LK - Ableton & Midi Controller Reviews

by SynthoneOperator

When you set up a chord in the chorder, it saves a different chord and it doesn't sound right. For example when I set up A0, C1, E1, G1, B1, D2, F#2, and click save preset, the pad will instead play A0, D1, B1, C2, E2, F#2, G2. From my perspective it doesn't work. The Arp doesn't sound right, and the sliders on the side for each note don't sound good either.

The email says they're gonna fix it, and it's been a while. I updated LK and it still does the same thing. It seems like such a great program, but I'm not even using it. Hopefully it get's fixed.

by Lightfish

It was nice experience,after i struggled to make it work. (Only manage to make it work once) but after I rebooted pc i never had a chance to make it work correctly. Now every time ubridge became superlaggy after my ipad pro gets connected. even moving a window will take 3-4 seconds, tho any other windows was fine, even ableton. That causes huge lag in input(around 2 seconds). When i made it work first time ubridge wasnt laggy, and latency was fine. Fix ubridge, make setup easier and will happily buy program and give you stars back

by Forrestdwlr

I was really excited about LK and downloaded it a few days ago to use with Live. My phone started to get really hot when I wasn’t using it and battery would die after a couple hours. I have a brand new iPhone X so I was thinking there is something wrong with it. I realized that LK was taking 70% of my battery. There should probably be a warning message when you download it or open LK letting you know you have to force quit it, but also, it seems like this is major flaw that should be addressed. I understand LK takes a lot of processing power but no app should take 70% of battery power when it’s running especially in the background.

by GtrGeorgeDC

I have been messing around with LK for almost a full day now; this is a fantastic idea. I’m using it in AUM, and it works really well, mostly. Occasional crashes in AUM; I have not been able to see any cause or pattern to the crashes.

Also, the workflow to get started recording a clip is somewhat tedious and should be simplified. It’s something like 3 separate steps, maybe more, that have to be done before recording is activated; this could be streamlined.

I love that LK has had AUv3 capabilities added. When it gets streamlined as mentioned above, and considerably more reliable, I’ll be sure to get back up here and rate it 5 stars.

by Jtorcaz

looks beautiful and controls work very seemlessly with ableton. they just need to fix a bug where ableton cannot select multiple tracks while using this app. i believe this is because this app is unable to select multiple tracks with Matrix. i’ve also ran into bugs where it would crash when sometimes selecting a track with the keyboard. otherwise it’d be a 5 from me, i do believe LK has a lot of potential despite these issues and would love to see these being fixed!

by J4yh4z3

If you like the Ableton workflow, you’ll really like this app. I use it to sequence in AUM. I’ve experienced crashes enough to say I would not trust this flow style in a performance setting... yet. But with every update from great devs like Imaginando my iPad Pro 2020 becomes closer to being a standalone performance beastie! Thanks guys!

by DJ Control Freak

Fantastic app. It is now my main controller for many things.
One issue I have is there is no multiple track selection and as a result overused the able to select multiple tracks. I have to close the able in order to do any multiple track editing. Small issue that’s actually really annoying on this diamond jewel of an app

by Enrique Raphaël Page Pérez

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Update # 1
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I guess my first review never went through! So my last one (the “original” I guess) seems as more of a complaint than anything else.

Let me reassure you this is a fantastic plugin and is game changing for hosts like AUM or Ape. Especially on iPad. The iPhone mistakes will hopefully be addressed soon as pointed out on the response to my past review, by Imaginando.

Consider purchasing LK if you‘ve always wished AUM, AudioBus or ApeMatrix had a more traditional “linear DAW” workflow and even more if you come from Ableton Live.

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“First” Review (after the real first one got deleted somehow):
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Dear Imaginando, please do consider turning your menus into scrollable.

As a heads-up, on iPhone XS Max using ApeMatrix I cannot access many necessary parts of the software like the bar’s length simply because the menu doesn’t fit on screen and can’t be scrolled through.

I know on iPad this might not be an issue but it’s a big one on phones, please do fix this ASAP as of right now it’s not as usable as it could be for iPhone users.

Thanks and once again, brilliant plugin with some crucial errors (that hopefully will be fixed).

by Justinojustino1245

I’m very impressed with LK. Initially I was skeptical about connectivity and how interface might work with my workflow. Been extremely pleased with how reliably it seems to work, with minimal fuss, and set up was a piece of cake. No conflicts with other controllers, also a surprise. Using app on iPad--and iPhone in a pinch--both robust.

by TuckerWrightMaris

LK is magnificent. I am currently without any music-making hardware, so the MIDI keyboard and pads features are a godsend. The latency isn’t great over WiFi but with a simple usb connection from your iPhone/iPad to your computer it works beautifully. All the features of LK are amazing and I’m stoked to start working with it. I have a small iPhone so I might have to get an iPad just for this! The potential applications for live performance are already getting me excited. Perhaps the best part is the fact that you can pay for only the features you need, so you’re not buying a $20 app with a bunch of unnecessary stuff, depending on what you’re trying to do with it. Best music production-related app I’ve seen in a very long time, highly recommended.

by Wet Food

They’ve actually done it! A clip launcher and piano roll all in Auv3 format.

