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Give me some input on a cheap controller, please

Discussion in 'Current Gear' started by Scott Steinmetz, Jul 6, 2017.

  1. #1 Scott Steinmetz, Jul 6, 2017
    Basically, I'm a metal guitarist that for some reason has fallen in love with orchestral tracks.

    I'm using a little MPKII controller but even after a few months I'm feeling the pinch here.

    What's out there that would be serviceable, keeping in mind cost and the fact that I don't know where the hell this is going? I have a buddy that'll basically buy whatever I talk up to him and don't use, so I have a built in selling point.

    I just need something lower cost, decent action etc...saw an M Audio Keystation 61 for around $90 on Reverb...is this a decent option or no?

    Keep in mind I'm not a classically trained pianist or anything; the arguments about key feel don't apply to me here.

    Would I love a Prophet 8? Sure, but no.

    Space is a factor too...88 keys is going to hang off the end of my desk and annoy me aesthetically....unless Mike busts out with this controller and it's everything I hoped it would be lol.

    Ideas please and thank you?!
     
  2. #2 Mike Verta, Jul 6, 2017
    I have a sort-of all-or-nothing approach to gear. Like, I use the cheapest 88-key controller (M-Audio 88es) and hate it, but also it's fine, because there IS no 88-key controller I consider worthy, which is why I'm making one. So I'd rather just wait and do it right. So I can tell you that as a dude playing piano for 40 years and having done session work, I still manage to make stuff happen even on this board. So get a shorter M-Audio and you'll be fine. But when it comes to controlling, there's the thing where if you don't end up with enough knobs, you buy extra things that do and now you have to find places for them. Only you know how much knob twisting you want to do, and frankly, what you do in private is your business, tmi. So that's my take.
     
    George Streicher and Scott Steinmetz like this.
  3. #3 Scott Steinmetz, Jul 6, 2017
    Nice man....grabbed that cheap thing on Reverb. Sure it'll work out.

    Thanks!
     
  4. #4 Matthias Fluor, Jul 6, 2017
    I as well as a former Metal guitarist (and now Vocalist in another band) with some track (hey, me and my former band played with Stratovarius ;-))

    If you want cheap and lots of DRAW integration with faders, LED screen for values etc. Have a look at the Nektar LX+ series. They are really cheap, as said have great DAW integration and quality wise are not too bad. Especially for the start they are quite nice.
     
    Scott Steinmetz likes this.
  5. #5 Aaron Venture, Jul 6, 2017
    Since you already have a lot of knobs on MPKII, I think you're gonna be good with a simple keyboard with a mod and pitch wheels. I used an Alesis Q49 back in the day, and it was sufficient for note input and really compact. Keystation 61 for $90 sounds like a GREAT deal in your case.

    Personally, as for my Midi CC control needs, the cheapest option I went for was TouchOSC on my 7" Android tablet.

    The editor is incredibly easy and you can create layouts in less than 5 minutes, syncing is painless and it works really well. I have multiple pages for multiple instruments, it never hangs, data input never lags and the performance is consistent.

    Granted, it doesn't feel as good as hardware but for the price, if you already own a tablet or a 5"+ phone (you don't have to put as many controls in on a page, simply use more pages), it should be a no brainer.

    Easily the best $7 spent.
     
    Scott Steinmetz likes this.
  6. #6 Scott Steinmetz, Jul 6, 2017
    Interesting! Another 'must buy' type of thing. I'll snag that as well and report back. Thanks!
     
  7. #7 Matthias Fluor, Jul 6, 2017
    +1 for TouchOSC - changed my workflow for the better. I laid a lot of stuff on buttons there - e.g. "show me all Woodwinds" or "Transpose 8va" and stuff like this. Really great.

    Although these are custom software projects - JunkieXL (which in turn took it from HZ) made a video of his touchscreen control, showing off a possible way to use it (most is possible with TouchOSC or Lemur as well):
     
    Scott Steinmetz likes this.
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