Portable Midi controller

[Positonic]

hi there, so I have my new board, and have made some beginner patches.

I'm very inexperienced with all this fun, so please excuse my, perhaps, ignorance...

I think I should next get some sort of midi-controller. I think about "Novation Launchkey Mini" or "Akai MPK Mini MKII".

Is there anything I should know before I do so. These 2 mini-controllers, seem to be usb powered only, will my board be able to power then, or who will that work?

I would like something portable so that I can bring my board, and controller with me on the move. Am I on the right track, or have I missed something?

I know it depends what I want to do, but for now I'm just feeling this out, so I just want to have fun, and mess around, any advice appreciated

[thetechnobear]

bus powering is fine. and as long as its USB midi class compliant you should be ok.
check out the USB MIDI controllers thread for controllers others have proved to work.

Im looking for a portable controller too, quite a choice, I think some have better keybeds that others.
the novation is quite interesting as i think the pads can be controlled from the host, i.e. axoloti could change them, this makes them a bit more flexible e.g. use as a 16 step sequencer. (this needs to be confirmed, as i dont have one, but the other novation controllers allow this)

generally, Id look for something with as much 'feedback' and control possibilities as you can get, as the axoloti board on its own doesn't have leds/lcd display, so you need your controller to allow you to 'see' whats going on in the patch as much as possible.

has anyone tried a bunch of these 25 key controllers?
any thoughts on how the keys feel, ive heard some are not nice to play/cheap/light...

[mongrol]

I have a Novation MiniKey 32. It has pads and knobs and a minikeybed. Utter crap. Keeps disconnecting. Keys are awful. I've replaced it with a Korg Nano-key which, while it has weird keys, is actually very playable.

Also look at the Novation Launchpad Pro. It's hackable as the API has been open sourced. Someone on the Midibox forums has hacked one into being a Midibox BLM. Very hackable indeed.

[andybutler]

It's possible to have issues with bus powering.
Also it's worth checking any midi controller for compatibility before purchase, if possible.

Here's the link to the thread where users report on how midi controller worked out :

USB Midi Controllers

Overview This topic is intended to discuss USB midi controllers and their compatibility with Axoloti. Please post here if you use a controller that works and is not listed here, and we will keep this post up to date. if you find a controller that does NOT work, please raise a separate topic in this hardware category, so we can discuss the issue, and look for a resolution. Axoloti can both act as a USB class compliant midi device (via the Micro USB port) for other devices act as host e.g. …

[Blindsmyth]

Novation Launchpad Pro

Yes that one is pretty dope, someone in berlin here hacked it to have polyphonic after touch, tried it at musichackday with axoloti, makes is really expressive. The only thing you're lacking then would knobs/faders, but these you could also solder to your board.

I also think this could make a great candidate https://www.thomann.de/de/reloop_keyfadr.htm
little bit like nanokontrol cramped onto a keyboard but with even more knobs cramped to it. No Idea if this will work but I think it's class compliant.

[johannes]

I have an Akai MPK Mini mk2. It works fine with USB host power from Axoloti. It fits in (and survives) my laptop backpack.
The keys do not feel great, but I guess this is normal for minikeys. I have not managed to change the pad LEDs via MIDI, it seems this is not implemented... pity.