Recording - January 2017 - 58

B Y M I K E M E T L AY

Nektar Technology Panorama P6
More controllers per square inch, with lots of built-in DAW savvy

Nektar Technology has a growing fan
base in the world of keyboard control
surfaces. Its current lineup includes powerful and highly affordable controllers in
the Impact LX and Impact GX line, but
we'd like to start by introducing our
readers to the keyboard that put Nektar
on the map: the flagship Panorama P6.
There are three Panorama controllers:
the 61-key P6, the 49-key P4, and the
Panorama P1, which puts most of the
system's features in a compact desktop
format. The Nektar approach is unique
among control surfaces, although imitators are starting to pop up here and
there, and the Panorama boxes showcase its power beautifully.

separate control shell or teach the DAW
anything beyond "Look, I've hooked up
a Nektar controller-do your stuff!"
As of now, the supported DAWs are:
Bitwig Studio, Steinberg Cubase and
Nuendo, Apple Logic Pro X and
MainStage, Cockos Reaper, and the DAW
with which the Panorama was first integrated-Propellerhead Reason. If you use a
different DAW like Avid Pro Tools, MOTU
Digital Performer, Ableton Live, PreSonus
Studio One, or Acoustica Mixcraft, you
can program the Panorama to give you a
lot of the same functions using what's
called Internal mode, but you won't get the
same smooth adaptation of the controller
to the DAW as you move around.

Integration vs. Internal
The basic idea behind Nektar controllers is simple. While they can be set
up to work as generic MIDI-over-USB
controllers, with standard MIDI Control
Change or Note assignments on every
physical control, their capabilities
explode when connected to certain
DAWs. Nektar's proprietary communications protocol is integrated with DAW
parameters so the controller becomes a
natural extension of the software, allowing for very quick and intuitive control.
Essentially, the Panorama or Impact controller feels very much like it was
designed for the DAW in question. This
DAW support is built into the keyboard
and its drivers-there's no need to run a

What you see and what you get
Even in Internal mode, the Panorama
is a fearsome controller, providing a
wide variety of controls that are either
missing or buried beneath layers of
page/menu buttons on most devices. If
you've ever complained that a keyboard
controller either (a) didn't give you the
needed performance controls for a really
smooth keyboard performance or (b)
came up short on actual controls for mixing and instrument tweaks that you could
put your hands on immediately, the
Panorama will be a bit of a revelation.
Starting all the way over on the left,
there's a dedicated set of mixer channel
controls surrounding a 100 mm motorized Alps fader. There are a variety of

RECORDING JANUARY 2017

"one fader for various tasks" desktop
controllers out there, and the Panorama
seamlessly includes one in your workflow. It's got a finer resolution than conventional MIDI controllers do (10 bits as
opposed to 7, for 1024 steps rather
than 128), making it great for parameter
automation and other mixing tasks.
There are dedicated Mute, Solo, and
Fader Automation Read/Write buttons
as well. When integrated with a DAW,
the fader's motor lets it chase current settings just as you'd expect for whatever
channel is currently selected.
Two things about the motorized fader
are worth noting. First, its motor is disabled in Internal Mode. In other words, if
the Panorama doesn't know which DAW
it's talking to, it can't chase fader automation with the motor. However, the fader is
still live and assignable, and will deliver
fine-resolution automation data. Second,
while the Panorama can be bus-powered
from whatever computer it's connected to,
the fader's motor draws power from a
separate USB connection that you attach
to a powered hub or any phone charger.
The Panorama can also function as a
standalone keyboard controller when
externally powered; there's a MIDI Out
port on the back, next to the 1/4" sustain
and expression pedal inputs.
The center of the Panorama's panel is
where the real power resides. It's divided
into four sections: the Mixer, the central
display, the Macro knobs and

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Recording - January 2017