding each 4x4 snapshot, within each octave, within each bank, can be very helpful! I also now tend to use Bank 1 octaves for triggering individual samples and Bank 2 octaves for triggering scenes. With the Volume and mixer effects applied to each knob, this is a perfect, yet inexpensive companion to Koala.

[@middlesidetopwise]

I can already tell from the comments that you said exactly what I’ve been thinking about Temu and other companies. It would be great if western countries could produce cheap goods without slave labor that are also affordable for all consumers. Maybe get rid of CEOs and shareholders and create worker-owned factories….

[@Nicole-pt4bx]

finally a video about this setup! i've been eyeing this little controller for a while now, exactly to play with koala!

[@nervouscooks]

@@Nicole-pt4bx check out my latest episode as I go further into detail about it! 👍

[@AvidEric]

You cannot compare Bluetooth lag for audio (we're not playing sound via Bluetooth on a different device) with Bluetooth lag from an HID (human interface device). The latter is typically either insignificant or non-noticeable. Think of a Bluetooth keyboard or mouse - there is hardly any lag and it is or at least should be the same with Bluetooth midi controllers. So while that feature is nice since you don't need to carry around cables the battery will die at some point. That budget wise likely is not an issue with this one but it is something that should be kept in mind. Anyways, this seems like a nice little purchase. Thanks for demoing it! I've seen these M-Vave products before but when purchased via Amazon directly over here in central Europe (south from you) they aren't any cheaper than comparable e.g. Akai or Arturia devices which are of established quality. (The regular price of the M-Vave SMC is 69€.) So going for Bluetooth just never was enough of a reason to go with M-Vave instead (also the lack of additional software/tools you get with the device and presumable lack of service). But for 14 quid that sure is a good deal worth the try.

[@svggod7583]

I saw this on the site the other day. I was skeptical about Temu, but after seeing this I’m placing my order

[@markmallory2528]

An excellent review. Like your consciousness about temu. Do feel most are not far off. Good product though. If someone is using their iPhone for production, this would really come in handy for its battery, Bluetooth, lack of lag and portability. 👍🏽

[@Thehoodproject]

I got this for $60 US from Amazon and I not disappointed

[@apted]

Great review, is the USB just for power/charge or can it be used to connect to computer/DAW?

[@nervouscooks]

@@apted it can connect too so you can use it wired 👍

[@apted]

@@nervouscooksthanks, that’s perfect!

[@jasonjayalap]

I got this too. BT midi doesnt have lag like bt audio. Octave up/down is like more pad banks when youre just using midi notes. According to the manual it should show up as a mackie compatible control thingie for daws, but it doesnt show up in logic x when i tested it. Usb c works for midi if u dont got time for setup midi BT (which can be a pain depending on OS/app... iOS is easiest). I wonder why koala doesn't default pads to the notes most drum apps use. Edit: The apps m-vave devices use for customization sucks on mobile but are fine on desktop.

[@nervouscooks]

@@jasonjayalap I’ll have a look into that. I haven’t tried it with anything but Koala so far. Thanks for the heads up! 👍

[@R-sn1ty]

so I shouldn't get this if I'm using android? or it just means I'm missing some optional mapping feature?

[@jasonjayalap]

​@@nervouscooksby default, the second pad preset (shift + pad2) is setup for MCP (mackie control protocol), which is a way for surfaces to automatically be configured and light up the buttons... More tightly integrated with the daw instead of just send midi notes and CCs.

[@elthomas1194]

@@R-sn1tyon android you have to dowload a different app to set up bluetooth midi, using regular bluetooth connections will either result in lag or just wouldnt work

[@lightbulbtheentertainer]

I just got this last week and it's great.....I also got the mixer from them it's just as good ....the both got infinity knobs

[@nervouscooks]

@@lightbulbtheentertainer yeah they seem to make quite nice products. 👍

[@bishopdredd5349]

Respect for highlighting the downsides

[@MultiMam12345]

I bought to much plastic controllers in my life. Get a midi analyzer and look at the midi values when turning knobs. You always get what you pay for. Turn and press the knobs 300 times. Great video’s anyway!

