Xjam pad controller for Finger Drumming?

The ESI or Artesia Pro Xjam pad controller delivers quality in a small package. This is the first controller in over a year that gets a spot on my recommended pad controllers list, so that says something! It is not perfect though, so you better watch the video if you want to know exactly what the deal is with this thing.

Timelinks:
0:00 Intro Jam
0:22 The Xjam
0:42 Always check the latest updates!
1:03 Testing and positive thoughts
2:40 One obvious problem
4:43 Tweakability and a solution (sort of)
7:59 Pad size comparison / Portability
10:20 What to buy?

[TheQuestforGroove]

UPDATE AUGUST 2022 - 1: A new firmware seems to fix the adjacent pads problem mentioned in the video. I updated and tested and it looks like the problem is gone! 2: I did get 1 report of someone who bought an Xjam with (according to him) pads that did not respond well. As always with these new releases, it will take time to get a feel for how good quality control is and how big differences between individual devices are. Let me know in the comments if you bought one of these and how it responds!

[astropajamaland]

I got an Xjam, set it up, and it's phenomenal, especially for the price. The pad sensitivity is perfect for expressing both soft and loud velocities with ease, and the Xjam software allows me to adjust headroom per pad, which is incredible.

The problem I had with my Launchpad Pro mk3 is how freaking sensitive it is. I love how the mk3 picks up even the lightest tap, but there's no headroom whatsoever -- velocities max out at 127 with very little effort, sucking the humanity out of everything I play. Anyone else have this issue with the mk3? I wish it had headroom settings like the Xjam.

I can set up the headroom on the Xjam at just the sweet spot to express soft and loud hits really naturally within single drum rolls and drum fills. The pads aren't quite as sensitive threshold-wise as those on my Launchpad Pro, but I'll trade that for the Xjam's more natural headroom any day of the week. Haven't been able to put the thing down for the past few days.

The Xjam reminds me most of the padKONTROL, but quite smaller, which I don't mind. Easier to keep it on my desk, and still plenty playable.

I really appreciate the review, lucky I came across this video and your channel!

[towerrunner]

Finally an affordable pad controller with good sensitivity, and no nonsense. It's like an MPD218 in better quality. Thanks ESI!

[AvocadoRob]

Taking a minute to point out an excellent job keeping this updated as time passed. Not only did you pin an update but mentioned to check in the vid before you knew if there would be. Subbed!

[pommedapi]

What a nice guy and what a nice channel. Thank you for this review I am travelling as light as possible and you helped me a lot. Best !

[k_o_r_a_y]

Thank you for this recommendation. I just got mine a few days ago and with addictive drums it becomes totally addictive. The control coupled with the detailed samples of AD makes it a joy. Can’t stop drummin’ 😊

[jeyz]

I was torn between the Atom and the Launchpad X and this Xjam comes at just the right time. Thank you very much for this relevant review. 👍

[demonicsweaters]

the threshold, dynamic curve and retrigger settings are really great!

[dmanh]

I really find your explanations to be so very helpful for me to understand the midi hardware that I have already purchased such as the Maschine Mikro MK3 and how it rates compared to others like the Presonus Atom, for example. I thank you from the bottom of my heart for giving your helpful opinions on all of this drum pad hardware.

[richardpyo]

Got my hands on 3 xjams today, from my experience blind testing them and trying to figure out which one was which I can tell that there is definitely some quality control issues. The 2nd xjam was noticably better than the 1st and 3rd one during the blind testing. It's velocity sensing was much more consistent and accurate than the other 2 controllers. The adjacent pad problem doesn't seem to be an issue like the August 22 update stated, so that's good.

The other two xjams were more prone to double triggering and lagging as well so if you do decide to order an xjam it's a random luck of the draw in terms of experience.

I will be keeping the 2nd one and returning the other ones. The 2nd xjam is a very good controller and met my expectations! It's just that the 1st and 3rd xjams issues with responsiveness/accuracy make it okay for use but underwhelming when finger drumming with it. Definitely makes a difference when playing. Hope this helps!

[Azkold]

Thanks for the video! Very glad made this review and very timely. If Xjam had a BLEmidi (like Xkey) I definitely had to buy it. Big omission from manufacturer IMHO. For now I will stick to my upgraded AKAI MPD 218 and connect it to CME Uhost BLEmidi transmitter (no hearable latency at all). I have Xkey Air and its my go to keyboard for playing on the road and parks. Absolutely love it!

[effebidi]

Thanks for the review.
I like the facts it has old style repeat note and pots, which is what is just missing in the best pad controllers, for instance Launchpads and machine mikro...And I really appreciate the shortcuts labeled for hardware usage. Could be an option nowadays as a purely drum pad controller.

[samchoate]

I don't know if things are different now, but I bought a Maschine Mikro Mkiii on your recommendation and it was so frustrating trying to make it work with Pro Tools. I returned it after a day or two of troubleshooting. All I wanted it to do was behave like a regular midi controller and it wouldn't. You had to make beats and whatnot in the Maschine software then export them in some convoluted way into Pro Tools. It was a huge deal-breaker for me. I'm excited to try out the XJam and I hope I can just plug it in and it works. I need a more sensitive pad controller without all the other bells and whistles that I don't use. Thanks for the continued content creation. I'm glad to see your channel still alive and kicking!

[JeffyG]

Wow! So similar to the Akai MPD218 from 2015, which I picked up used for $50. In a way it’s complimentary to Akai. The only other thing I would like to see are some transport controls - even just 2 buttons for Play/Stop and Record would be great.

[EgoShredder]

My ideal pad controller for finger drumming would have two rows of eight pads, with room for two fingers side by side on each pad, that has no dead spots on the edges of the pad, medium soft rubber that springs back quickly, does not double trigger notes, and sensitive enough to be played with a light touch. It would have 5-pin DIN MIDI OUT but not a deal breaker as I can use a DOREMiDi USB convertor box.

[JoshElliottMusic]

Thanks for the run down on this! Looks pretty good. As for finger drumming on an iPad set up. We’re definitely there. With a decent interface and an M1 iPad there is no noticeable latency. In fact my MacBook with Ableton has more latency than my iPad set up. Motu interfaces work really well and the RME Babyface Pro FS is excellent.

[jmichell]

I love this thing. Best recommendation.

[danieljohanmusic]

great video, i was wondering about maschine mikro vs this one☺️

[BlazertronGames]

Do you know if there's any problem with the encoders? I've seen some people say they feel sluggish, but apparently it was going to be addressed in an update. I have no idea if it was fixed, though.

[sergio_tempo]

Waiting for you opinion about this device, thanks