I even have two a long time of adventure reviewing AV items, and at present i am a contributing technical editor at Sound & vision journal and a daily contributor to the SoundStage network of internet sites. i am also a drummer and digital-track maker, so I even have extensive familiarity with the equipment of the exchange, together with recording interfaces, MIDI controllers, and other gear for computing device studio environments.
For support with the trying out part for this ebook, I enlisted Denis Kitchen, a utility developer and musician with adventure performing and recording with synthesizers and MIDI controllers dating lower back to the Nineteen Eighties. As a keyboard participant who continually makes use of MIDI controllers as part of his live performance rig, Kitchen brought a useful hands-on point of view to the contrast.
Who may still buy a keyboard MIDI controller
photo: Michael Hession
Amateurs who need to create their own electronic, rap, and dance tune tracks on a computer will advantage from a keyboard MIDI (Musical Instrument Digital Interface) controller. Making music the use of MIDI is convenient. aside from the controller, all you deserve to get started is a DAW (digital audio laptop) software utility similar to Ableton are living, Apple GarageBand, or photograph Line's FL Studio. The controller sends commands to the desktop over a USB connection. these commands then manage a number of aspects of digital musical instruments that run as plug-ins inside the DAW application, enjoying a piano be aware gentle or loud, for instance, or triggering a drum beat.
while available keyboard MIDI controller options encompass 88-key fashions that cowl the equal octave range as a enormous piano, most tune makers opt for working with compact, 25-key fashions that may healthy on a desktop. These customarily include pads to tap out beats, along with a collection of rotary knobs to handle issues like volume and pitch. whereas 25-key fashions cowl best a two-octave range, they consist of controls to "shift" the observe range to hit bigger and decrease octaves. now not handiest are they laptop-pleasant, but most are additionally small sufficient that you should stow them in a backpack for convenient transport.
together with providing a compact, moveable alternative for tune introduction, 25-key controllers are highly reasonably-priced. Many models can be found for $a hundred or less, with $one hundred fifty representing the excessive-conclusion option. They also typically come bundled with free software, the cost of which could simply exceed that of the controller itself. Most controllers consist of a complimentary license for a Lite edition of Ableton reside, a favored DAW that provides a loop-based mostly platform for track composition. Many controllers additionally come with free utility instrument plug-ins that deliver genuine-sounding emulations of every thing from acoustic grand pianos to old analog synthesizers.
key phrasesit's problematic to talk about MIDI controllers and track-construction software devoid of spouting off technical jargon. here's a listing of average terms that you'll come throughout when studying concerning the class.
The Arturia MiniLab MkII (higher left) and Akai MPK Mini MKII (upper right) have smaller keys that enable those contraptions to be more compact, but the large keys on the Nektar impact LX25+ (backside) make playing chords and melodies greater at ease. photo: Michael Hession
To choose the keyboard MIDI controllers that i would name in to test, I first study owner reviews on websites including Amazon, Sweetwater, and Musician's friend. I additionally scoured skilled experiences from magazines, web sites, and YouTube channels that really expert in overlaying MIDI and digital song creation. To pare the class down further, I homed in on right here facets:
After making the resolution to limit our trying out to controllers priced under $one hundred fifty, we settled on six models in line with the above record of favourite features: the Akai MPK Mini MkII, Alesis V25, Arturia MiniLab MkII, M-Audio Oxygen 25 MKIV, Nektar impact LX25+, and Novation Launchkey Mini 25 MK2. The cost for the controllers we tested currently levels from $ninety to $a hundred and twenty—a discount if you believe both the functionality and the free bundled software that some of the fashions deliver.
How we verifiedTo look at various the MIDI controllers, I used Ableton live 9 Lite running on a MacBook professional. I also downloaded the application instrument plug-ins covered with every mannequin to get a way of their usefulness and value. A free Lite edition of live, a well-liked loop-based DAW geared for are living efficiency, comes general with each of the controllers apart from the Nektar affect LX25+. (Nektar contains a confined-track version of its own DAW, Bitwig Studio, with that model.) For that rationale—and also as a result of i admire the usage of are living—it appeared a natural alternative for the examine, although I also used Apple GarageBand with the Nektar controller to examine out its automapping characteristic.
Dividing up the testing gig—Denis Kitchen on the keyboards, me on the drum pads and time-honored controller facets—we evaluated every mannequin by playing and recording music clips and banging out beats. furthermore, Kitchen introduced a computing device working MainStage three, a live-performance associate module for Apple's common sense seasoned X, so that he may verify each controller's capabilities the use of that software's collection of analog synthesizer patches.
