Nektar Panorama P1

I have been looking for something like this for a very long time! -As a long time Cubase user I have been frustrated by the lack of feel when adjusting EQ, VSTis etc. Theres something not as instant or usable as twiddling knobs - The P1 handles this in a very elegant fashion. EQ is now 'twidlleable' to your hearts content and is so much easier to adjust in realtime, The VSTis, especially the synths are far more versatile than their small feature set would indicate when you can tweak and hear the effect straight away.The bright sharp colour screen is very useful and provides excellent feedback on the state of the active controls. Having the illuminated, dedicated transport buttons is great and almost worth the price on its own! As a Reason user this device also transforms some of the more inaccessible functions on Maelstrom and Thor open and reactive. I've created more new sounds from these since I bought the P1 than in the many years previously that I owned Reason!

Because of its versatility the P1 takes some getting used to - some of the functions involve the use of function and tab keys but these become 2nd nature after a while. The manuals online take you through various learning processes (although the font is a little small and I cant see a way to conveniently print them out) and it is definitely essential to go through them all - unlike many devices there is a lot you may miss without them!

Build quality is excellent - the knobs and faders feel great and as the finish it sooo black and shiny they have thoughtfully including a cleaning cloth!

All in all a great device and as other programs are added it can only get better!