[@jPaulofe]

Great video NervousCook$!! It Seems a working pad controller, and for that price... My little experience with Temu was a bit awkward asthe goods took 3 weeks to arrive due to custom issues (?!). And as you say, I'm being swamped by Temu messages and emails too... I'm afraid I will not buy from them again either

[@BrokeTheGamer]

I haven’t watched the whole video yet, but came here to say… I’ve paid WAY more for just a shell, pads and knobs/potentiometers… Without any sound card or midi mapping ability… Just controller hardware to build one. To be able to buy a brand-new 16 pad controller with all those channels and sub-menu ability, for $15… Insane.

[@outaspaceman]

I’ve just finished setting up an ALM Squid Salmpler.. I’m really jealous of how easy you seem to have it..😂👍

[@CharlieNorth]

Respect your honesty. 👍

[@CharlesSweet]

Any chance you'd make a full cookup using the midi controller? Also mind linking the iPad holder?

[@joemonroe1106]

According to their commercials... Temu is actually pronounced with short 'e' like the word "ten" not tee.

[@crnkmnky]

I'm not sure they can agree. Their most expensive ads pronounce it "Tee-moo." 🤷

[@matthewrowles6881]

For the price that's pretty decent, I mean I feel like a MIDI controller is pretty hard to screw up, it's just a MCU, some buttons and resistors and some pots, not exactly the most complex devices, I bought a off brand midi controller similar to that a year or two ago but then started building my own, that's the way to go, they are not hard at all to build and you can make exactly what you want.

[@DavidKemp-xn4ln]

That looks like a decent controller. I bought their 25 note keyboard controller before, but I ended up sending it back due the extremely light touch/toyish keybed on it. I am really picky about keybeds tho… it might be ok for others.

[@nervouscooks]

@@DavidKemp-xn4ln yeah I feel the same with keybeds. The pads feel ok though! 🙂

[@DavidKemp-xn4ln]

@@nervouscooks ok nice… I’ll check it out. Cheers for the video 👍

[@artephank]

Those pads are quite good really

[@mark_midmark]

Bought it for $32 on AliExpress. Really curious to get it!

[@johncarter2741]

Try doing a sequence of note repeats then go into piano roll and see if they are all on the grid. Whenever I’ve used Bluetooth midi with iPad there’s always been some annoying lag. Wired connections… no problem. Will read up on Temu. Cheers lad.

[@nervouscooks]

@@johncarter2741 I’ll do some more testing over the next few days and report back 👍

[@artephank]

Those pad have quite good latency. Way better than korg keyboard I’ve had. To me it is really none-issue. However for recording live without quantisation. It might be. It is always better to use midi or usb.

[@daysaverproductions]

Nice video and crazy that thing has no lag for the price 🤯 also those drums sound like odb and Kelis money haha. Just saying 😄

[@oppositelcr]

I'm impressed by the lack of lag - my experience of latency in bluetooth headphones and speakers made it seem like a bad idea

[@celsoch]

Bluetooth audio has really bad lag, but Bluetooth midi is very quick and easy to implement. It's much simpler information

[@oppositelcr]

@@celsoch That makes a lot of sense!

[@joemomma6317]

Damn that thing is actually very decent

[@jtrace-444]

BRAVO Bro!!!!🍕🍺🍕🍺🍺.

[@mink03]

Man, I wish I could find this at that price point. Looking like $50 or more now

[@nervouscooks]

@@mink03 I kept seeing the same introduction offer for new app users on Facebook at the same price. I think it showed up as an ad in the market place. That’s in the UK but it might be worth a look.

[@beatprocess]

Just bought this and the mixer

[@ratkoylic3992]

if you map play button to start sequence and it behaves wierdly, you can configure it to act as toggle switch via smc software and it will solve the issue

[@sdopeisses]

A midi pad from Temu? I am very skeptical. But it seems to be working. Temu is also much criticized. What would interest me is which iPad do you use?

[@iamsimonmorris]

Awesome heeerrre we go....

[@BendApparatus]

Not sure why I watched this...I don't use Koala sampler, don't own an ipad and don't really like midi controllers...oh...And I stay away from TEMU... But it was a well done video...😅

[@paweldun]

nice video. by the way, no remote controller must cost more than 50L cause thats what they are: just remotes like the tv remote is

[@camilomendez1350]

Wow! How can i get this skin bro?

