I wrote this last week at some point and got a little verbose. Was clearing out open files in Sublime Text 3 today and came back across this. I hope it helps someone out.
Well so you can MIDI-route just about any device on the market & the cost runs the full gamut, so you'll have to figure out your budget & what you like best. Here are some thoughts/tips/whatever:
Native Instruments
I have mixed feelings about Native Instruments—a company who consistently puts out popular products & top-notch audio, yet oddly is deficient in user interfaces, particularly in the collaboration department—but regardless, Maschine is powerful, successful & cool as a product line. It's worthy of attention, even if it comes attached to a hefty $1,000+ price tag.
- NI Maschine Studio ($1000) – redesigned, sleek look & colors (matches Maschine 2.0 & iMaschine 2), & those two 480x272 rez full-color displays are a step up from the monochrome game. This isn't entry-level though, so be ready for the serious investment into the Native Instruments “ecosystem”, as it were.
- NI Maschine Mk2 ($500) → a reasonable compromise between the Studio version & the Mikro, though you obviously have less control & visual feedback to the Studio. Maybe buy it used or a refurb so you can recoup your purchase if you decide to dump it quickly.
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NI Maschine Mikro ($350) → Pros: good value for Maschine 2.0, 6GB of samples, Komplete Elements + Massive. Cons: No faders, knobs, or sliders on the hardware… This is not a bad option if you're pairing it up with other hardware controllers that provide you with some of the missing hardware.
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Arturia SparkLE → Built in Sound Engine that does physical modeling. Small hardware controller. Color looks prone to dirt like the Korg M3. Not my thing, but if it inspires you… I also just don't care for step sequencers.
Then there's Ableton (Live, Push, & Link)
- Ableton Push 2 ($800) → try to find one in good condition used, perhaps… $800 is steep
- Or get an older, used Push 1 → probably for around $250 on Craigslist
- Novation Launchpad S / Launchpad Mini ($100 - $150) → these are built much more cheaply, but it's hard to beat the bang for the buck
Ultimately if you're a Live Fanatic, it's hard to beat the Push in terms of all if offers for building tracks in live. It has some interoperability with other apps & software, but it's not the friendliest either. It's almost like it can't help the MIDI part, & so reluctantly half works with things programmed to accept incoming MIDI.
KORG
- Korg PadKONTROL → this looks impressive, even if smaller in form factor & function. It's easily assignable, evidently, & from the hardware-side, allowing you to quickly cycle through MIDI notes/ranges to assign each trigger whatever you so desire to control specific hardware. So it works with virtually any software, synth, app, or VST/AU on the market, in a tight form-factor & with a reasonable price tag.
- They have other offerings I believe, but the padKONTROL does look really nice if you're interesting in using it with multiple platforms/apps. I compare Korg to Alesis, Yamaha, and Roland… each has their own thing I'm sure, but if I recall correctly, Alesis and Roland both moved away from finger-drumming and more into the world of electronic drums some years ago. Doesn't look like much has changed there.
In the AKAI world…
| Akai MDP218 |
Akai MDP 226 |
Akai MDP 232 |
| $100 |
$200 |
$300 |
| 16 pads |
16 vel-sens. pads |
16 vel-sens. pads |
| 48 pads via 3 banks |
64 pads via 4 banks |
64 pads via 4 banks |
| 18 knobs |
4 faders, 4 knobs, 4 buttons |
8 faders, 8 knobs, 8 buttons |
| assignable controls? |
36 controls via 3 banks |
72 controls via 3 banks |
The smaller version (218) has limited MPC FX, too—to wit: just “Note Repeat” and “Level”—whereas the other two version have “Classic MPC Note Repeat, MPC Swing, 16 Level, Full Level and Tap Tempo”. However, the smallest version doesn't need any power beyond USB; the other two need dedicated power.
MIDI Fighter
Also there's MIDI Fighter, which is really cool in that it's built with authentic Japanese arcade machine buttons: http://www.midifighter.com/ I really wanna scoop one of these up myself soon.
DIY Options
Or you could also roll your own, DIY-style:
Submitted January 31, 2017 at 05:20PM by disule https://www.reddit.com/r/edmproduction/comments/5rap1f/in_response_to_those_asking_about_midi_controller/?utm_source=ifttt
Javier Rodriguez
Tuesday, January 31, 2017