what midi controller did you start with?

[uanaka]

Hey guys, so I'm starting to get into producing music and I am trying to find a good midi controller to use. I want something to put by my laptop, within 200. However the cheaper the better, id prefer a all in one, however getting separate controllers like a keyboard and then a drum pads is fine. As long as it is cheaper thann 200

[PeteWoods]

well what currency are we talking here? lots of second hand X1's floating about at the moment, pair that with something like a cheap X-Session Pro and you have yourself a banging wee setup for a beginner! or maybe waiting for the Allen and Heath K2 to come out may be a good idea, it'll work perfectly for an all in one as a beginner! Even something like a VCI-100, which i recently saw for 200 quid in the buy and sell section, would be a perfect starter kit!

[Bassline Brine]

Honestly, my starting setup was/is the most budget friendly thing I could find.

X-Session Pro
Korg nano-series.


If you want to start inexpensively, that setup will get you started. I quickly realized where I want to go, but it's always a matter of balancing cost vs functionality.

Although honestly now that I've had a chance to mess around with both, the smaller Akai series is of MUCH better build quality than the Korg stuff.

I've found a lot of uses for the X-Session Pro in mapping with Ableton, beyond just as a mixer.

That being said, you can go for an all-in-one (but I'm not to fond of them honestly, and they aren't cheap) or just build modular.

I think having a modular production setup is probably the best option.

[Jack Rabid]

Still using it, Numark Omnicontrol. It's a really nice little toy with a built in soundcard for convenience and LOADS of customization potential for when you want to start throwing in new tricks to your mix

Edit: Pricewise, it was about $400 i think at the time, you can probably get it cheaper at this point. I personally like it for a starter tool, I do want to upgrade to an external mixer though. The control on it is pretty good, but it's not built for heavy mixing/cue juggling, even though the faders are pretty smooth (never touched anything like an innofader so others may disagree)

RE-edit: As was mentioned, didn't realize you're looking for production equipment, can't speak from experience on that area.

[Xonetacular]

for production get an akai mpk49. that's what I have and it pretty much has everything you need, is great quality, and and has excellent ableton integration. you can get them used for $200. mpk25 is also solid, more compact, and can easily be had within your budget.

[koffa]

So you want a controller for producing music, right? Then the omnicontrol and X1 maybe aren't what your looking for... I'd suggest a decent MIDI keyboard at first with some knobs and such to play around with. That'll get you pretty far I recon, and after that you'll see what you lack and compliment with additional controllers...

[rdubs]

M-Audio Oxygen 49 + Novation Launchpad/Akai APC20 would be a good start for producing Ableton, and both will run you just over $200 brand new, so it seems to be within your budget.

[mostapha]

Hey guys, so I'm starting to get into producing music and I am trying to find a good midi controller to use. I want something to put by my laptop, within 200. However the cheaper the better, id prefer a all in one, however getting separate controllers like a keyboard and then a drum pads is fine. As long as it is cheaper thann 200

I think the other posters missed the now-bolded part.

Umm…do you play keyboard/piano? If you don't, you might be happy with something like an MPK25 or one of the M-Audio Oxygen keyboards.

My first (and only) keyboard was some really basic M-Audio thing that a friend lent me and never took back. My first drum pad was an M-Audio Trigger Finger that never got used. Only thing that's changed since then is that I got a Maschine after buying and returning or selling some other cheap keyboards.

[MiL0]

My first midi controller was a Roland JX-1 synthesizer... bought it back in 1995.

To answer your question; doesn't really matter... probably good to get at least a 5 octave keyboard with some nice knobs/sliders/etc and perhaps some built in drum pads. For £200/$200 you'll be fine...

[roshanbhoj]

Deleted for irrational response.