November - Controller Month

November - Controller Month

This month we are focusing on all forms of controllers, from dj to midi. Also, with christmas only around the corner, this may be a perfect idea for someone that is into their music.

We're going to look at the top 5 that are grabbing our attention and give you a quick overview why we think it deserves to be in the top 5.

In no particular order


1 - Numark Mixtrack Pro 3

Mixtrack-Pro-III

This dj controller has to be mentioned by default. The reason being, all of its predecessors and rightly so, this one, have been one of the best selling dj controllers of all time. One of the main factors that may grab peoples attention is that its one of the cheapest controllers on the market, but my no means what so ever does that mean it doesnt pack a punch. The features that you find on this slim-line unit, you'll see on one twice its value and it'd not be missing any features either. It comes with Serato Intro, so once its hooked up to a computer and the speakers are powered up, you're good to go.


2 - Novation Launchkey Mini Ltd Edition

akai-mpk-mini-mkii-limited-edition-red-large

The Novation Launchkey mini is the perfect entry level controller for making music and now we have the limited edition version, that has to be here. It has 25 keys, 16 velocity-sensitive pads (with three-colour RGB backlights), eight assignable knobs and seven function buttons - so it has a great amount of input for such a small unit.

The keys on the Launchkey are small, true, but given that it also hosts pads, buttons, and knobs, that's a fair compromise. It's about overall control of the software, rather than pretending that youre on a piano in the Albert Hall infront of thousands.

Novation has made set-up as straightforward, whether you're using the Mini with its free Launchkey iOS apps, or with Ableton Live, Logic Pro, FL Studio or any other DAW on your computer.

The Launchkey behaves like a regular controller in a small package (minus pitch, mod, or aftertouch), and with specific functionality for Logic Pro, Cubase, Pro Tools, Reason, and FL Studio.


3 - Ableton Push 2