Okay, I am going to kick off this infamous thread… what are your favorite MIDI controllers?
Depending on the use case, my two current defaults are the nanoKontrol or the APC mini…
http://akaipro.com/products/pad-controllers/apc-mini
but I am also a fan of these wireless Numark controllers,
The Akai MPD24 was my favorite back in the day. Mostly because of pressure/aftertouch messages.
The QuNeo was also my favorite for lots of expression packed into something the size of an iPad.
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Livid OHM64 has served me well over past 4/5 years. Constant touring with it during that time and still works perfectly.
Beautiful fader action on it, Haven’t found any other controller that comes close in terms of feel and durabilty
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Totally agree, thats my go to as well ! get so many comments on the wooden end caps of it too, also like the height of it, as it provides a decent working height, feels like you have a ‘console’ of sorts
I’m very sad Livid don’t make it any more and have managed to bag myself a spare from eBay just in case of disaster, its been a trusty aid 5years now, with only a couple of repairs necessary, so keeping my fingers crossed it keeps going for a while longer as really can’t see much out there that compares
Although that said I have been impressed with the Traktor F1, two of those might be a good option at some point
Same, Livid Ohm RGB slim has been the best controller I’ve ever owned. Even replaced the crossfader myself from consistent use. I still have an Ohm 64 Classic that I keep as a backup.
I just started using Novation Launch Control XL . Works well for me : ) Love the faders and knobs feeling .
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Anyone tried one of these beasts? https://artiphon.com
Ever since the Viditar that one of the Livid folks made in the early 2000’s I’ve been obsessed with trying to do video control via guitar controller but it was always out of my price range. Mapping one of these and playing music/visuals at the same time could be super fun.
My favorite is the Novation Launch control xl very poratable and cheap. I use in tandem with akai Apc40 expensive, and less portable. but good quality.
Ok, for me it has to be the DJ TechTools Midi Fighter Twister. Four banks of 16 high-resolution encoders with a configurable button on every knob. Simple and rock solid!
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I really like using a combo of the Push2 and an iPad with Lemur. I wish that Liine would work on more updates for Lemur though since its really starting to feel dated and could use the love 
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Support for OSCQuery in Lemur would be amazing and our open source framework should run just fine on iOS… someone should probably let Liine know…
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I tweeted at them about it. Hopefully they’ll go for it :)
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I started out with an Electrix Tweaker (designed by livid), which is a supernintendo worth of buttons, sliders, pots and encoders. I hope livid get back into manufacturing again at some point, until then my favorite controllers are the micro modules from Faderfox. My base setup nowadays is made up of a LV2 together with with a DS3, sometimes a Launchpad in case I need a grid. The Faderfox units pack a lot of controls into a small space. Love them to death.
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Just picked up a Faderfox UC4 and I’m impressed with it’s quality & ease of use. Prior to this my favorite was an old Evolution UC-16. I do see a lot of used Evolution UC-33 listings & recall it being a solid controller.
While super portable & inexpensive, I have not been that happy with the Korg NANOKontrol. Just feels flimsy & it’s not really the right layout for me. But that’s just me.
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Using the AKAI APC40 MK2 since a few years now…
Works well on every gig… 230Euros about…
A few weeks ago, I had a Rane MP2015 Dj Mixer available with usb…
awesome feeling… beautiful but very expensive… ~3k Euros!!!
But in combination with mixing music an awesome experience for sure!
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I have a few DJ style controllers, which are great when performing alongside DJs.
Going back the X-Session, I had this template as a starting point…
I’ve also got a (now discontinued) Serato controller that I also really love, though I wish I had one of the slightly more portable models as well.
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Anyone try the Korg nanoKontrol Studio? It would be nicer if it had 9 faders instead of 8; but it has a lot of nice features for the money. It has multiple banks, and a good editor to customize every setting. Plus, it is optionally BlueTooth.
Is there anything in the same price range with this many features?
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Does either the nanoKONTROL2, or the AKAI APC mini allow VDMX to “Enable echo values out to” in order to light up the buttons on each hardware unit, for feedback when toggled on?
Yep both of them support light up buttons with echo mode.
Two notes:
- With the nanoKONTROL2 you may have to use the Korg Editor tool to switch the LEDs into external control mode.
- On the APC Mini, the main button grid can light up into a few different colors (red / orange / green) and the other buttons are single color.