Reddit mentions of Korg nanoPAD2 Slim-Line USB MIDI Pads - Black

Korg.

If you want to go cheap get the nanopad2: Black
or White

If you can spend a bit more the padKontrol

The padKontrol is really the way to go. Sorry about the Akai, but their pads really do suck.

Try this


Maybe this

If you want the all in one solution to these, then of course go for the AKAI module you have listed in your post.

Best of luck and PM me if you need any help.

this is actually fairly easy to do. reaper is 60$, these are 75$, this is 16, this type of midi controller is 55$, and you will need a laptop,

in reaper setup 5 channels, assign each cahnnel to a dedicated out using the soundcard i provided. setup SAMPLOMATIC5000 (reaper vst) with allthe sounds and have them set to midi triggers that you then trigger from the midi controller i provided. setup speakers anywhere in the room you would wish to have them.

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now I gave you the BASIC setup, but all this can bedone with a keyboard through reaper, and even an SPDIF(optical) out in reaper if you do a little digging. This is NOT difficult and I commend you for wanting to provide an elevated gaming experience and I know you can do this if you just put your thoughts into action. you got this!

Here's what I found in your budget. I doubt a quality build will come with any of these by the way. Keep in mind these Akai pads do NOT have the same level of quality or feel as the more expensive units.

Akai LPD8
Akai MPD18
Korg Nanopad2

For a little more you can get the [Korg Padkontro]http://www.amazon.com/Korg-PadKontrol-Studio-Controller-black/dp/B002MHML06/ref=sr_1_1?s=musical-instruments&ie=UTF8&qid=1321493492&sr=1-1), which is light on features but has in my opinion the best feeling pads of any unit out there. The X/Y pad feels great and is super cool too. The Akai MPD26 is in that price range too.

Ah shit just realized you are looking for a percussion pad controller. I'm too lazy to change my post, but I don't know offhand of any cheaper percussion pads than the alesis. From what I heard, the quality is fine for the price you are paying.

Here are your best budget options of gear you must have:

Headphones -

[Audio Technica M50] (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00HVLUR86/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B00HVLUR86&linkCode=as2&tag=silastu-20&linkId=KJN5X2ZF3TL466SZ)

Sony MDR7

Monitors -

KRK RP5G3

M-Audio AV40

MIDI Keyboard -

Akai MPK Mini

Korg nanokey

Novation Launchkey

Moar Buttons & Knobs -

Korg nanocontrol

Korg nanopad

Microphones -

Shure SM58

Shure SM57

Recording Interface -

Focusrite Scarlett 2i2

PreSonus Audiobox

I'm not sure how well you can map Rekordbox to Midi devices. I like to use Korg Nanopad II (https://www.amazon.com/Korg-nanoPAD2-Slim-Line-MIDI-Pads/dp/B004M8YPKM) for use with Traktor DVS. These are genuine midi devices and can be easily mapped given the DJ software provides midi mapping.

If you are on MacOS you can think about setting cues/loops in Serato/Traktor and convert that info to Rekordbox. This gives you a wider choice of cheap controllers for either Traktor or Serato. And if it's strictly for setting cues/loops the (free) demo version of either one of them will do the job just fine.

Using the DJ Conversion Utility to convert from Serato/Traktor to Rekordbox gives you the benefits that both the hot- and memory bank are set 100% identical (so you got the same loops/cues in both banks).

If you're okay with having hardware you could buy a sampler like this. I don't own any samplers so I don't have any to recommend but Akai is known for samplers, most notably their MPC's. Pretty sure all samplers come with software to load and map the samples with.

Edit: That Korg pad might be just MIDI. I didn't look into it. This one is similar to the Korg pad and supports samples via SD card.

With intro, can I input sounds using a drum pad? I have this one http://www.amazon.com/Korg-nanoPAD2-Slim-Line-MIDI-Pads/dp/B004M8YPKM Also, does it come with different drum kits I can get certain sounds from?

