Midi Keyboard Controller?

acman

Any suggestions on which midi keyboard controller I should invest in (using a mac with logic 8).

Thanks in advance for your input!
Acman

ICN

Personally - I've got this..

Edirol PCR300 http://www.musicstore.com/en_EN/IEP/Edirol-PCR-300-USB-MIDI-Keyboard-Controller/art-SYN0002930-000

I've rarely used the extra controls within Logic.. apart from assigning one Pot from time to time with something in Reaktor while I tweak it.

For automation, I find it more precise to be precise & draw it in.


TBH, I only wanted it for the crossfader. Its great with Traktor & Ableton.

Its got plenty of Pot / faders & buttons. Its also got a mapping template system.. which is good for jamming with synths in Stand Alone mode.. though I dont do that as often as I would like either, but its still a great feature.

PaulBrewer

acman wrote: »

Any suggestions on which midi keyboard controller I should invest in (using a mac with logic 8).

Thanks in advance for your input!
Acman

More info ACman !

How much you want to spend? How many keys ? Weighted/unweighted ? Live or studio ...

jtsuited

get the cheapest you can possibly get. they're all much of a muchness and the more expensive 'quality' ones (like the axioms etc.) aren't worth the extra money. Thomann used to do their own Swissonic make of keyboards and I had one. Did the job perfectly.

crowdcontrol

Posh and compact!
http://www.dv247.com/invt/32482/

Proper posh, I want one myself...
http://www.dv247.com/invt/32487/

Cheep as chips but would do, amazing value for what ur getting....
http://www.dv247.com/invt/56725/

partyatmygaff

If you got the space, A very old used digital piano with MIDI does the job perfectly and even better if its something with good voices anyways.

CAN be cheaper sometimes and has the benefits of 88 full sized wooden weighted keys like a real piano.

Crap if you hate weighted keys but not many do.

flyswatter

I have this one which does the job perfectly. It's pretty affordable too.

http://www.thomann.de/ie/maudio_oxygen_8_v2.htm

ICN

flyswatter wrote: »

I have this one which does the job perfectly. It's pretty affordable too.

http://www.thomann.de/ie/maudio_oxygen_8_v2.htm

Yeah.. Thats a perfect choice!

thebookofbob

>>get the cheapest you can possibly get.

Behringer umx 25.. is still working perfectly after 3 years of getting kicked, punched , dropped , stood on by my daughter, thrown around by turkish baggage handlers ( same one's that robbed my CD Wallet probably ).. Covered in beer , Cider & Candlewax on many occasions

Does everything I need it to do, has enough knobs to map to things, was cheap and plastic & is still my preferable choice for jamming beats into Cubase using battery..

Proof there's no need to spend a fortune on some of the controllers that are the price of synths these days

jiltloop

I think any of the m-audio oxygen keyboards are great. I've got the 49 key version and it does exactly what it says on the tin and it was quite reasonable at €129 new in x-music. You could probably even pick one up on adverts for €70-€80.

acman

Thank you all so much for the replies...from what I gather they are really all a much of a muchness (after all, its just a controller, not a synth) so I think i will go with the Behringer umx 25.

Anything else i should know before i go ahead with the purchase?

Thanks again all!

franklyshocked

ICN wrote: »

Personally - I've got this..

Edirol PCR300 http://www.musicstore.com/en_EN/IEP/Edirol-PCR-300-USB-MIDI-Keyboard-Controller/art-SYN0002930-000

TBH, I only wanted it for the crossfader. Its great with Traktor & Ableton.

Is this what they call cracking a wallnut with a sledgehammer?

Beauty of a keyboard man. Its the jealousy speaking

franklyshocked

ICN wrote: »

Yeah.. Thats a perfect choice!

Got one recently. Excellent. Its great to get that tactile feel back into my work. I'm very limited by budget and this really was the best value for money.
It may be small and limited but they say its still the best selling midi keyboard on the market.

Stab*City

i have one of these was cheap as chips and does the job!! no issues whatsoever..

http://www.esi-audio.com/products/keycontrol25/

i have one of these aswell for ableton djing

http://www.behringer.com/EN/Products/BCD2000.aspx

Does the job too!!