A few things could stand to be ironed out slightly for optimal workflow, and hopefully they eventually add midi learn for controller support, but this really does fill a major gap in my setup.

They’re always improving their releases, even the free ones. So I have no doubt that it will only get better from here.

by Policarpo

I love that Imaginando has taken on Midi Sequencing in their suite of great apps. I’ve watched LK evolve over the last year into a great sequencer on iOS. Every update brings a great improvement to the workflow and feature set. If you’re a fan of composing in Ableton style Clips then this is LK for you.

Keep up the great work Imaginando. We love your apps👊🏼™️

by Flominton

I am using this app with Ableton Live 11 running Kontakt. I purchased the Matrix and Keyboard to run Live sound therapy sessions and so far it is working great on my old iPad 4. Eliminated the need for me to transport a MIDI controller when running around. Have not used it to record but for running live sessions it works great so far! Will keep experimenting with LK but I really like it for what I needed - a way to play clips and adjust volume on the fly. Thanks!

by BlakeErratic8

Easy connection setup (I use wifi connect) and installation. LK does the job where others (looking at you TouchAble) fail. I can finally sit at my drum set and put down takes without having to lean over/stand up to press record and change scenes. The performance potential is also huge for bringing in other instruments and sounds. Thanks for the sale!!

by Gposel

I’m a hobbiest who likes to write music and sometimes the couch is good place to do that. Now with my laptop, iPad, and this app I can get enough out Ableton that I don’t need the whole studio. This is a pretty powerful little tool and will be great for those times I feel like working on music when I’m lounging or on the road and I don’t have / want a bunch of equipment with me. So far everything works perfectly!

by Bruggie34

Took a bit to get it up and running, but it’s working great as a remote abelton live controller. However, it keeps prompting to buy each section after I already purchased. Right after I buy again, it says you already purchased and if I want to buy again for free… I click yes and it works again only to prompt again later. I hope I am not being charged multiple times.

by TimothyJV

Wrote a review when I first downloaded it and after having used it for a couple of weeks, I can honestly say it’s absolutely incredible. Use it with Ableton Live at our church to change scenes and it’s perfect. Can you guys make an update that allows color changes for the midi pads? It would be nice to section them off as they are right now only one color (yellow). If we could assign colors to the pads that would be a GAME CHANGER. Great app! Keep up the good work this app!

by Capedape

With LK I can control all kinds of things in Ableton on desktop. The really cool thing though, is LK and its recent updates had made it a must buy for working in iOS. The matrix mode is hot and being able to launch midi clips in an ableton session like view and have it generate melodic ideas and stay in scale etc is fire.

Had this for years and never wrote a review, with the new updates I had to. Looking forward to how far you guys can take this!

by Kibwe Brathwaite

To the devs; my only request is to please add a 64 pad option in the pad module. And now for the good part of the review...

I used to own an app named ControlR which was the perfect performance controller for Live. However the company folded or something and LK disappeared after I bought all the controller modules (quite upset about that). LK seems almost the same but with the added ability to control any class compliant midi device. I definitely love this.
After testing this app I'm sold on at least 3/6 modules. I really wish other developers would follow this demo-model that Imaginando uses so that it doesn't feel like it's a gamble buyingn apps. I tested the apps (this app and DRC) and used all of the features for a limited time until the prompt where I decided.
Last but not least, to those reading this and comparing to Touchable Pro; I would class this app as a performance midi controller (and then some), NOT a full interface for Ableton Live (like Touchable Pro is). I personally prefer this because I have no desire to go deep into Live from my iPad. No way.
Keep up the good work, devs. Cheers.

by NateNateNateFire

This guy is the best of three of these types of apps that I've tried... finally one that isn't full of bugs!

It however doesn't take into account some settings set in ableton, I have exclusive arm turned off in ableton, but LK arms exclusively any way. But it handles it fine when I do arm more than one track from ableton (but it turns my extra arms off when I touch any arm button in LK ). It also ignores your default clip click action - I have it set to toggle, but the tool always creates clips in trigger mode.

If you run ableton with default setting you won't notice this. Should be an easy fix for these so maybe the next version?

by Young Metroo

I downloaded LK a few months ago and have been busy, so I have not used it really at all. For the past week, my battery had been draining rapidly - going from 100% to 40% in less than 3 hours without me even using my phone. I contacted Apple Support and they told me to check the Battery Usage in settings. I was shocked to find out that this app was eating up 76% of my battery in the past 24 hours - and I hadn’t even used LK !!! I have deleted LK since that discovery and my battery has gone back to normal. I am very displeased with what happened.

by MasterProcrastinater

Easy connection setup (I use wifi connect) and installation. LK does the job where others (looking at you TouchAble) fail. I can finally sit at my drum set and put down takes without having to lean over/stand up to press record and change scenes. The performance potential is also huge for bringing in other instruments and sounds. Thanks for the sale!!

by Sirius Joker

So far I'm very impressed. I've only been tinkering with it for barely an hour, and it does way more than I was expecting: a lot more remote control over Live than I'd hoped for.

The setup was super simple and the walk through was easy to follow.

I'm just playing with it on my my iPhone, the smallest version mind you, and it's really fun and pretty cool so far.