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Comment by fil_a_del_fee_a | Hacker News Reader

I purchased the Ableton Push 2 a month or so ago and it has to be one of the most beautifully engineered pieces of equipment I have ever used. Look up the teardown video. Extremely simple, yet elegant. The Push 1 was created by Akai, and apparently Ableton wasn't satisfied, so they designed and built their own.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YItWQdJgXLs

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Push 1 is still awesome and there's a ton on the second hand market for a fraction of the price of Push 2. You get way more than you pay for at those prices.

I'm happy with mine, I like the pads and it's fine for sequencing and playing. It still receives updates and improvements.

I do like the screen on Push 2, it looks like a nice update, but you are paying a lot for that screen, so you better use it!

I also own a Maschine Mikro MkII by Native Instruments, it's my go-to machine for finger drumming beats and sonic experiments... great pads, very precise, compact and enjoyable. The Maschine software is very good, and the add-on sound packs are great quality.

Having tried both a ton before settling on the Push 2, the screen is great, but that's not why I bought it. In every way it feels better to make music on than the first Push. The pads especially are a thousand times more responsive — the Push 1's got this weird wooden feeling that never seemed to register the velocity I was going for.

I think the Push 2 is ~3x as much, and it is worth every penny.

I was shocked at how sensitive the pads are on the Push 2. A graceful brush of a finger triggers the pads. I know that sensitivity can he adjusted, but wow! I produce classic Hip-Hop / Rap music which involves sampling. The screen is insanely helpful when it comes to chopping samples.

I have been listening to some of the Maschine patches on YouTube and am very impressed.

EDIT: Wow the Mikro is very affordable!

Also a fan of the Maschine Mikro, though I don't like the Maschine software very much.

Oh man I've had mine for I think a bit over a year now and I love it so much. It really builds off the fundamentals mentioned on the first page of this shared post: you jam out little riffs and then mix and match them till you get something you like. There have been many days/nights where I've needed to do some programming on my game and instead burn 3-4 hours without realizing it because I hit a groove. It's so conducive to jamming it's unbelievable. Not to mention Ableton is a really powerful piece of software that doesn't get in your way when you're experimenting. The pairing makes it one of my absolute favorite pieces of hardware (that and my OP-1).

I am scared to get the OP-1 because it looks like TOO much fun! Yes, I find myself jamming with the Push, not really making anything in particular. The scale mode helps me as I have little music training. Ableton simply works for me. I am using Push 2 + DDJ-SR / Serato and couldn't be happier. Although Serato has a LOT to be desired (pitch shift + fx + vst support), it just SOUNDS great.

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