But i really really want one of these

http://www.ableton.com/touch

subnation

Check the Akai MPD32 - used this, serious bang for buck! About €250.

rayzercork

im using a behringer umx61, only use it for testing out ideas and dont usually bother with the faders etc. gets the job done for me

empirix

i would have to disagree and say get the best one you can afford, i use an Akai mpk49, mostly with rack mount synths and have to say its the shizzle, i used to have an axiom which i thought was great until i got the Akai. Quality counts in this game!

rayhartjnr

novation sl mkII all the way!

paulelectronica

rayhartjnr wrote: »

novation sl mkII all the way!

i was just going to say that . i myself have the korg micro kontroll but im looking to getting the sl mk2 without keys purely for the automapping

rayhartjnr

paulelectronica wrote: »

i was just going to say that . i myself have the korg micro kontroll but im looking to getting the sl mk2 without keys purely for the automapping

automap isn't all it's cracked up to be...

it does integrate well with logic 8 except for controlling the mixer and I think it don't work with ableton and possibly other DAWs but it might work with logic 9 maybe.

I think it's something like automap only works with external plug-ins so it won't control synths and stuff that are built in to your DAW (i think).

anyway if ya do out manual maps for it it's just as good and it's still the best controller in its price range.

zilvinasb

thebookofbob wrote: »

>>get the cheapest you can possibly get.

Behringer umx 25.. is still working perfectly after 3 years of getting kicked, punched , dropped , stood on by my daughter, thrown around by turkish baggage handlers ( same one's that robbed my CD Wallet probably ).. Covered in beer , Cider & Candlewax on many occasions

Does everything I need it to do, has enough knobs to map to things, was cheap and plastic & is still my preferable choice for jamming beats into Cubase using battery..

Proof there's no need to spend a fortune on some of the controllers that are the price of synths these days

I have the same one, i agree with you Very good choice.

electrogrimey

There's a hoard Oxygen 8s on Ads for €50 if you want to save €40/50 snoots?

jimi_t

electrogrimey wrote: »

There's a hoard Oxygen 8s on Ads for €50 if you want to save €40/50 snoots?

I'd always buy secondhand, but in this case I'd even recommend the Behringer over the Oxygen 8s - truely terrible keyboards (and I went through 3-4 of them).

flyswatter

jimi_t wrote: »

I'd always buy secondhand, but in this case I'd even recommend the Behringer over the Oxygen 8s - truely terrible keyboards (and I went through 3-4 of them).

What did you find bad about them? I haven't had any problems with mine.

empirix

jtsuited wrote: »

get the cheapest you can possibly get. they're all much of a muchness and the more expensive 'quality' ones (like the axioms etc.) aren't worth the extra money. Thomann used to do their own Swissonic make of keyboards and I had one. Did the job perfectly.

not really, automapping features are pretty good, weighted keys etc,a good one is important

jimi_t

flyswatter wrote: »

What did you find bad about them? I haven't had any problems with mine.

Terrible keyaction, very low-resolution infinite rotaries, large footprint, worse than awful drivers.

flyswatter

jimi_t wrote: »

Terrible keyaction, very low-resolution infinite rotaries, large footprint, worse than awful drivers.

Why did you buy it 3 or 4 times then?:rolleyes:

empirix

rayhartjnr wrote: »

novation sl mkII all the way!

agreed!

jimi_t

flyswatter wrote: »

Why did you buy it 3 or 4 times then?:rolleyes:

Cause at the time it was the most prevalent (and often the only) one on the secondhand market; for the reasons I stated before. The 3rd time was to try the v2 update. I'll be getting that edirol25 key when I see it on the irish market secondhand, until then I'm happy with an axiom49

rayhartjnr

rayhartjnr wrote: »

automap isn't all it's cracked up to be...

it does integrate well with logic 8 except for controlling the mixer and I think it don't work with ableton and possibly other DAWs but it might work with logic 9 maybe.

I think it's something like automap only works with external plug-ins so it won't control synths and stuff that are built in to your DAW (i think).

anyway if ya do out manual maps for it it's just as good and it's still the best controller in its price range.

WOW!! automap works like a dream in logic 9!!

it's absolutely brilliant; it controls all the logic instruments and effects now

empirix

rayhartjnr wrote: »

WOW!! automap works like a dream in logic 9!!

it's absolutely brilliant; it controls all the logic instruments and effects now

yes it does integrates well with Kore 2 as well, not so the arturia stuff though but i do need to check this out a bit more, could be a setting