I'm currently looking at upgrading my midi keyboard to a midi keyboard / control surface. I'm fairly set on either an M-Audio Axiom 61 or a Novation Impulse 61. I haven't tried either and the keyboard action will be a big factor in my choice. However the other major factor will be how easy it is to get working reliably with Sonar.
 
I've had a search through the forums, and I didn't find much current definitive information on how well these units integrate, but I found enough information to get me slightly worried about it. Novation state compatibility with Sonar, but I'd be interested to know how this translates into the real world. Basically I'm after some recommendations from people who have experience getting either of these units to work with Sonar, or any alternatives worth considering. I'm on X2 at the moment, but will probably upgrade to X3 eventually.

I have an A-300pro by Cakewalk (now by Roland AFAIK) and am very pleased with it. It's integration with Sonar is near perfect.

The other thing I like about the A-300 is the number of keys. It has a few more than most small controllers that, I find, makes it a lot more useful.

if action is of a concern, I think you would be better off with a used Novation SLII, or even SLI if that better fits your budget. The keybed in the SLII is from Fatar and significantly better than either of those you mentioned.

Thanks for the responses guys.
 

jb101
I have an A-300pro by Cakewalk (now by Roland AFAIK) and am very pleased with it. It's integration with Sonar is near perfect.

The other thing I like about the A-300 is the number of keys. It has a few more than most small controllers that, I find, makes it a lot more useful.

 
I guess that should have been obvious! So I guess its fair to say for easy compatibility out of the box, this series is the way to go? I like the form factor of the A800PRO, it would fit the space I have better, although the compromise is travel / size of the controllers. I'm not too keen on the stick either.
 
I've got this thing in my head about going for a semi-weighted action, but I'm in two minds. I tried an M-Audio Keystation, its the only semi-weighted action I've tried, and it was horrendous. Not like a natural piano action in any way, it worked against you, so light playing became difficult. This is the opposite of what I'm looking for, I want something that enables a light touch. If this is what all these 'semi-weighted' actions are like, the Roland could be a real contender, because I know I'm guaranteed a good playable synth action.
 

Mystic38
if action is of a concern, I think you would be better off with a used Novation SLII, or even SLI if that better fits your budget. The keybed in the SLII is from Fatar and significantly better than either of those you mentioned.

Its a little over budget, but if the action is really special I could maybe save my pennies. Only thing is the stick again. So with the Novation, and Automap 4, can anyone confirm that if I set up Automap 4 following the instructions for Sonar X1 (which reading other posts is what you need to do) I'll get good reliable and permanent control of transport, faders etc, thats comparable to say the Roland series mentioned above?
 
I'm leaning toward Novation but I don't want to get stung by poor integration with Sonar X2. I can live with reasonable but not perfect integration, as long as it is consistent and the basics are covered.

I already have several keyboards, some weighted, some semi-weighted.  All I wanted was a smaller keyboard I could have in front of my DAW for trying out parts, and using as a controller.
 
The Cakewalk A-300 Pro fit that bill nicely, and the extra keys made it more useful than the average mini keyboard.  The action is better than most of the M-Audio/Novation types, but was not as good as the other Roland keyboards that I own.  I had the first Cakewalk A-300 in England AFAIK.  Maybe the Roland version is different.
 
It doesn't feel as plastic-y  as the other offerings, but it's certainly not up to the feel of a good weighted action, or a pro semi-weighted.
 
I use other keyboards for that, but it does feel better than anything I've tried from M-Audio or Novation.
 
YMMV, of course.

Thanks jb101. Whatever I choose will be it for me, my space is pretty tight. I'm currently using a 48 key 'Quickshot' midi controller, which is old, outdated, but perfectly sufficient for its purpose. So I want the extra octave, a little more lux action, and a lot more control of the DAW. It may well turn out that a good synth action is all I can afford, if the cheap semi-weighted actions are all a wash.

In that case I would seriously consider the A-500Pro.

I like my A-800Pro, but there are things you might want to know before making your decision:

- understanding how A-Pro itself, A-Pro Editor and A-Pro Control Surface Plugin work isn't easy
- the dynamic pads aren't good for drumming (I don't use them for drumming so it's not a problem for me)
- aftertouch sensitivity/curve isn't good (I use an expression pedal for modulation, etc. so it's ok with me) 
- the black and white keys have slightly different velocity sensitivity at the velocity value of around 120 and above (due to the material used for key chassis, but I've never heard anyone else mention this so you probably won't notice it)
- the keys are somewhat shorter than those of the standard keyboard (would've been nice if the standard size had been adopted but I'm ok with this size)

Hope that helps

Jlien X
Hope that helps

 
No it doesn't! Arrrrgh! (This morning I wasn't even thinking of the A800, now its become the front runner) I had wondered how practical the pads would be.
 
So do I need to understand how the control surface works? Shouldn't it work out of the box on Sonar? I'm a programmer, so I can get my head around this stuff, but when I'm recording I really hate getting that granular with the technology. I like it all to just work for me, as much as possible. I'm expecting a bit of a fight with the M-Audio or Novation, but I would have thought the Roland option would be hassle free?

I have the A 300 and like it when working with tracks, but have some trouble getting it to work with synths.  I have tried ACT and midi learn and they don't always work.  Sounds like I might need to explore the editor a little more.  
 
Check out Cakewalk Keyboard Controllers & Sound Modules forum for some helpful posts on all the A Pro Keyboards.