Nektar announces "PACER" Hands-free DAW and MIDI Control

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EnochLight
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17 Apr 2018

Hmmmm..........

http://www.nektartech.com/pacer-midi-da ... oller.html

Nice they're launching a new product, but goddamit Nektar - just release an updated Panorama series already!!!!


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17 Apr 2018

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joeyluck
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18 Apr 2018

EnochLight wrote:
17 Apr 2018
Hmmmm..........

http://www.nektartech.com/pacer-midi-da ... oller.html

Nice they're launching a new product, but goddamit Nektar - just release an updated Panorama series already!!!!
Would be great to see a P1 with motorized faders.

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amcjen
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18 Apr 2018

Hmm, I mean, I get the foot controller benefit, and it’s cool to see a Kemper Profiler...profile on there. But for $229?

The Behringer FCB1010 I believe can do most of what this can, and has two expression pedals to boot, at about half the price. I had my 1010 set up to automatically record new takes in Live (back when I fiddled with live looping of guitar in Ableton).

But maybe it’s really useful? Does it have deep Reason integration like the Panorama does?

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Carly(Poohbear)
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18 Apr 2018

joeyluck wrote:
18 Apr 2018
EnochLight wrote:
17 Apr 2018
Hmmmm..........

http://www.nektartech.com/pacer-midi-da ... oller.html

Nice they're launching a new product, but goddamit Nektar - just release an updated Panorama series already!!!!
Would be great to see a P1 with motorized faders.
It would be great if all of the P series had fully mortorized faders. (silly thing is I don't have that one motorized fader plugged in my P4, never had a need to use that, but the other faders that is a different matter all together).

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EnochLight
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18 Apr 2018

amcjen wrote:
18 Apr 2018
Hmm, I mean, I get the foot controller benefit, and it’s cool to see a Kemper Profiler...profile on there. But for $229?

The Behringer FCB1010 I believe can do most of what this can, and has two expression pedals to boot, at about half the price. I had my 1010 set up to automatically record new takes in Live (back when I fiddled with live looping of guitar in Ableton).

But maybe it’s really useful? Does it have deep Reason integration like the Panorama does?
It's supposed to have native DAW support (read: Reason), but I'm not sure if that's just using the Mackie Control protocol or indeed having a "deep" control integration. Hoping some reviews will come out that look into this more.

joeyluck wrote:
18 Apr 2018
Would be great to see a P1 with motorized faders.
Carly(Poohbear) wrote:
18 Apr 2018
It would be great if all of the P series had fully mortorized faders. (silly thing is I don't have that one motorized fader plugged in my P4, never had a need to use that, but the other faders that is a different matter all together).
I would just be happy to have a nicer build - the same pads on the new LX+ series, an actual modern display that has high resolution graphics and refreshed "updated" take on the Panorama OS/DAW integration. I'm even resigned to give up hope of getting a full 16 pads - just give me at least 8 and make them the same quality as the superior LX+ series!

More motorized faders would indeed be nice, but I'd just like to have higher quality faders and pots. Compared to the newer Akai and NI Komplete Kontrol knobs/faders, the Nektar feels absolutely cheap/toy. :( And more LED's - the pots and buttons should all be RGB LED's. This is 2018, for chrissake!
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fieldframe
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19 Apr 2018

I actually like the way the Panorama series handles faders enough (showing current state on the screen and using "catch" behavior) that I don't think adding a full set of motorized ones would be worth the expense (which would be significant).

What I really would like to see, however, more than a fancier screen, more than LED rings, even more than better pads, is high-res encoders. I've come to rather dislike the encoder acceleration behavior on the Panorama, and the 1:1 setting is too imprecise. I want encoders that are as sensitive as the pots on my Roland JP-8080: I want to be able to go smoothly from 0 to 255 while only turning the knob 270 degrees.

In fact, does anyone know of a MIDI controller that has encoders like that?

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joeyluck
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19 Apr 2018

fieldframe wrote:
19 Apr 2018
I actually like the way the Panorama series handles faders enough (showing current state on the screen and using "catch" behavior) that I don't think adding a full set of motorized ones would be worth the expense (which would be significant).

