Fabulous!!! Extremely intuitive and so easy to use. Oh, and I got 8GB of RAM from OWC today for a total of 12. Runs like a dream. Jamie

Nice one Jamie! You're really building a nice studio setup there! :) Rounik

Jamie, That is awesome! You say it is easy and intuitive to use and setup. Is it basically plug n play with automatic mapping? Does the Akai come with tutorials on how to get the most out of it with Live? Thanks! I'm only asking because I'm very interested in buying one!

Yep, just make sure your preferences identify the APC40 and you are ready to go. There are tutorials all over the place, but honestly, the manual is all you need to read. That is how easy this controller is to operate. If you wanted to remap some of the buttons to more useful parameters, you can do that too, and if ever you want the default, you just have to reset it. For example, some people map the cue button to change the tempo. Others map the track select buttons to stutter effects and anything else they can think of. It's well worth the investment. I play on it constantly... Jamie

It honestly sounds (and looks) awesome! What are your thoughts on the Novation? I know it can't control automation as well as the akai (no knobs or faders-- from what I've seen). But, is there anything specific the novation does that the APC doesn't? thanks for letting me pick your brain!

Actually coFane, I'm not really sure what the novation does besides launching clips. I haven't really looked into it that much. I just know that the moment I saw the APC40, I knew that was the one because there were so many ways to tweak parameters on the fly. I do know that if you have a really nice keyboard controller, it may be automatically mapped when ableton knows what kind it is by selecting it from the list in the controller preferences. Check it out! But definitely go with the APC40... Jamie