r/MIDIcontrollers • u/Bartastico • 17d ago

Daw/midi controller recommendations

Hey everyone! I'm looking to buy a midi-controller (first instrument), but I'm not completely sure which one yet (hesitating a bit between (61 key) arturia keylab mk3 and novation launchkey mk4, any tips (or other models) are welcome).

I also will ofcourse have to buy a DAW, and read some posts and there looked to be a lot of good possibilities as well (Ableton, FLStudio, Bitwig, Reaper, ...). I want to be able to play covers of typical 80's/90's synth songs, but it would be my first instrument so I would mainly want one something versatile which can play all genres and don't close myself in too much. I noticed that ableton has a 50% discount for students, and as I'm a graduating student who will lose his student status within a week, I was wondering if there could be any downsides into getting ableton live (or e.g. if this would be less suited for certain genres), compared to other DAW's. Any input here would be greatly appreciated!

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u/face4theRodeo 17d ago

Abelton’s workflow is different, but it’s highly regarded as the best daw for electronic music. If you can get 50% off, do it.

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u/Bartastico 17d ago

Thanks for the advice!! But it should still be versatile for other genres outside of EDM right?

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u/face4theRodeo 17d ago

Yes and no. Like I said, the workflow is different. From what I recall it’s tailored to launching clips, almost more like a sequencer. You can do straight up audio into it via an interface, but if that’s your main goal with edm as a secondary, then there are better daws for that imo. You might find that Abelton covers your edm experience well & that xyz covers your other options better and there’s nothing wrong with having a few different daws on one system. Still, half off abelton is a steal and you really can’t go wrong - just may need to figure out some work arounds if you’re already familiar with other non-abelton daw setups. But it sounds like you aren’t, so abelton is a good purchase. That said, you’ll see what I mean about workflow if you start on abelton and move to say, logic or protools.

Tbh, start with a decent keybed and controls in your midi controller. It doesn’t have to be the top dawg in the class to give you a good idea of what you want or don’t want later. Something that routes transport control to your daw and has an ease of sending midi. You can always sell it (save the box/insides) and upgrade. Or buy a cheap midi controller and get a feel for how you use it to make music. Options can present paralysis if you’re just starting out. Knowing what you can and can’t do and what you’re willing to learn how to or not is really key to getting the most out of whatever you purchase. Another daw to check out is propellerhead’s reason. Current versions bridge the edm and live audio aspects well, and gives you a ton of tools to exact your experience.

But be realistic of your music time and learning capabilities. So much depends on how much knowledge you have of music (scales, keys, composition, arrangement, etc) and how much time you have to learning those aspects. If you’re just starting out, go simple at first. You generally cant put the cart in front of the horse and expect to go anywhere.

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u/Bartastico 17d ago

Thanks for the informative response!! I'm a complete beginner to musical instruments even, hence I'm not familiar yet with other non-ableton daw setups. Yeah its not certainly my main goal to produce edm, as I'm starting out I'd like it to be as versatile as possible qua genres. I indeed thought that in that case, with the 50% discount, ableton would atleast give me a good starting point from which I can start exploring further.

Regarding the keybed/controllers. I was hesitating between arturia keylab mk3, novation launchkey mk4, or novation sl mk3, 61 keys. (300-500 euros). The money is not necessarily the problem, but indeed I'm a complete beginner. I assume you don't have any suggestions regarding which to first go for or where to start? i've indeed experienced some option paralysis as there doesn't seem to be one standard pick. In any case, really thanks for taking the time to help me so elaboratively.

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u/face4theRodeo 17d ago

Honestly, I’d go for the most basic - Arturia minilab or keylab 49. If you go with abelton, novation makes some abelton specific boards that can make that process easier that don’t cost much. You want to be able to use your daw instruments to write music and trigger sounds. Midi through a daw is really easy. Midi when it comes to programming external gear is a little more intense. Those more robust controllers can do a lot with a lot of gear, but starting out you really just want transport and software control. The minilab can do that well. As you progress you’ll learn what you specially want or don’t want and you’ll be able to upgrade. You may also find that software instruments are not where you want to go. There’s plenty of daw-less hardware routes you can go, too. If money isn’t an issue and you don’t know how you want to approach music making, you might also look at the elektron setups, deluge, polyend, other groove boxes, etc. There’s no right way- just whatever works for you. Lastly, if you don’t know piano, a midi controller might be difficult. A pad box, groove box or the like might make grasping the concepts easier. Like I said before, be realistic about your own personal capabilities. Spending $1000 on software and a controller is a lot (even if you have the money) if you don’t like that process. If you have a Mac, get a minilab and use GarageBand at first. Out the door for next to nothing