What I really would like to see, however, more than a fancier screen, more than LED rings, even more than better pads, is high-res encoders. I've come to rather dislike the encoder acceleration behavior on the Panorama, and the 1:1 setting is too imprecise. I want encoders that are as sensitive as the pots on my Roland JP-8080: I want to be able to go smoothly from 0 to 255 while only turning the knob 270 degrees.

In fact, does anyone know of a MIDI controller that has encoders like that?
Well the faders on the Behringer X32 and their X-Touch controllers are plenty nice and they still keep the cost down.
If the faders can't be motorized, I feel I'm better off using my trackpad and looking at my MacBook screen.

If I'm ever going with non-motorized faders, then the controller needs to bring something to the table to justify it, like being battery powered and bluetooth capable, like the Korg NanoKontrol Studio.
https://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail ... rol-studio

Then I could justify it, thinking, "Ok well I guess they can't have motorized faders and at the same time have the controller be wireless."

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EnochLight
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19 Apr 2018

joeyluck wrote:
19 Apr 2018
Well the faders on the Behringer X32 and their X-Touch controllers are plenty nice and they still keep the cost down.
To be fair, Behringer (Music Group) can afford to be cheaper because they manufacture their motorized faders in-house. There's just no physical way Nektar could afford to meet that cost, short of buying their own manufacturing line - but their product catalog is too small to finance something like that (whereas Behringer/Music Group makes hundreds of products).

Fun fact: Behringer motorized faders are actually pretty decent quality. They use Mabuchi motors and are rated up to 300,000 cycles. If you were to buy them as replacements, they come with a 3 year warranty (which is pretty great for electronics)!
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sublunar
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19 Apr 2018

As I stated in the previous thread (viewtopic.php?f=12&t=7506205), this is something I could really use as a I often find myself hunched over with my guitar in one hand, working the mouse with another while trying to not poke holes in my monitors or dent the headstock. I definitely want this!

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EnochLight
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19 Apr 2018

sublunar wrote:
19 Apr 2018
As I stated in the previous thread (viewtopic.php?f=12&t=7506205), this is something I could really use as a I often find myself hunched over with my guitar in one hand, working the mouse with another while trying to not poke holes in my monitors or dent the headstock. I definitely want this!
Ah crap - didn't see that thread. :o
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sublunar
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19 Apr 2018

EnochLight wrote:
19 Apr 2018
sublunar wrote:
19 Apr 2018
As I stated in the previous thread (viewtopic.php?f=12&t=7506205), this is something I could really use as a I often find myself hunched over with my guitar in one hand, working the mouse with another while trying to not poke holes in my monitors or dent the headstock. I definitely want this!
Ah crap - didn't see that thread. :o
I will try to forgive you.

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EnochLight
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19 Apr 2018

sublunar wrote:
19 Apr 2018
I will try to forgive you.
Heh, well, to be fair - it looks like I wasn't the only one who missed it. :puf_bigsmile: I wonder if PSoames will chime in...
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PSoames
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23 Apr 2018

EnochLight wrote:
19 Apr 2018
sublunar wrote:
19 Apr 2018
I will try to forgive you.
Heh, well, to be fair - it looks like I wasn't the only one who missed it. :puf_bigsmile: I wonder if PSoames will chime in...
It's the message that matters, not the messenger. ;)

I think you and I Dylan, are on the same page in respect to Nektar.

I'm not particularly impressed with build quality, although my P4 has been more than serviceable for many years and I've never had a problem with it. I continue to be disappointed with on-going support, particularly as Reason integration was the main reason for buying it in the first place and am very much keeping a keen eye on Native Instrument's Kontrol keyboards as they offer better integration with Komplete and of additional interest to me, Maschine.

In respect to Pacer, whilst at first it looks interesting, I think for the time being I'm going to stick with my Behringer FCB1010 for all it's faults. As amcjen, says, the Pacer it is quite pricey and expression pedals are not included.

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Carly(Poohbear)
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23 Apr 2018

PSoames wrote:
23 Apr 2018
I continue to be disappointed with on-going support, particularly as Reason integration was the main reason for buying it in the first place
They have continued to support it and have released new maps (there was a period where they seamed to go quiet) and when VST's came out they introduced the new grab functionality.