[@noveltycrusade]

You got some stuff on your hands

[@beatprocess]

Dang, didnt know temu is bad. But do you guys wear nikes, adidas, and other big brands

[@soundofthegardenwatc]

dang, i wish i didnt miss this

[@jhonthedrummer]

Buddy what about ableton integración? Thanks for the video

[@pdppdp3854]

Question in terms of the midi that the Pads/buttons/knobs operate on.... are they changeable? could you for instance make the buttons toggle?? i would guess the pads are operating on midi notes??

[@lukassbeataddicts]

lag is audio, midi is so ancient and tiny there is no lag even on bluetooth

[@rjnoxx408]

@nervouscook$ do you happen to have the link to the temu documentary you speak of? if so and you don't mind sharing I would highly appreciate it, thanx in advance

[@moderntribez4753]

Soul over money bro

[@beatprocess]

WILL THIS WORK WITH THE IPAD 9?

[@mistertva2383]

Wich program do u use for the ipad?

[@Woolookologie]

Koala sampler

[@RitualFlip]

All these comments knocking temu written on iPhones 😂😂

[@DetroitMicroSound]

: Finds himself wondering how it might pair with his 1010music Blackbox.......

[@beatprocess]

bro, i wonder if these work with android tablets

[@duncansmith6696]

I'd like to know what the keyboard by the same company is like.

[@alitomrprodigyproductor7541]

hola, se puede conectar a un celular via usb, bluetooth u otro modo? la salida de sonido es desde el controlador o desde la pc?

[@gmdstud1o]

I dont have the bt midi option on my android, is this ios only thing??

[@elsongs]

T-emu Systems

[@Sr0252]

You're falling for the chinese discounts. There are never really discounts. They say something was like €500 and now is €10 but it never was €500 in the first place

[@errliest]

Don't you have a sp-404 mk2?

[@tonytwistuk]

Could you use this for jingles?

[@e-conrecords4665]

I bought one on the strength of this video but I’m having functionality issues on iPhone. After midi mapping, I have to hold down the start button for the sequence to play. Taking my finger off the button stops the sequence. Also if one of the 16 pads has been selected/played via the iPhone screen so it has the red box around it, every pad on the m vave smc pad will only play the selected pad chromatically. The only way to fix it is to load another project. Massive pain in the @ss.

[@nervouscooks]

@@e-conrecords4665 This was a first impressions video and you’re right about the play button however that can be fixed if you download the application to edit the controller. On the back of the controller is a QR code for the download. With the controller connected you can assign different options to most of the buttons and pads etc. Change your play button to ‘toggle’ and it will work correctly. Same with the record button. The chromatic issue sounds more like you have the keyboard mode enabled inside koala. Make sure that is off. Mine works fine with koala but I’ve only tested it with my iPad.

[@e-conrecords4665]

@@nervouscookscheers mate!!

[@onine69]

Can you do map this with the record box?

[@robertmartinez2931]

Does this link to iphones?

[@sidar87]

normalize cheap midi controllers 📢📢

[@unaddan]

can this thing act as a macropad?

[@pohidie94]

So I actually went ahead and got this M-vave product, I couldn’t get it shipped here except via Temu tho :S. However, I can’t get it to connect to my iPad Pro m1 via Bluetooth, it works on cable only for me. Do you happen to know why? I am using the Koala built in connect to midi function and it detects it and connects but it won’t detect the notes at all until I plug it in and if i unplug it it stops registering. What could be happening?

[@nervouscooks]

@@pohidie94 that’s strange. I’m not at my desk until tomorrow but I’ll have a look into it. It sounds like you have done everything right so I’m not sure why you’re having that problem. I’ll come back to you tomorrow when I can investigate it further. Worse case scenario the unit is defective but you should be able to get a replacement or refund easily. If I can’t find an answer you could try emailing M-Vave. 🙂

[@pohidie94]

@@nervouscooks Thank you, I was dreading that it may be a faulty unit. I’ll reach out to them if I can’t get it to work.