The keyboard features that we confirmed for covered playability, a parameter that took into consideration the burden and springiness of the keys when touched as well as how handy it turned into to enter a melody to the recording utility. This became a selected situation for the ultracompact models with mini keys, a bunch that protected the Akai, Arturia, and Novation models. (The other three controllers all featured sizable keys.) a different concern was velocity, or the key's ramp-as much as maximum MIDI input value when pressed. In some circumstances, this parameter allowed changes for a more natural feel, both by means of a setup menu on the keyboard or via an accompanying utility app. finally for keyboards, we demonstrated the performance and ergonomics of the controller's hardware pitch-bend and modulation controls.
The drum pad characteristics we established for blanketed sensitivity and responsiveness—how effortless it changed into to tap out a herbal-sounding latitude of soft to loud drum sounds. standard consider changed into also a priority, on account that the pads on some fashions had a incredibly more durable floor than on others. The pad measurement and layout ended up being crucial all the way through our look at various: The small pad measurement and cramped arrangement on some fashions made finger-drumming elaborate, while the better, greater well-spaced pads on others allow us to greater conveniently tap out rolls and other fancy drum strikes.
We also took note of elements that made the use of each and every controller more convenient and more intuitive. This covered color-coded pad backlighting, hardware buttons that automapped to corresponding application controls and allowed you to operate the program with out touching your computing device, and controls that permit you to configure points equivalent to an arpeggiator, or to change banks of samples assigned to a selected community of pads. eventually, we checked out the rotary knobs on every unit, looking for features comparable to robustness, resistance, and knob size and spacing.
Our choose: Arturia MiniLab MkII
image: Michael Hession
The Arturia MiniLab MkII become a straightforward choice to make because the top-quality 25-key MIDI controller for most americans. At just over 12 inches broad and eight½ inches deep, or not it's compact satisfactory to take a seat simply on desktops alongside a computer and different gear. With a heavy-duty case braced via a metal backside plate that adds heft and stability, its build fine is a couple of notches above that of the different controllers in our examine community. The Arturia's uncluttered layout, with smartly-spaced rotary knobs and pads and best a minimum of further controls, also makes it an approachable alternative for digital-track novices, in addition to a good selection for superior musicians looking for a streamlined controller for reside performance.
The Arturia's sixteen rotary knobs permit you to effectively manage facets in DAWs and application contraptions. picture: Michael Hession
The MiniLab MkII may well be compact and fundamental compared with some of the other controllers we looked at, but its features are neatly-chosen. With sixteen rotary knobs, the Arturia model offers twice as many controls as the competitors, letting you tweak greater parameters concurrently on DAWs and utility devices, similar to high- and low-pass filters (comparable to tone controls) and degrees. Its eight colour-backlit velocity-sensitive pads are lined up in the middle of the controller, comfortably obtainable for finger-drumming. A shift button permits you to swap between two banks, bringing the whole number of pad assignments to sixteen.
The responsive keyboard on the Arturia makes it easy to play for a model with mini keys.photo: Michael Hession
whereas the Arturia controller's mini synth-action keys are extra challenging to play than tremendous keys, Denis Kitchen discovered them to be responsive, with first rate key speed correct out of the container, making it easy to get a herbal latitude of soft to loud sounds from pianos and other plug-in instruments. The pads had been also responsive, proposing a very good think and a good satisfactory speed for us to get dynamic outcomes when we were drumming.
The Mini Lab MkII has certainly solid build quality for a reasonable MIDI keyboard controller. image: Michael Hession
The MiniLab MkII is configured to automap its controls to a variety of widespread DAWs together with Ableton are living, and it comes with a brilliant utility plug-in bundle such as Arturia's Analog Lab Lite and UVI Grand Piano instruments. Automapping allows you to browse presets for those instruments the usage of the MiniLab MkII's rotary knobs, which makes scrolling through and searching the 500 available sound patches in Analog Lab Lite a breeze.
With responsive keys and pads and 16 rotary knobs, the Arturia MiniLab MkII makes tapping out and modifying beats and melodies a comfortable, consumer-friendly adventure. photograph: Michael Hession
other reviewers share our enthusiasm for the MiniLab MkII. Writing in Keyboard magazine, Francis Prève notes: "As a reviewer, I've played more than my share of moveable controllers, and the MiniLab MkII's mini keyboard feels improved than most of its competitors. i used to be instantly impressed with the aid of the motion, as smartly because the velocity habits, primarily together with the protected UVI mannequin D Grand Piano." Wrapping up an overwhelmingly fantastic evaluate of the MiniLab MkII, Ask.Audio's Matt Vanacoro concludes, "[Once] you are trying it, very nearly anything within the cost/construct class feels like a toy." The standard ranking on Amazon at the time of this writing become 4.7 out of five stars throughout 19 experiences.
