Recording - April 2013 - 53

MAX49 works as a monophonic keyboard
controller or MIDI-to-CV converter for MIDI
signals or data in the DAW. I tried it with my
Oberheim Xpander and Roland MC-202,
and it set up instantly and tracked like lightning. Analog bliss with modern control!
Software support
In addition to Avid Pro Tools Express and
an Akai-specific version of Ableton Live Lite,
the MAX49 has two programs for Mac and
Windows associated with its hardware: a
Vyzex patch editor/librarian, and a new
program called Akai Connect.
The Vyzex software is a great way to visually set up and modify presets on the
MAX49 without having to use the workable
but cramped front-panel LCD. As shown in
the screenshots, the software lets you set and
store all of the MAX49’s settings, quickly program Sequences, add custom names to
parameters assigned to the Touch Faders
and buttons, and offers a realtime MIDI activity window that looks much like the MPK61’s
front-panel LCD. My only gripe is that as on
the MPK, Vyzex’s patch-management system
remains very flexible but non-intuitive; it’s
supposed to safeguard your data from accidental overwriting, but misunderstanding its
functions can make you do exactly that.

Akai Connect allows users to quickly
customize mappings of the MAX49’s controls to parameters in plug-ins. Like other
programs of this type, it runs in the background as you use your DAW and creates
a “wrapped” version of whichever VST
programs you would like to use with it.
The wrapped versions appear next to the
originals in your plug-in list, marked with
[AC], and are used in your DAW just like
the originals. When you select the plug-in,
Akai Connect makes a guess at mapping
all of the MAX49 controls to plug-in parameters; you can then go in and edit the
mappings to your taste. It allows you to try
creative tricks you might not normally think
of, like assigning parameters to foot control for quick access while you play.
Many experienced DAW users will
already have a way to map parameters to
controls, and Akai Connect can be
ignored by them without harm... you don’t
have to install it if you don’t want to, and
even in use, deleting a “wrapped” version
of a plug-in is a one-click operation. But
for novices wanting to explore hands-on

plug-in control, this is a fairly non-intrusive
and user-friendly way to get started.
Final thoughts
When a controller tries to do it all for
everyone, there are going to be places
where people run into limitations that bother
them, and that was the case with me and
the MAX49. Most of my complaints are
minor and relate strictly to how I like to work
with control surfaces and/or keyboards; for
example, while I understand that its bankswitching capabilities give it a minimum of
32 “faders” and a much larger number in
Mackie Control or HUI modes, I really miss
having a dedicated ninth fader for volume
control. MPC purists will miss having 16
pads rather than 12, and I missed a couple
of the MPK61’s features left off the MAX49:
the front-panel MIDI activity display and the
backlit pitch and mod wheels.
I loved messing around with the
Sequencer, especially when connected to my
old analog gear via CV/Gate, but I found the
two-octave pitch range of each step to be a
frustrating limitation, and using Keyshift to
transpose a sequence causes the sequence to
instantly retrigger from the first step rather
than staying in sync. Also, there doesn’t
appear to be a way to flip the polarity of the

Gate output for gear that wants negativegoing gate pulses. With no more documentation available than the Quick Start Guide, I
can’t tell if I’ve just missed a setting somewhere or if these are hard-wired limitations.
Even with these matters in mind, the
MAX49 represents a remarkable step forward for keyboard control in the DAW age;
not only does it offer very flexible USB-based
control, but it happily works as a MIDI master
controller, a CV/Gate controller, and even as
a MIDI-to-CV and DAW-to-CV converter. It
plays comfortably and expressively, and its
Touch Faders point toward a new way to
think about realtime DAW control. Put all this
together, and you have a controller that lives
happily in the DAW world while respecting
the eras of analog and MIDI synths. For the
keyboard-based songwriter, the MAX49 represents a significant creative tool that should
not be overlooked.
Price: $699 ($499 street)
More from: Akai Professional,
www.akaipro.com
RECORDING April 2013

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Recording - April 2013

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