Price £84.99/$113. Ableton Live is the most popular DAW for producers of hip-hop and electronic music. If saving space and keeping it simple are your chief concerns, the Launchpad mini could be the right choice! It may sound obvious, but I mean it! Monome was the boutique controller that started it all. It’s easy to see why. Learn the tips and tricks of the popular style. AdButler.ads.push({handler: function(opt){ AdButler.register(171487, 291816, [370,485], 'placement_291816_'+opt.place, opt); }, opt: { place: plc291816++, keywords: abkw, domain: 'servedbyadbutler.com', click:'CLICK_MACRO_PLACEHOLDER' }}); But there are more Ableton controllers out there than ever before. Get the ideas, tools and tips you need to grow your sound straight to your inbox. If you’re looking to get the classic playable pads of early … A MIDI controller is a MIDI-enabled hardware device capable of transmitting MIDI Note or CC data, with any of the following tactile parameters: keyboard, encoders, buttons, dials or sliders. You won’t even have to bother looking at your computer screen if you don’t want to. Although it can do much, much more, Monome’s pad array naturally lends itself launching Ableton clips. Building on their legendary MPC line, the APC (Ableton Performance Controller) was the original dedicated Live controller to receive Ableton’s stamp of approval. Our blog is a place for inspired musicians to read up on music & culture, and advice on production& mastering. Novation was one of the first companies to produce an Ableton-specific device with the Launchpad. Novation’s Launch Control XL provides a great alternative for those looking for perfect Ableton integration as well as plenty of rotary controllers and faders to tweak. var plc291816 = window.plc291816 || 0; But they also come at a price. The Pro edition brings a couple of tempting extras to the party, though, in the shape of the Clip Composer MIDI note editor and Track Detail device control interface. Launchkey comes in a variety of formats to accommodate any desired keyboard size. LANDR is an instant online music mastering tool. The main ideas for dedicated Ableton hardware have been around for a while. var abkw = window.abkw || ''; LANDR is the creative platform for musicians: audio mastering, digital distribution, collaboration, promotion and sample packs. AKAI APC 40 mkII. One of the best things about Live is its extremely straightforward method of mapping DAW functions to MIDI hardware. The missing piece of the puzzle is the right MIDI controller to get the most out of Live’s functions for stage right down to the home studio. The pads, sliders and transport controls will let you stay mouse free while inputting complex musical passages with the keyboard. If you’re looking to get the classic playable pads of early music production stations for your Ableton rig, Akai’s offerings are the best place to start. The APC Mini is a super affordable way to get Akai’s Ableton controller expertise into your setup. This simplified APC has a grid, sliders and multifunctional buttons to take care of launching clips and scenes. Simply hit the MIDI toggle in the top right corner and move a knob, slider or key or your controller—it’s as simple as that! The 8×8 button grid may seem common at this point, but the Launchpad was one of the controllers that made it the standard. Ableton created its own controller in-house to be the perfect companion to Live. But at its core, Ableton was always meant to be played…Live. It takes all the best features of the Launchpad and integrates them seamlessly with Novation’s premium keyboard controller tech. Now called the Monome Grid, the idea that a controller as minimal as a simple square set of pads could be an expressive musical instrument was revolutionary. Street Price: $299 USD. document.write('<'+'div id="placement_291816_'+plc291816+'">'); Here’s another one for the keyboard crowd. Let’s get this one out of the way first. So far, traditional keyboard keys have not been included on the controllers on this list. Get your hands off your trackpad and into your music with these ten fantastic Ableton controllers. The Launchpad features the classic RGB-enabled grid, plus an additional set of circular buttons around the edges for navigation control and transport. Staring at a computer can get pretty tiring—even when you’re making music! Getting hands on control of your Ableton Live sessions is a game changer. For instance, you could use a MIDI controller to play notes in MIDI instruments or to … If you want the premium Ableton controller experience you’ll have to pay more to get it. This is as close to a one-stop-shop controller as you can get. The idea that a controller as minimal as a simple square set of pads could be an expressive musical instrument was revolutionary. The APC 40 mkII functions as a true music production centre with dedicated controls for nearly every important function of Live. Get the best of our production tips and news, weekly in your inbox. This offers computer-keyboard shortcuts on steroids, with a Mac/PC keyboard featuring colour-coded… Even in the studio the best way to use Live is to play it like an instrument. No list of Ableton controllers would be complete without the original “grid of pads” controller. Ableton will automatically learn the MIDI CC or Note number and associate it with that function. Despite its smaller size there’s still a ton of hands on music production you can do with the Akai APC Mini. If you don’t already have a keyboard controller or you need inexpensive, portable Ableton control, the APC Key 25 is perfect for you. This is a super straightforward controller that can get you controlling Ableton Live right away. All that plus dedicated navigation and enough pads to perform basic clip launching tasks make the Launch Control XL a great option—especially for dedicated knob tweakers! if (!window.AdButler){(function(){var s = document.createElement("script"); s.async = true; s.type = "text/javascript";s.src = 'https://servedbyadbutler.com/app.js';var n = document.getElementsByTagName("script")[0]; n.parentNode.insertBefore(s, n);}());} Launchkey is Novation’s take on the hybrid controller style. With a selection of pads, faders, encoders and even a crossfader, the APC 40 mkII is pre-mapped to work perfectly with Ableton right out of the box. In this article I’ll go through the top 10 hardware devices for controlling Ableton Live. Any MIDI controller can be configured to work perfectly with Ableton. var AdButler = AdButler || {}; AdButler.ads = AdButler.ads || []; Make your mail more musical Live revolutionized the way artists write music with its innovative Session View. Not every Ableton user is completely focused on the clip grid. Push 2 gives you hands-on access to your entire production workflow. Now on it’s second version, Ableton Push 2 is the most comprehensive hardware Ableton controller available. The Akai APC Mini is the compact version of the flagship Akai APC 40 mkII Ableton controller. The APC40 mkII is the latest flagship design in AKAI’s Ableton range. The Novation Launchpad Mini is one of the most compact, straightforward Ableton controllers available. The Akai APC Key 25 puts standard Ableton control features and classic keyboard input in the same compact controller. It’s shares its format and design inspiration with the Launchpad MK2, but the whole package is considerably smaller and more stripped down. You could say that capability was what kicked off the Ableton controller craze in the first place! The Free and Basic (£6.99) versions of this Live controller app for iOS (Universal) and Android facilitate clip launching, MIDI control via 16 sliders, and note triggering via a grid of 16 pads. Michael Hahn is an engineer and producer at Autoland and member of the swirling indie rock trio Slight. Push 2’s onboard high-resolution display, navigation controls, touchstrip and rotary encoders offer an insane amount of flexibility.