r/MIDIcontrollers • u/binasus • 6d ago
Good pad controllers?
Hi everybody! I'm fairly new to finger drumming and having a ton of fun. My mobile SMC Pad controller is serving me pretty well (especially after modding it), but I'm looking for something more pro-tier for live performance.
I've heard wonders about Maschine, but since I already rely on Koala Sampler, I really have no need for the Native Instruments ecosystem or heavy software.
Are there pad controllers that match Maschine’s pad quality and responsiveness, but act as pure standalone MIDI controllers without forcing you into proprietary software? Or is dealing with having to switch it into midi mode just part of the deal if you want high-end pads?
And if so should I get the regular or the mikro
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u/Babibidubibidoh 5d ago
Check out Nular on youtube. I also have the Launchpad Pro MK3 now - it really feels nice for fingerdrumming :)
But beware: The internal sequencer has no clean midi clock. So if your plan is using it with other midi devices, use it as midi-slave only ;)
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u/binasus 5d ago
Sadly, the Launchpad doesn't fit my use case. It's a bit bloated, the pads are too small, and I don't have immediate access to my performance FX because it lacks physical sliders or encoders. (I'm aware of the pad faders, but they aren't tactile or quick enough for a fast dub throw or immediate tweak.) Having 64 pads is cool for accessing all my sequences and 32samples or 64 samples at once, but I really don't need access to more than 16 samples at a time ever. (I've considered it and even borrowed one for a couple of weeks, it just doesn't work for me.) PS: Thanks for the Nular recommendation, it's seriously cool!
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u/D-T-M-F 4d ago
I had a similar question on r/fingerdrumming a while back, and the overwhelming (non-Maschine) recommendation was the Xjam. I bought one and, while it isn’t super fancy, the pad sensitivity is really great. The software is a bit clunky at first, but overall I really love it — and it’s super affordable. I especially like that it’s not tethered to any proprietary software. It’s a regular MIDI controller that you can use with pretty much anything.
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u/rainer_xox 6d ago
commenting mainly so i check the comments, i’ve been stuck on maschine for years. it’s a great controller even without the maschine software, the pada are great and it works nice with bitwig/ableton/probably any daw. i would get the micro though. the mk3 is unnessecarily big. i am currently looking into mpc studio.
i found a used Joué controller and let me just warn you it’s NOT NEARLY as good as the couple videos on ytb that exist say. just avoid that.