Nektar Pacer Review: MIDI Controller Bought and Tested

At the time of writing this review, Nektar was making the Pacer available for about $230 new, which is an extremely reasonable and inviting price tag, especially compared to units like the Voodoo Lab Ground Control and Roland FC-300. We think this asking immediately makes the Pacer a high-value option, even if limited to the most basic MIDI controller tasks.

But the Pacer is actually a fairly involved MIDI pedal, able to handle the rigors of guitar rig control and/or DAW control.

For our Nektar Pacer review, we unboxed the unit and tested it ourselves with the following devices:

• Walrus Audio ACS1 with MIDI port (presets and amp selection)
• Old Behringer rack effects unit (Modulizer pro)
• Ableton Live Lite

While the Pacer is marketed as a DAW MIDI controller, it's actually not that different from most floor-based MIDI controllers on the market. The DAW control side is actually a secondary functionality with the floor pedals, allowing you to invoke functions like play or record, directly from the Pacer. 

In preset mode, those same pedals can be programmed to different effects, depending on which devices you're pairing it with.

To test the Pacer, we connected an old Behringer Modulizer rack effects unit and the Walrus Audio ACS1 pedal.

Read the full review: Walrus Audio ACS1

Here's a quick summary of what type of gear the Pacer is compatible with:

What does it work with?

• MIDI Compatible Guitar Pedals
• Rack effects units
• DAW and studio software

With any MIDI controller, the exact nature of functionality is going to vary depending on what exactly you're trying to control. But generally speaking, the Pacer can control things like effects presets, bypass buttons, settings parameters, and even expression pedal functionality.

Ease of Use

In some ways, the Nektar Pacer is pretty easy to use.

For example, when I set it up with my Behringer effects unit, it automatically mapped effects to the preset buttons. If I wanted to change them, I simply went into the preset/programming mode and changed them to the corresponding MIDI numbers.

For a quick preset programming tutorial, I found that this guy's video was the most helpful:

To use the more advanced functionality of the Pacer, you might need to spend a little time in the user manual. There are multiple layers of presets, giving you 24 total, and the functionality of the footswitches will change depending on what mode you're in.

It's also important to note that there are setups for more popular MIDI-capable effects units, like the Line 6 Helix and Kemper Profiler. 

For me, there was definitely a bit of a learning curve figuring out what this pedal was capable of and how to use the simpler aspects of it. Because all I really wanted to do was control presets on my pedals and move through my rack effects processor. 

After a little work and research up front, it got a lot easier. 

How to Setup with Pedals

As I've already mentioned, any MIDI compatible pedal can be controlled by the Pacer. In order to assign presets, you'll need to lookup the MIDI numbering in the pedal's documentation, usually in the user manual.

Take the Walrus Audio ACS1, for example. Here's a shot of the MIDI page in the back of the manual:

Since the ACS1 has the capability of setting and saving presets, you can use the Pacer to cycle through those presets. You can also use it to control parameters like bass, gain, or even the speaker cab selection switch.

Your control will depend on the pedal in question, so just make sure to keep user manuals handy (or download the PDF) so you can check documentation for the pedal you want to control.

Working with a DAW

Through a USB connection, the Pacer can also be used to manipulate DAW software, which is especially handy if you need to do so while keeping your hands free. For our Nektar Pacer review, we only tested the basics of this feature, like using the play, record, and tracking buttons.

Even with the DAW compliance, we'd still recommend this unit for a guitar player since it's the floorboard style MIDI controller.

For more comprehensive DAW control, we might recommend a keyboard-based MIDI controller or something like the Ableton Push.

But for basic functionality, the Pacer can definitely give you a fair amount of controller over your studio software, all from a floorboard that can be controlled by your feet.

Build Quality

The Pacer feels really heavy in your hands, and isn't something you'll want to move around much. Buttons are heavy and a bit difficult to press down with your hands. If nothing else, it's durable and not likely to break. We didn't move it around much, so it's not clear to us how scratch resistant the unit is, but the metal exterior seems strong enough to withstand any likely bruises or bumps that might occur. 

Value

At $230 retail, the Nektar Pacer is one of the more affordable MIDI controllers on the market, especially when compared to something like the Voodoo Lab Ground Control, which usually retails around $430.

While there are certain aspects of the Pacer that are designed for non-guitar use, it does enough for both the guitar player and the DAW user to have value in both contexts.

Finding a MIDI controller with this level of functionality at a similar price tag is going to be rare.

Is it a good fit for guitar players?

Some guitar players might be turned off by the emphasis on DAW control, but this wasn't really an issue for me when I tested it. As a guitar player, the DAW functionality didn't take away from what it could do for my guitar rig.

It just depends on what mode you use: Track or preset.

For me, I mostly depend on a MIDI controller simply for controlling presets, but if I ever wanted to use the DAW functionality, it's there. 

So I would certainly recommend this unit to guitar players, if for just the preset control and great price.

How We Tested It

To this point in my Nektar Pacer review, I've already covered most of the details of the setup I used to test the unit, but I'll do a quick summary for those skimming and to pull it all together.

Since I am first and foremost a guitar player, my priority was to test the Pacer for controlling effects presets.

As mentioned, I did this using a Behringer rack effects processor and the Walrus Audio ACS1. 

I powered the Pacer via USB (also allowed me to test DAW functionality), and ran the MIDI connection straight into the two effects units. From there I ran my PRS CE 24 electric guitar through my regular pedalboard and a Mesa Rectoverb combo amp. Note that the MIDI controller simply controls the effects units and does not need to be part of the audio signal between my guitar and amp.

This setup allowed me to test all the basic functionality of the Nektar Pacer, which significantly improved the flexibility of my guitar rig.

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