I use a Korg Kontrol 49 as my primary controller for my DAW (Ableton). However, I use a lot of soft synths like Hive, Massive, Sylenth etc and find it hard to compose interesting things as automating parameters via the mouse doesn't inspire me at all.

I am looking for hardware MIDI controller recommendations that I can use to control soft synth parameters 'live' so it is a bit more intuitive and creative. Anybody able to recommend anything, and the cheaper the better.

Cheers all!

 

I already have a keyboard controller. I am looking more for something that has knobs and faders to control parameters and ideally doesn't have a key bed. Plus I hate AutoMap

 

Nektar Panorama, dedicacted plugin control and (hopefully soon) DAW control for Ableton, but still usable as general midi for the moment.

 

AKAI Advance keyboards is able to control most if not all of your VSTI's.

 

sl mkii zero? i don't know if they make them anymore but the 25 version is the same except it's thinner. can't do anything bout the automap tho

 

Does your Korg Kontrol 49 have faders and knobs like the ones i just search engined? if so, you can control those vst's knobs already. At least in massive. I just used massive for the first time last week, and that was something i needed to do as well on my Oxygen 49. For example, in massive on any knob just right click and pick the midi learn command then move the slider/knob on your keyboard controller. And most vst i've encountered work similarly.

Besides, you can't get cheaper then something you already own.

 

Yeah, it does have but I prefer to keep them for mixer controls as it only has 8 faders and 8 knobs along with the 16 pads.

The Nektar Panorama P1 seems to be the best solution so far from what I just looked at. It seems like you can assign knobs to VSTs so they re-map every time you open that VST, and seems pretty easy to configure without needing to be a MIDI mapping guru.

 

I bet that if you tried a SL MKII Zero or any Novation keyboard with dedicated Ableton auto-map features, you would no longer hate auto-map.

 

maybe this

 

I use to have a Novation Impulse 49 and AutoMap just did my head in. Did not like it at all. I think it's partly the psychological element of a third party software sitting inbetween my controller and my DAW too that just felt unnecessary.

 

Hmmm... does the Impulse line have "ableton live mode"?. This is a dedicated feature specific to this line of units. Auto-map isn't even required to be running while using the unit in ableton live mode (but comes with the unit should you choose to use another non-dedicated DAW).

Everything is mapped right out of the box. Switch a channel or instrument, the display shows information for that channel or instrument without having to map anything.

As for third-party vst's, you click the automap button to enter automap mode, then click any rotary, slider with the mouse - then turn any button, rotary, slider on the unit - and viola, its mapped - without running the automap software.

 

Launch control XL with user templates set for the main vsts that you use!

(I have this and a Nocturn keyboard, but I don't use automap)

24 colour coded knobs and 8 sliders! Not expensive either.

 

I you just want to control vst parameters why not try something like Lemur on Android/iOS. You can design whatever buttons and knobs you want and control them from your phone or tablet. Also, Midi Designer works really well too and is a lot easier to use minus the cool OSC functions and canvas objects that Lemur has! Or if you want a really cheap fader and knob Hardware controller. Why not a Korg nanokontrol and midi learn a few of the parameters you want to control?

 

The AKAI LPD8 is great value for cheap. I bought one ages ago and you can use it to trigger stuff with the 8 pads and you have 8 dials. I would happily buy 3 x these little things. The pads have a pretty good feel and you can use them as mutes for tracks also. They are LED backlit too and you can MIDI OUT to them to do christmas light sequences to make them look more expensive.

In the dark nobody knows how expensive the things are. They just see the flashing lights and are mesmerised just like me.

 

With or without keyboard?

 

why not some like "Icon - Icontrol - midi controller" or the "m-audio - uc33" ?

 

i love endless encoders, so id go for the behringer BCR2000 in mackie control mode and something similar to huskervu (win) LC XView (mac)

now i wonder if the novation hardware could emulate mcu without using the automap software, of course its advantage is the builtin display

 

Last edited: Feb 5, 2016

https://www.asparion.de/en/electronics/d400.html

 

Great recommendation for someone who wants more control over synth parameters. Plus, they're out of stock

 

You can learn any Plugin Parameter to the Faders which gives you a higher resolution than any poti out there ;) For example a Presonus Faderport or any MCU has 1024 Steps in comparison to 128 Steps to a regular MIDI CC. Try tuning a high resonant eq band or filter with 128 steps, any mouse will give you better results

 

Last edited: Feb 5, 2016