We our selves also keep the mappings up to date, last count was about 700 full maps and over 2200 grab maps.


PoohBear

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
My Youtube channel https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCqCNsA ... p4cQF4j-8A
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
My Soundcloud Page ....... Nektar Mappings
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PSoames
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23 Apr 2018

Carly(Poohbear) wrote:
23 Apr 2018

We our selves also keep the mappings up to date, last count was about 700 full maps and over 2200 grab maps.
Yes, and you are to be thanked for that. The immense work you have done has for me, extended the life of the keyboard and I suspect, had it not been for that, my keyboard of choice would be sporting a different brand name.

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EnochLight
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23 Apr 2018

Carly(Poohbear) wrote:
23 Apr 2018
They have continued to support it and have released new maps (there was a period where they seamed to go quiet) and when VST's came out they introduced the new grab functionality.

We our selves also keep the mappings up to date, last count was about 700 full maps and over 2200 grab maps.

PoohBear
PSoames wrote:
23 Apr 2018
Yes, and you are to be thanked for that. The immense work you have done has for me, extended the life of the keyboard and I suspect, had it not been for that, my keyboard of choice would be sporting a different brand name.
I wanted to echo this - much thanks to Carly for all of the hard work he's put into this. It most certainly extended the life of my Panorama (especially for the long periods of time Nektar goes dark).
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sublunar
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04 Aug 2020

I finally got a Pacer and since I seem to be the only person on the internet who bought one of these to use in Reason, I figured I'd provide a little review here.

First impressions are that it's large and heavy. It feels solid enough to use as a weapon if the need arose. The switches are firm and seem to be on the same level as your average guitar amp channel switcher. Build quality is good. My only concerns are the rotary push button and the LCD screen.

When I initially plugged it in, I couldn't figure out how to use it. The main user manual is really light on DAW integration details and makes it seem like it should just work-except it didn't. There's a preset button that seemed to change modes if you held it in for 2 seconds. No matter what mode I was in, it didn't do what I wanted it to. I spent longer than I care to admit dicking around with presets and planning to have to manually map MIDI CC messages and whatnot. Then I remembered auto-detect inside Reason. That didn't work. Manually setting it as a controller also failed.

Desperate, I went to Nektar's website, located support and began trying to find software downloads. I found the list of compatible DAWs and nearly made it to the end before finally seeing Reason in the list. I registered and downloaded the goods. One of the items was Reason Support files and the other was a PDF instruction manual and a firmware update. Once I installed the Reason Support files and re-ran auto-detect, it finally worked!

You get full transport control as well as the ability to move up or down the tracks, arm/disarm/etc along with a few other things. Looks like there's even an undo option, which is one of the must haves IMO.

The Pacer seems to be capable of doing a lot of MIDI stuff. Maybe I'll dig deeper into it at some point down the road. Literally all I wanted was a footswitch to: Record/stop/play/undo. I was tired of hunching over with my guitar in one hand hitting CTRL+ENTER with the other while trying not to bash my headstock into everything. So, for my intended use, it's merely a convenience item and not a necessity. And for that reason it feels like a fairly expensive convenience. But I'm working on finishing an album and possibly playing at certain events and for this reason the purchase was finally justified. Overall, it seems to do exactly what I was hoping it would do, it seems quite solid and it is so nice being able to record hands-free now. Granted, it doesn't get you completely away from the mouse and keyboard when you're switching projects, etc and muscle memory needs to be re-trained on the new workflow.. but I'm pretty happy with it. 4.5/5

EDIT: Let's see if this link works. I uploaded the Pacer Reason integration guide to my site here: http://sublunar.info/other/PacerSetupGu ... -MacOS.pdf

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MrFigg
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15 Jul 2021

I just saw this pedal board on Thomann for the first time. If I’d known I’d probably wouldn’t have bought the Nektar sustain pedal and got this instead. Looks pretty good and that together with my T4 and the Reason integration could be a lot of fun. I just sold a guitar yesterday to a guy at work so…hmmm. Time to read some more reviews.
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MrFigg
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15 Jul 2021