Basically what you would do is open up Addictive Drums in Reaper as a plugin on a track, then trigger the drums with Midi Notes in the piano roll. This will allow you to write out your own drum patterns with a keyboard and mouse. I don't know exactly how to do that in Reaper but I know you can do it.

If you wan to trigger the drums live and basically play drums with your computer. Invest in one of these http://www.amazon.com/Korg-nanoPAD2-Slim-Line-MIDI-Pads/dp/B004M8YPKM they are cheap and awesome.

Being that you are a drummer, a percussion-style controller might be just as useful for you and your workflow. Eventually you will want to get a keyboard but you may enjoy the workflow with the launchpad (I've seen a lot of people saying that the launchpad is no use for production, same with the APC40 I use , which has a similar clip-launch button grid to the launchpad, along with some faders and rotary encoders - also the APC40 (the original not the MKII is only $200 on amazon right now, which is really a steal and not much more than the launchpad (it isn't a launchpad plus other stuff though, the grid is not as large and the layout is different. There are also a lot more custom scripts to use with the launchpad - there are plenty for the APC40 too but mostly DJ-oriented and step sequencers.)

I use my APC almost as much as my keyboard on a lot of tracks. I like to pick out/make a bunch of samples, place them as clips in ableton's clip view (which makes their corresponding button light up on the APC/launchpad) and record to the arrangement view while I trigger samples live. Then I make more and more passes over the arrangement view, adding samples, tweaking settings etc.

A keyboard doesn't need to be expensive either - maybe instead of the 2i2 (~$140) interface you get the next model up, the 2i4 (I got mine new for $155 but I'm not sure what sort of a deal could be had on the 2i2, just listed the retail price I usually see. Feel free to PM me for info on where to get deals on these things.) With the 2i4, you will not only have more outputs (meaning more flexibility down the road) but you will get MIDI support; this mean's you can go to a garage sale/flea market and pick out any old keyboard and odds are it has a MIDI port on the back - I paid $30 for my yamaha psr262 and it hasn't given me any trouble.

You can forgo an interface with midi capability get a new USB-MIDI keyboard pretty cheap - about $70 for good quality, simple 49 key. You can go smaller than 49 but I find that's the sweet spot for someone who isn't a pianist.

As for the pads, the korg nanoPAD 2 (~$45) is a great option (check out the nanokontrol 2 as well, a similar sized and priced controller with knobs and faders instead of pads. This way you can build a setup based on how your workflow is going and what you think you would like - You could buy a basic midi keyboard, a nanoPAD 2 and a used launchpad ($60 or so on craigslist) for about $175, less than you would spend on the launchkey or something similar and, IMO, much more useful) There are also lots of bigger, fuller featured drum pad controllers at reasonable prices these days, like the Akai MPD 18 (~$100) and the full-size korg padKONTROL

Just remember, you don't NEED any gear besides a decent computer to start, you may want to download demos of the big DAWs (ableton live, cubase, FL studio, etc) and just use your mouse and keyboard to play around and decide whether you want to spend the money. It is much more satisfying playing real keys and having real knobs to turn, but you can get a very good idea of what is involved with making dubstep.

So, if you do that and decide you want to buy the gear, for $500 I would say spend ~$150 on an audio interface, ~$70 on a keyboard, maybe buy the launchpad used if you can find a deal, and save the rest until you have a better idea of how you will make music.

Well you've got a few options then.

If you want to start with an All-in-one, this controller has a keyboard and drum pads. It's $100. It'll get you started, but it'll leave some to be desired. The main issue is it only has 8 drum pads which I don't think is really enough.

Otherwise, I'm a big fan of this midi keyboard. I use it a lot when I'm on the go. You'd then want to get a drum pad as well, I'd recommend this or this. I'm partial to the Akai, I'm big fan of their more inexpensive drum pads over the Korgs, but with the Xkey there, too, you're looking at $200 which is the max you've got for your budget. So XKey+Korg is about $160.