[@nervouscooks]

@@pohidie94 someone on another comment mentioned having a similar problem and said they did a factory reset on the unit and it is now working. I’m not sure if this is via the application you can download or if there is a factory reset button on the device but might be worth trying if you can. 👍

[@pohidie94]

@@nervouscooks I’ve managed to correct it, for some reason the product was set to preset 2 on the app by default, when I switched it to preset 1 on the top right-hand side of the app EVERYTHING worked, I hope if someone else faces the issue they can fix it just by switching presets. THANK YOU AGAIN, YOU ARE THE BEST

[@nervouscooks]

@@pohidie94 glad you fixed it! 👍👍

[@narcisjr]

i was suppose to get order today and they told me I got stuff delivered and nothing is in front of the doors..be careful

[@mishagolynskiy9962]

I grabbed this a month ago to do same thing but for android... And wasnt able to get it to work - it gets recognized as BT, but not actually sending midi 😐😐😐. It has been sitting in a corner until you vid. Tried again and got it to works in ipad, but still not on android. Saw it in amazon for 80 and in Walmart website for 35

[@ratkoylic3992]

I also had issues with bt on android, but it works well with an otg cable!

[@morizanova]

Actually thats because not all app ( music ones) support BT midi . The only I`ve been test and working fine is FL Studio Mobile . Meanwhile for IOS thats different stories

[@kalleblima7838]

Qual esse App?

[@fadjuergen]

it costs now 56 Euros !!!

[@pascaljean2333]

Got one, pads were sticky. Returned it.

[@BrokeTheGamer]

Shoulda cracked it open and fixed it… Or cracked open the firmware to see what/how the code contributed.

[@paradisemeco7121]

If you have an ipad, why would you need a midi control?

[@morizanova]

its about tactile feels I believe . I have touchscreen mobile setup ( Touchscreen laptop - monitor - ipad and android and iphone) but hammering those screen not feel as great as any tactile unit . even the cheap ones . But if I`m in starting phase and have limited budget , IPAD and specific app ( touchable in my case since I`m using Ableton ) would be my first purchase

[@Pauluz_The_Web_Gnome]

It smelled good when I burned the M-Vave Pad hehehehehe

[@Pauluz_The_Web_Gnome]

I have just ordered one at AliExpress, but the price is not as cheap anymore...I have payed 40 euro's

[@radfaraf]

I don't want to buy this but looked just to see and its $45~ now different currency so like 35 pounds.

[@delfim90s]

hey after all it costs 56.11 pounds!

[@technodrone313]

13 pounds of weed? damn thats pretty steep.

[@mrd5024]

you can ONLY buy this on Temu UK

[@nervouscooks]

@@mrd5024 yes you can!

[@marknhopgood]

I searched for ‘midi pad m vave’ and it came up

[@mrd5024]

@@marknhopgood only if you are outside the USA

[@iambman74]

Criticising TIMU while using an IPad..... Sure

[@IamDwolf]

bluetooth midi is data no audio bro.

[@bollyduster2652]

40 euro today

[@dmsp7378]

50euro !!!

Imagine downloading a software from Temu 😂😂😂

[@nervouscooks]

Software is from M-Vave not Temu. 👍

[@backys]

Not 14£ ant more 😢

[@Tconcept]

Very moral, but I bet everyone here is also a hypocrite 😊👍

[@weimingfeng2284]

What can I say, Documentary is yet another way of propaganda

[@Silent_Stillness]

There's a big difference between what potential users WISH a hardware MIDI controller like this would be vs what it actually is. Let's bring ourselves back to reality here: Mathematically, even at 50$ USD/GBP it's impossible that a product of this nature would actually hold enough merit to be worth using. Why? 1. MIDI over bluetooth inherently adds significant latency/jitter which would otherwise not be incurred. There is no greater destroyer to the spontaneity of an electronic music making process than latency. While the latency was shown at 3:59 to be acceptable, it is by no means negligible. 2. Because the device can be battery operated, it's implied that the cost of the device will increase over time as batteries will need to be purchased. 3. While the point can absolutely be made that users can always connect the device via USB to their iPad's USB hub or to their PC to avoid the need for batteries or Bluetooth, the fact remains that these features which are absolutely not optimal have added to the cost of the device. 4. It can clearly be seen in this video that the velocity sensitivity of these pads is absolutely NOT viable, which inevitably implies that the controller will almost certainly be used with fixed velocity, which in turn begs the question: why not just tap on the iPad's touchscreen instead? While the format of the controller is unquestionably appealing, the likelihood of hardware failure (whether it's regarding the pads coloured LED backlight, endless encoders or buttons) is extremely high because of the extremely low cost of the device. This is almost inevitably going to lead users who initially were trying to "get a good deal" to end up buying another more expensive piece of equipment anyway (and probably experience frustration). Again mathematically in order to be in business this manufacturer still needs to make a profit on their product, and the only way things add up is if the quality of the components is precisely in line with the cost of the product. Here's what a product that would be worthy of purchasing (as opposed to just nothing) would look like: 1. Costs between 100 and 250$. 2. Has proper backlit pads equivalent to the quality of Ableton Push / Maschine hardware with good velocity/aftertouch detection. 3. Has a minimum of 4 banks of 8 endless rotary encoders, 4 banks of 16 pads with dedicated buttons to switch between banks. 4. Has a mini display that shows what parameters correspond to each encoder with customizable names AND also shows parameter current values. 5. Has granular % based adjustable swing/shuffle for note repeat. 6. Is USB-C based.

