MIDI controller for beginner

Robert27191

New member
Hi,

I'm looking for a lower-end MIDI DAW controller that I can use in Logic and Reaper. I know these things run from about £50 - £000's, and so I'm very much looking at the lower end of the spectrum.

I generally do smaller projects (up to around a dozen tracks, although some are larger) and have a Kurzweil SP4-8 as my main MIDI input. I use Logic mainly, and make use of its inbuilt vsts and plugins.

What I am looking for in a controller is the ability to control the individual tracks volume, panning, etc, with buttons for solo/mute/arm recording, as well as general transport controls.

I have seen, at the very low end, the Korg Nanokontroller 2, which seems to fit what I want very much, but is a little flimsy, and slightly higher up, the Novation ZeRo SL MkII, which also seems like a good choice, but at this stage may be a little too much for what I need?

Can anyone advise and give me their thoughts? I wouldn't mind spending a little more on something like the Novation, as long as I knew that I had the ability to have individual buttons for Solo/Mute etc, like on the Korg - I don't want to jump in too deep at this stage without really knowing what I'm doing..

Thanks for any help,

Robert
 
There's nothing wrong with the NanoKontrol. Might not live through a Nine Inch Nails live set, but I have a number of friends who use them in (somewhat less animated) live rigs regularly.

It's definitely sturdy enough to sit on your studio desk and control your DAW. Course, if you've got just a little bit of soldering skill you could rehouse the circuit board into whatever heavy duty package you want...
 
Thanks - I appreciate that it must be enough to sit on a desk.

For me at this stage, I think that's all I really want and need - but it's always good to look at different options.
 
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