Nektar Aura Beat Composer Pad Controller - Secondhand

Full Description

Pressure-sensitive pads

Nektar have launched the Aura Beat Composer, a USB/MIDI pad featuring 16 RGB pads and a step sequencer to improve drum machine workflows in any DAW. The 16 pressure-sensitive pads can be freely configured to control multiple parts of a multi-channel drum plug-in or individual plug-ins per pad. The Nektarine 2.0 software can host up to 16 instrument plug-ins. Any presets and plug-ins can be browsed directly form the Aura Beat controller.

In plug-in mode, the rotary knobs provide instant access to parameters like pitch, decay and level. This allows for control of complex plug-ins without having to touch the mouse.

Pad repeat mode

The controller is capable of a pad repeat mode to achieve authentic dynamic rolls. When in this mode, the velocity is controlled by the pressure on a pad, allowing for build-ups and drops to be created easily. LED buttons then control the repeat rate. Whilst in this mode you can also control parameters including gate, accent interval, accent velocity offset, swing, trigger mode and clock source from the controller.

Sequencer mode

In sequencer mode, the 16 LED buttons become step buttons. Aura stores up to 16 patterns (one per pad) with up to 4 x 16 steps (4 parts at 16 steps each). These can be launched directly through the Aura in any combination. Parts and patterns can also have different lengths for polyrhythmic beats. The sequencer can also be used to control external gear via the MIDI output, with parameters including play rate, velocity, accent, gate and swing all adjustable at the step level.

Integration with your DAW

Regardless of your DAW, the controller features the seamless integration associated with Nektar products. This includes custom control protocols for Ableton Live, Bitwig, Cubase, Digital Performer, Garageband, Logic, Nuendo, Reaper, Reason, Studio One and Sonar/Cakewalk. Many crucial commands from within the DAW can be accessed from Aura’s user interface. This includes transport, track selection, navigation and more.

Included Nektarine 2.0

The Nektarine 2.0 software offers four slots for FX plugins per instrument, as well as four global send effects. The Aura controller features an FX button that lets you access these, letting you control effects parameters directly from the hardware. Nektarine 2.0 runs as a plug-in inside a DAW in AAX, AU, VST and VST3 formats, or as a stand-alone application.

Features

• 16 RGB-lit, pressure-sensitive pads and an integrated step sequencer
• Pad repeat mode for authentic dynamic rolls
• Deep integration with popular DAW's including Ableton Live, Cubase and Logic
• Includes Nektarine 2.0 software

Specifications

• Product code: NEKTAR-AURA