Flaws but not dealbreakers
while we found the MiniLab MkII enormously playable for a compact controller with mini keys, severe keyboard players are likely to select models with enormous keys. in addition, the response of Arturia's capacitive pitch-bend and modulation control strips changed into slow in our trying out, making them a less-than-finest choice for live performance. ultimately, despite the fact the MiniLab MkII's sixteen rotary knobs are a welcome function, some americans could like just a few fastened knobs for functions (reminiscent of quantity) that they could wish to set to both conclusion of the latitude by means of consider, though it truly is a count number of non-public option.
Runner-up: Nektar have an effect on LX25+
picture: Michael Hession
typically priced concerning the identical as our main select, the Nektar impact LX25+ has large keys that should attraction to professional keyboard avid gamers searching for a compact controller to make use of for reside performance. Its comprehensive MIDI function set also makes it a pretty good option for individuals who want to dive deep into configuring the controller.
The Nektar controller's eight pads are well-spaced and have an outstanding think for drumming. image: Michael Hession
To that end, the affect LX25+ elements an LED reveal that offers visual feedback such as the energetic keyboard octave range all over setup and configuration, which that you may carry out on the controller itself as antagonistic to the usage of a separate utility application after which porting the effects over. It additionally offers a full set of transport keys to handle DAW functions corresponding to listing, playback, and looping, so you don't have to shift from side to side between the controller and your desktop when creating tracks.
a group of hardware buttons on the LX25+ enable far flung control of utility DAW capabilities. image: Michael Hession
The Nektar amazing itself in our trying out through its keyboard feel—the keys had good motion and speed appropriate out of the container. Its rubber-lined pitch and modulation wheels were also easy to address and provided a good level of tension, making them an excellent choice for efficiency. Tapping out beats changed into a pleasure with this mannequin's rubbery, responsive, effectively spaced 1-inch pads at the properly-correct section of the controller.
The Nektar's LED monitor gives you visual remarks for those who're configuring MIDI and other settings. picture: Michael Hession
Areas where the affect LX25+ came up short protected its rotary knobs, which had a looser consider and fewer resistance than those on the Arturia, M-Audio, and Alesis controllers. It additionally does not include a down load code for Ableton live Lite, even though Nektar does supply a free copy of Bitwig eight-song, a full-featured DAW corresponding to Ableton's live. it be a newer piece of software, so it may be unfamiliar to people with some event, however it has a transparent layout of services, and inexperienced persons should not have any more difficulty stepping into song making with this package than they might with more venerable application.
The rubber-lined pitch-bend and modulation wheels on the LX25+ make it a very good choice for live efficiency. photo: Michael Hession
Automapping for live isn't accessible if you first fan the flames of the Nektar controller, notwithstanding a doc on the business's support website will e book you through configuration for use with the application. throughout my checking out, i was in a position to use the have an impact on LX25+ to quite simply manage many aspects of an additional DAW, Apple's GarageBand, with most effective minimal setup.
The Nektar have an effect on LX25+ is a lot bigger than our different good picks, but its substantial keys make it easier to play. picture: Michael Hession
Writing on MakeBeats101, the site's chief reviewer Carlo homes in on the Nektar's onboard MIDI changes, noting, "The controls is the place the have an impact on LX25+ in reality shines. I have under no circumstances used a keyboard which is as intuitive as this when it comes to controlling your DAW from your fingertips with out ever needing to attain for your mouse." last time we checked, the affect LX25+ had earned an universal rating of four.8 out of 5 stars throughout 24 reviews on Amazon.
additionally terrific: Akai MPK Mini MKII
picture: Michael Hession
The Akai MPK Mini MKII is an excellent greater compact choice than the Arturia MiniLab MkII, and it presents a few key aspects not found on that controller. The main one is its set of large, 1⅛-inch drum pads—the equal measurement because the pads on the comparatively gargantuan M-Audio Oxygen 25. not handiest are the Akai's pads big, but they are also spaced large enough to enable comfortable taking part in, and they have a great think and responsiveness.