Anybody tell me if the pedals are momentary only or if they can be set to latch?
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littlejam
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15 Jul 2021

hello,

joey luck also says yes to this pedal controller over the behringer because of the build quality
and it has inputs for more switches and 2 expression pedals

i am waiting for b&h or guitar center to get both the controller and the expression pedals in at the same time here in nyc
in case anything goes wrong, i can just jump on the subway and return the stuff in person

if i am correct, the nektar pacer can max out with 14 switches (with 'y' cables in the back) and 2 expression pedals
that is groovy

and then pair that up with the 'korg nanokontrol'
supergroovy

it would be neat to see if any reason users are using this controller

cheers and eat well,

j
littlejamaicastudios
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reason 10 / reaper / acidpro /akai mpk mini / korg padkontrol / axiom 25 / radium 49
'i get by with a lot of help from my friends'

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MrFigg
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15 Jul 2021

littlejam wrote:
15 Jul 2021
hello,

joey luck also says yes to this pedal controller over the behringer because of the build quality
and it has inputs for more switches and 2 expression pedals

i am waiting for b&h or guitar center to get both the controller and the expression pedals in at the same time here in nyc
in case anything goes wrong, i can just jump on the subway and return the stuff in person

if i am correct, the nektar pacer can max out with 14 switches (with 'y' cables in the back) and 2 expression pedals
that is groovy

and then pair that up with the 'korg nanokontrol'
supergroovy

it would be neat to see if any reason users are using this controller

cheers and eat well,

j
Maybe when it arrives you could let me know if the pedals can latch?
La
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littlejam
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15 Jul 2021

hello,

i don't know what 'latching' means with a pedal controller
it's one reason why i got in on this thread

so someone smarter than me can explain it

it's something to research
pg 13 of the pdf manual

Relays - Connecting and Programming
The 4 relays can be used to switch amp settings such as channel, reverb, tremolo – or in fact any other function that requires a standard
footswitch. That includes acting as a sustain pedal for a keyboard. Pacer has 2 TRS 1/4“ jack sockets which each connect to two relays. To
use both relays on one socket, you will need to connect a Y-splitter cable with one TRS 1/4“ jack at one end split to two TS 1/4“ jacks at the
other end. This type of cable is commonly known as an “insert cable” and should be easy to find. If you connect a standard TS 1/4“ cable,
only one of the relays on a socket (R1 and R2) will be working.
Programming a switch to control a relay works the same way as any other message type. This is described on the previous pages.
• In the TYPE menu, select “RELAY” and press the [Data Encoder].
• Next select “MODE” and press the [Data Encoder].
• Move the [Data Encoder] to scroll through the 3 options: Normally Open (nO), Normally Closed (nC], and Latching (Lt)*.
• Press the [Data Encoder] to revert to the top level menu.
• Move the [Data Encoder] to “SELECT”.
• Press the [Data Encoder] and move it to chose one of the relays 1–4.
* “Normally Open” and “Normally Closed” function like footswitches that are either open or closed when the pedal is pressed and then
revert to their default state upon release. The two options determine the polarity. If you want a behavior that alternates the open/closed
state with each press, choose “Latching”.


'latching' is mentioned twice, above

mentioned again on page 17
mentioned again on page 18

if you search for 'nektar pacer pdf manual'
it is right there to download


cheers,

j
littlejamaicastudios
i7 2.8ghz / 24GB ddr3 / Quadro 4000 x 2 / ProFire 610
reason 10 / reaper / acidpro /akai mpk mini / korg padkontrol / axiom 25 / radium 49
'i get by with a lot of help from my friends'

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MrFigg
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15 Jul 2021

Latching is like like what a guitar effect stompbox does. You press it once to turn it on and then again to turn it off. Momentary means that it turns on when you press your foot down and then off again when you release your foot.
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MrFigg
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16 Jul 2021

Sooooo…I wrote to Nektar and asked a couple of questions. As usual their Customer services got back to me straight away with helpful and friendly advice. Seriously best Customer Service ever. Anyway now I’ve bought one. Woohoo!!!!
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