M-Audio iControl MIDI Transport Controller
8 endless assignable rotary encoders. 7 mode buttons. Master volume fader.
Overall User Ratings (based on 6 ratings)
Submitted November 5, 2006 by a customer from hotmail.com
M-Audio iControl Customer Review
It's everything it says it is. Its a physical representation of the Garageband software interface. It makes recording that much easier (you dont have to fiddle with a mouse every 5 seconds). It was designed for Garageband 2, but works with Garageband 3 without loss of function and now works with Logic Express 7.2. Apple and M-Audio have a 'near' winner on their hands. But the major design fault, the 8 volume/pan nobs, hold it back from the gold medal. It must be remembered, its a garageband interface remote, not a 'true' mixer. Overall it was money well spent.
Features
It's perfect for Garageband based recording. I got sick of using a mouse all the time. However, the volum nob broke almost instantly - which I expected given the reviews on apples website - but the break was minor, so I have keep it as its other features are great. I would have liked the volume nobs to have been sliders/faders though. Within weeks of buying it, I upgraded to Logic Express 7.2 and thought I'd wasted my money on the iControl as its a garageband only mixer/remote. But the new version of Logic Express supports the iControl, so those who migrate from garageband can use the iControl in Logic Express without too much loss of function. What's more Logic allows you to assign functions to different buttons on the iControl. Utter brilliance! Oh it also has a midi input, why I don't know, but it was a nice addition.
Ease of Use
Its piss easy to use. You plug it in, it works! What more can I say? The greatest design aspect of it is how it closely resembles the Garageband interface - so its a physical representation of a virtual program - so cool!
Quality
It broke after 2 hours of use! But I expected that, and I must be honest, I wasn't as gentle with it as i could have been...Fiddle Fiddle. But that said, the 8-volume nobs are poorly designed, and should have been sliders/faders. Then it would totally kick arse!
Value
Reasonably priced. But like most equipment of its kind, its imported in small numbers to my country, so always costs the earth :(
The Wow Factor
From the moment I saw it, I wanted it - even with its design faults.
Musical Background:
Hobbyist
Musical Style:
Bit of everything
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Submitted May 21, 2006
"Meet Garage Band's soulmate."
Verified Customer
zZounds has verified that this reviewer made a purchase from us.
Solidly built, complete control over GarageBand, attractive to look at, simple to learn, easy to use, not one hint of problems. I have never been more satisfied with a product - and I'm 52 years old.
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