[@morizanova]

I have several controller from this company . Two of them are same mini midi keyboard model . I do believe the QC not top notch , because one product seem have no problem at all but another constantly sending jittery midi data from knob and also pitch bend not working . There are control to adjust velocity curve BTW . Of course you wouldnt getting feel just like you`ve got from expensive ones , but its alright compare with other mini keyboard or pads . You can access it in hardware itself or editing using their editor app. There is also backlight brightness adjustment in same editor . I would suggest visit to local store and test it before deciding to buy . That goes work for any music hardware you want to buy . Sometimes some product just bad batch or good ones . If thats not possible, always looking demo which showing that test done using several same product , so you can see the consistency of pros and cons . Demo just using one product should be take with grain and salt . About BT latency , TBH you need to get in your hand by yourself to feel about latency not based from what we`ve saw in other people performances. The test will be simple just playing and see in piano roll . Careful to select which one VSTi you`ve used in that test , because not all VSTi designed with low latency and your machine also might not really optimize for super low latency . Use simple vst or sampler .

[@morizanova]

And about your suggestions, in my country those numbers would be 4x - 6x . So that`s why product like these look appealing for us . And since it cheap we can chop and hack it until better or complete broken without remorse LOL

[@Silent_Stillness]

@@morizanova thanks for sharing your experience I think it'll benefit people interested in the device who stumble upon this conversation. Because my original comment was already lengthy, I left out the fact that to my knowledge there was no MIDI controller that actually existed with the exact compact format/specs I listed in that theoretical good product. Thinking about the device shown in the video further I also realized that it was actually potentially a problem from an ergonomics standpoint that the encoders were to the side of the pads rather than above them. I'm personally convinced that the pads on the device shown are not worth using, and my advice would be to either use Surface Builder in AUM in parallel with the AUv3 you're trying to control, and to even consider using an iPhone as a remote control in tandem with AUM on the iPad to handle knobs/faders. I showcase using an iPhone remote in my YT content extensively but I haven't needed to assign faders/knobs to my remote control yet. In my use case I'd be much more likely to just design a custom virtual surface on my iPad to complement the main UIs of the AUv3 instruments I'm trying to use, but if you have multiple iPhones lying around that could be a very powerful alternate solution to purchasing new low quality hardware.

[@morizanova]

@@Silent_Stillness Thanks !! I`m actually using Ipad Iphone and Touchable app which I believe still king for controlling Ableton . TBH those combo save me lots of money before afford to start collecting several midi controller hardwares

[@troymcdonald]

No demo of actual playing, so unfortunately 👎

[@wigmaster7894]

just remember every documentary has an agenda to convince you of one argument. they're never gonna show the other side to be balanced

[@nervouscooks]

@@wigmaster7894 I hear you, it’s very difficult in todays age with fake news and social media to know what’s really going on but when you think about the cost of these products, I can’t help but think there is a catch somewhere. Temu are not the only company, I’m sure throughout the years there has been some pretty dodgy things going on even in very well known brands. I just didn’t feel comfortable creating this video without addressing my concerns. 🙂

[@Zenith_Star69]

"every" sure lol

[@wigmaster7894]

@@Zenith_Star69 name a couple good ones