The smallest controller we established, the Akai MPK Mini MKII has a full set of elements, including eight rotary knobs. picture: Michael Hession
In our keyboard checks, the MPK Mini MKII's pitch-bend and modulation thumb stick also labored extraordinarily smartly, making this mannequin a good choice for reside efficiency, where pitch-bend and modulation controls are important for getting an authentic keyboard sound. The constructed-in arpeggiator permits you to faucet out repeating patterns directly, so you can effortlessly obtain a warbly Stranger issues soundtrack impact.
The Akai's pitch-bend/modulation thumb stick and built-in arpeggiator are pleasing features now not found on the other controllers. image: Michael Hession
finally, Akai bundles its controller with an spectacular utility kit, together with the Sonivox Wobble and Air Hybrid three plug-in contraptions, and Akai's personal MPC necessities DAW and MPK Mini MIDI Editor.
large, responsive pads on the MPK Mini MKII make it convenient to operate beats. picture: Michael Hession
whereas the MPK Mini MKII is a superb choice for making beats, its small keys—the smallest of any controller we validated—could make playing keyboard leads a problem, exceptionally when you have thick fingers. Its keys additionally had a stiff response in our checks ("Stiff as hell," in keeping with Denis Kitchen), besides the fact that children the velocity response turned into decent out of the field. in addition, the Akai's eight rotary knobs are small and slightly flimsy, offering very little resistance when twisted.
The Akai MPK Mini MKII is tiny sufficient to fit comfortably on a crowded computer or right into a backpack. photo: Michael Hession
A reviewer for The Wire Realm had a positive event trying out the Akai, citing its frequently decent build first-class and pad efficiency, which is "super for what you pay for." The reviewer also characterizes its thumb-stick control as being "top notch to get some custom and tremendously swingy, greater natural sounding pitch and modulation all the way down to your tracks." At our ultimate verify, across 1,194 reviews, the MPK Mini MKII had an ordinary ranking of 3.9 stars out of five on Amazon.
The competitorsThe Novation Launchkey Mini 25 MK2 become created to be used with Ableton live, and it really works certainly neatly as a control interface when paired with that software. It offers you buttons designed notably to navigate tracks and scenes in live, and the controller's sixteen pads can set off samples, with RGB backlighting to point out reputation remarks. As an input machine or everyday-goal MIDI controller, despite the fact, the Novation is much less helpful: In our tests, the keyboard action proved simply marginally enhanced than that of the Akai MPK Mini MKII, and the tiny (¾-inch square), intently spaced pads have been an ergonomic nightmare for drumming. On the plus side, the Launchkey Mini 25 MK2 comes bundled with Novation's amazing V-Station and Bass-Station application instrument plug-ins.
"an interesting pastime in minimalism" is how Denis Kitchen characterized the Alesis V25 after first having a go at it. by way of combining substantial keys with a stripped-down manage set together with eight pads, 4 rotary knobs, and four programmable buttons, the V25 items a clean design that some individuals will find appealing. or not it's also the reasonably-priced model we checked out. right through checking out, besides the fact that children, we discovered the action of the keys to be stiff compared with that of the Nektar and M-Audio controllers; the pace settings (which you should configure the usage of an editor app in your computer) have been also just marginally appropriate, and the pitch-bend and modulation wheels have been small and awkwardly positioned. And while the V25's build exceptional is often sturdy, the bottom was warped enough that our evaluate unit would not sit down flat on a desk� ��an glaring pleasant-control concern.
The M-Audio Oxygen 25 MKIV has huge keys and a characteristic set as wide as that of the Nektar have an effect on LX25+. In our tests, the motion of the semi-weighted keys turned into responsive, and its rubber-lined rotary knobs offered a superb stage of resistance. The pitch-bend and modulation wheels on the M-Audio additionally work well for performance, though they lack the rubber coating and responsiveness of the ones on the Nektar. The Oxygen 25 MKIV's out-of-the-box velocity proved overly aggressive, youngsters, and we could not find an alternate preset that provided pleasurable dynamic range when taking part in. also, its pads had bad response, with sensitivity focused above all on the pad's core.
What to look ahead toseeing that our remaining replace, a number of new MIDI controllers have caught our eye for consideration in our subsequent update. The Korg NanoKey has dropped in rate, now coming in neatly beneath our rate cap. The Worlde Tuna Mini has a stunning design and a decrease price than most 25-key controllers. The Worlde Panda Mini is similar, with a more primary-searching design and lacking the slider pitch-bend controls, nevertheless it is a bit more affordable.
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