ReasonTalk.com

Hello everybody,

I'm looking for a midi controller, with 25 keys and pads (8 or 16), possibly under € 200.

I have read some similar posts and I have identified the following midi controllers:

- NOVATION Launchkey 25 Mk2 (has everything that I need);

-Novation Launchkey Mini MK2 (cons: smaller keys and no pitch and modulation control)

-NOVATION Impulse 25 (is it outdated?)

-Nektar Impact LX25 (8 pads only, but I don't know if I would use all 16).

I understand that the Nektar would offer straightforward and great control over Reason and I would go for it.

Do you agree or there is something that I am missing about the above controllers? (or any other suggestion)

Thank you very much!

Another one to consider: the Alesis VI25. It has 16 pads plus a few knobs and buttons.

If you don't need 16 pads, though, I would recommend the Nektar. Quality out-of-the-box Remote mappings are rare, and Nektar is the best in the business. Nektar also has the "catch" functionality that lets you avoid jumping faders and knobs, as well as some clever tricks with pad sequencing.

fieldframe wrote:Another one to consider: the Alesis VI25. It has 16 pads plus a few knobs and buttons.

If you don't need 16 pads, though, I would recommend the Nektar. Quality out-of-the-box Remote mappings are rare, and Nektar is the best in the business. Nektar also has the "catch" functionality that lets you avoid jumping faders and knobs, as well as some clever tricks with pad sequencing.

thank you for your answer.

I doubt I would use all the 16 pads together. I'll wait for other answer

Most obvious one that springs to mind is the Akai MPK25. I have the MPK249 and the pads just work with Kong straight out of the box.

Trefor wrote:Most obvious one that springs to mind is the Akai MPK25. I have the MPK249 and the pads just work with Kong straight out of the box.

thanks. It seems a little bit more pricey than the others, though. Do you think it is worth the difference?

I certainly think that the Akai MPK249 is worth what I paid for it. I don't know about the MPK25.

The MPK series has semi-weighted keys which I think is part of what pushes the price up.

yeah, but do they work with reason?

Nektar does. I have one, I know.

Get a used MPK249. There are mappings that can get you endless encoders for the knobs.

I do not have much space and i would take a 25keys. I also look for something easy and straight firmware ti use, as I don't want to spend much time in mapping, etc.

When you setup the MPKmini (correctly*) you have 8 pads and 8 knobs to play with. It also has a basic arpeggiator.

*You have to set it up as both a midi keyboard AND a generic midi controller in Reason, then you can use the pads and knobs.

sgiallo wrote:I do not have much space and i would take a 25keys. I also look for something easy and straight firmware ti use, as I don't want to spend much time in mapping, etc.

It sounds to me like you'd be best served by the Nektar. I would make sure to get the newer LX 25+ as it has even better mapping, with things like filter cutoff or resonance labeled directly on the hardware and always mapped to the closest match in Reason. I have the Panorama P4 but considered the Impact LX49+ because the mappings are so good.

I got a Nektar LX25+ recently and I love it for Reason. The keys feel nice as do the pads (which are easy to switch to get at all 16 kong pads btw), and most of what is useful for a keyboard controller is nicely mapped out right away.

One of my favourite features on it is the 'Soft Takeover' which prevents mysterious parameter changes happening while you're not looking or big jumps happening because the corresponding knob on the keyboard is in a different position to the parameter you are controlling.

You'll get all the DAW specific mappings once you register your keyboard which are a cinch to install. I run Studio One and Sonar as well as Reason and the mappings for each of them are really well thought out.

Best value £80 I ever spent.

Ostermilk wrote:I got a Nektar LX25+ recently and I love it for Reason. The keys feel nice as do the pads (which are easy to switch to get at all 16 kong pads btw), and most of what is useful for a keyboard controller is nicely mapped out right away.

One of my favourite features on it is the 'Soft Takeover' which prevents mysterious parameter changes happening while you're not looking or big jumps happening because the corresponding knob on the keyboard is in a different position to the parameter you are controlling.

You'll get all the DAW specific mappings once you register your keyboard which are a cinch to install. I run Studio One and Sonar as well as Reason and the mappings for each of them are really well thought out.

Best value £80 I ever spent.

The voice of........reason

But seriously, you ARE NOT going to find a better controller for reason. Maybe the keys are not the best in history, but functionally, it's better than anything for reason.

thanks everyone for the input. I think I'll go for Nektar LX25+. I don't have much time for making music and it seems the better choice for me.

thanks again

i picked up the lx25+ this week. great little controller. you won't be let down. works great with reason. no setup required for me.

I like the Arturia Minilab also, 16 knobs and pitch/mod control, 8 pads, but no midi out, just usb.

I got an Icon Neuron G2 and want to switch over to Arturia, also because the drivers failed once again, after latest win 10 update.


What OS are you running?

It just took 9 months, but I finally bought the Nektar LX25+

It seems very nice, the keys are in fact a little bit cheap. But overall, it is great!

Nice you got a controller

I decided on an Akai MPK225 about 2 years ago specifically for use with Reason. The dealbreaker for me between Akai and all the others I tried (MAudio, Novation, Nektar, Roland) was build quality. Pitch and Mod wheels are another level up on the Akai. The desktop footprint is perfect for my two main workstations. You csn pound away on the beefy MPK series and it stays put! No jumping around when tapping in parts.

On the negative side, getting the MPK to talk to Reason was not P-n-P straight out of the box! setting up the remote map and modding lua files took some doing...I eventually got it working with help from this board.

Also, after two years of using my MPK225 a lot, I wish I had 16 pads. I usually end up configuring specific Kong's in halves to play sections of beats and overdub on the other half...often with 2-4 Kongs. I will probably add a 16 pad controller this year...probably an Akai, too. The build quality is just too good.

I use 8 pads and rarely have a problem. Most Kong kits have kicks and snares at the bottom 8 and percussion spread out, and you make your own kits with the pads in mind.

If you're a big chopped sample user go for 16 pads for sure though, you want all your chops at your fingertips.