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wanna get a midi controller, who knows anything about this? and any suggestions?
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| tonyhibbert321 |
| hey all, looking to buy a midi controller, under 200 euros is the budget, not sure where to start, any help appreciated! |
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| clay |
| what functions do you need? keyboard? lots of knobs and faders? or maybe dj functions like pitch bend platters etc?? and what software are you using? |
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| tonyhibbert321 |
| Hey clay, thanks for your response. I am not about any of the questions you asked, like I said I need recommendations. A keyboard would be cool, and in terms of software, I think abledon is the best? but again, my knowledge on midi's is pretty poor :p |
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| clay |
how did u figure you need a midi controller if you havent bought any software yet? do that first, use it for a year and then you will find out what you need (probably just a pianoroll). you're welcome :)
edit: ableton isnt best. nor is it worst. its good. like all the others. its a matter of taste. |
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| tonyhibbert321 |
| Thanks for your advice, well i didnt figure i needed one....i just want to buy one thats all. They look fun to use and i bet they can create good sounds. also, abledon i have only heard good stuff about, but nice to hear different opinions. do u have a midi controller? |
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| evo8 |
Decide on a sequencer first, then use it for a while. If you find youd like to move knobs/faders without using the mouse then you will probably need some kind of midi controller
I have a Korg NanoKontrol2 myself, its handy for doing a few things at the same time in Live |
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| evo8 |
| Also, midi controllers dont "create a sound" - they just send midi signals ;) |
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| TranceLover007 |
| quote: | Originally posted by tonyhibbert321
hey all, looking to buy a midi controller, under 200 euros is the budget, not sure where to start, any help appreciated! |
You need to elaborate a bit more about your expectation, what you going to use that for, any specific requirements on functionality???
If you looking for some cheap DAW surface control unit around $200.00 then look farther then Behringer BCF2000 USB/MIDI Control Desk w/ 8 Faders.
Darek |
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| clay |
| quote: | Originally posted by tonyhibbert321
Thanks for your advice, well i didnt figure i needed one....i just want to buy one thats all. They look fun to use and i bet they can create good sounds. also, abledon i have only heard good stuff about, but nice to hear different opinions. do u have a midi controller? |
ableton is good, dont get me wrong. is just a matter of taste and how you like to work on your songs which software/sequencer you should end up with. ableton is considered to be one of the most flexible ones so its a good software to try first. personally i havent been able to make any music in any other sequencers than propellerhead Reason but to be honest i dont really recomend it as it is so closed compared to others. Ableton is a safe bet, and if it doesnt work for you it has second hand resale value too (the license).
Midi controllers doesnt make sound, it just sends control signals to your synths to change parameters or just sending notes if its a midi-keyboard (either to your softsynts inside i.e. ableton or other sequencers, or to hardware synths - not recommended lol).
Yes I had a midikeyboard with additional knobs and faders (edirol) and i currently have a midicontroller consists of only faders and knobs (uc33) and to be honest i have almost not used any of them, its a waste of money as all the parameters is available from your PC-mouse just a click away - much simpler. A full size pianoroll keyboard would be useful though, to play the softsynths live instead of drawing notes like i do today. But i mostly make simple arp melodies anyway and drawing notes is much simpler than actually playing them myself so i guess i really dont need that either.
Each to his own but you need to understand what the peaces do. What you firstly need is a sequencer/software like ableton. Play with it a year and youll find out if you need anything else. |
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| tonyhibbert321 |
| hey guys, thanks for all your questions and tips....like i said though, i have no expectations, nor really any idea about midi controllers, just want to experiment thats all.....experiment with deifferent sounds and production techniques. All of your help is much appreciated, can anyone reccomend one for under 200? i have no specific requirements at all, just a cool midi controller where i can learn the basics, but that is also respectable....if thats possible :p |
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| echosystm |
I had to buy a new midi controller recently. See below for my thoughts on the ones I tried. Keep in mind I've owned an upright piano and a couple of Yamaha keyboards, so I expect a lot.
Novation Impulse
- Good keys.
- Average build quality and drum pads.
- Bad faders and knobs.
- Only 5 velocity curves, all of which REALLY suck. This made it absolutely useless for me. My ty ass Evolution keyboard from high school was better than this.
Novation SL MKII
- Good keys and knobs.
- Bad faders and drum pads.
- Build quality is average.
- More velocity curves than the Impulse, but still not a single good one. Again, this made it useless for me.
M-Audio Axiom Pro
- Good keys, velocity curves and knobs.
- Average build quality.
- Bad faders and software.
- Many have driver problems.
- Company has recently been bought out, so support is an unknown.
M-Audio Keystation
- Good default velocity curve.
- Average keys.
- Bad build quality.
- No knobs, selectable velocity curves or other features.
Roland A500 Pro
- Great build quality, key feel and velocity curves.
- Good knobs, faders, build quality.
- Bad drum pads, bad key size.
- The keys on this feel great, but they are slightly smaller than usual and it's kinda weird.
- Ports are on the side, instead of the back. This doesn't work for me.
Roland A-49
- This is similar to the A500, but without all the knobs and buttons. I think the keys are slightly larger, but still not full size.
- Build quality is great; there is hardly any horizontal movement in the keys at all.
Akai MPK
- Worst keys ever. Holy balls. Do not even think about buying this .
Behringer UMX
- Surprisingly good. I won't bother going into more detail though; it's a Behringer and You probably won't buy it, because it looks like crap.
I went with the Roland A-49. It's expensive for a basic 49 key controller, but you get Roland quality. |
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