In depth with the Axiom MKII

If you haven’t caught our latest video on Winksound check it out to get the lowdown on the updates Avid has made to their Axiom series of controller. M-Audio is now Avid and maintains a strong reputation for affordable and functional control surfaces that fit into the studio as well as they do a live midi situation. The Axiom series is particularly versatile offering drums pads and knobs and sliders above the keyboard layout. USB bus power makes them plug and play, and the on board backlit display makes it easy to keep tabs on the Axiom in your setup.

For our video overview we met up with Winksound’s Pro Tools specialist Justin who filled us in on what’s been updated in this new series of Axiom MKII’s. The main difference is the DirectLink features which let’s you take control of your DAW with ease. When DirectLink is enabled on your Axiom MKII it automatically maps all the faders and knobs to the mixing setup in all DirectLink compatible DAW’s which include Pro Tools, Ableton, Reason, and Logic. The Axiom MKII is still completely user configurable in instrument mode letting you map it to the parameters of your favorite virtual instruments and Avid has provided downloadable controller mappings for their popular virtual instruments as well.

Justin broke these features down for us on an Axiom 49 MKII and smoothly transitioned in and out of controlling both his mix and virtual instruments in the same session. These updates are great for anyone looking for more then just a way to control instruments with their control surface without too much fuss. Being able to switch modes of this control surface makes it way easier to focus in on what you want to control in your session without reaching for the mouse too often. The direct link features are also available on the Oxygen series, also updated by Avid, and are a welcome addition to the now classic Axiom series as well.