Recommended MIDI Controllers
for Photo and Video editing
There are many Midi controllers available. On this page, you can find a selection of MIDI controllers that are great for photo and video with the LrControl and PrControl plug-ins. The information contained in the table below can help you pick the best MIDI controller to buy.
| Controller | Picture | Brand | Price | Size mm | Size Inch | Weight | Weight lbs | Power Use | Faders | Motorised | Resolution | Encoders | Encoder Type | Buttons | LED Buttons | Build | Material | Power | USB | Ch. Disp. | Time Disp. | Transport | Jog Wheel |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| X-Touch |  | Behringer | +++ | 110x452x301mm | 3.9x17.8x11.9" | 4.3 kg | 9.4 lbs | 30W | 9 | Yes | High | 8 | Relative/Push | 92 | 92 | + | Steel | AC | B | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| X-Touch Extender |  | Behringer | ++ | 97x290x303mm | 3.8x11.4x11.9" | 3.1 kg | 6.8 lbs | 30W | 8 | Yes | High | 8 | Relative/Push | 32 | 32 | + | Steel | AC | B | Yes | No | No | No |
| X-Touch Compact |  | Behringer | ++ | 100x391x301mm | 3.9x15.4x11.8" | 3.7 kg | 8.2 lbs | 25W | 9 | Yes | Normal | 16 | Absolute/Push | 39 | 39 | + | Steel | AC | B | No | No | No | No |
| X-Touch mini |  | Behringer | + | 47x325x102mm | 1.9x12.8x4" | 0.52 kg | 1.1 lbs | 1W | 1 | No | Normal | 8 | Absolute/Push | 16 | 16 | + | Plastic | USB | Mini-B | No | No | No | No |
| Platform-M + |  | iCON | ++ | 55x395x198mm | 2.2x15.6x7.8" | 1.65 kg | 3.63 lbs | 24W | 9 | Yes | High | 8 | Relative/Push | 47 | - | + | Steel | EXT | B | Option | No | Yes | Yes |
| MCU Pro |  | Mackie | ++++ | 113x419x429mm | 4.4x16.5x16.9" | 7.6 kg | 16.8 lbs | 10W | 9 | Yes | High | 8 | Relative/Push | 102 | 60 | +++ | Steel | EXT | B | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| MCU Extender Pro |  | Mackie | ++++ | 113x256x429mm | 4.4x10x16.9" | 5.0 kg | 11.0 lbs | 10W | 8 | Yes | High | 8 | Relative/Push | 40 | 32 | +++ | Steel | EXT | - | Yes | No | No | No |
| nanoKONTROL 2 |  | KORG | + | 30x325x83mm | 1.18x12.8x3.27" | 0.3 kg | 0.65 lbs | 0.5W | 8 | No | Normal | 8 | Absolute | 35 | 35 | + | Plastic | USB | Mini-B | No | No | Yes | No |
| MidiMix |  | AKAI | + | 30x239x201mm | 1.2x9.4x7.9" | 0.7 kg | 1.5 lbs | 0.5W | 9 | No | Normal | 24 | Absolute | 19 | 19 | ++ | Plastic | USB | B | No | No | No | No |
| Midi Fighter Twister |  | DJ Tech Tools | ++ | 58x152x152mm | 2.3x6x6" | 0.54 kg | 1.2 lbs | 1.3W | 0 | - | - | 16 | Absolute/Relative/Push | 6 | 0 | ++ | Plastic | USB | B | No | No | No | No |
| Launchpad Mini Mk2 |  | Novation | + | 18x184x184mm | 0.7x7.2x7.2" | 0.42 kg | 0.9 lbs | 1W | 0 | - | - | 0 | - | 80 | 80 | ++ | Plastic | USB | Micro | No | No | No | No |
| BCF2000 |  | Behringer | - | 100x300x320mm | 3.9x11.8x13" | 2.7 kg | 5.9 lbs | 10W | 8 | Yes | Normal | 8 | Absolute/Push | 20 | 20 | + | Steel | AC | B | No | No | No | No |
| BCR2000 |  | Behringer | - | 100x300x320mm | 3.9x11.8x13" | 2.3 kg | 5.1 lbs | 10W | 0 | - | - | 32 | Absolute/Push | 20 | 20 | + | Steel | AC | B | No | No | No | No |
| iControls PRO |  | iCON | - | 26x392x180mm | 1x15.4x7.1" | 1.8 kg | 4 lbs | 10W | 9 | Yes | High | 9 | Relative/Push | 44 | 44 | ++ | Steel | EXT | Mini-B | No | No | Yes | Yes |
| Beatstep |  | Arturia | + | 34x324x127mm | 1.3x12.8x5" | 0.9 kg | 2 lbs | 1W | 0 | - | - | 16 | Absolute/Relative | 24 | 24 | ++ | Steel | USB | Mini-B | No | No | No | Yes |
Prices
There are no actual prices listed in the table above, because the prices of MIDI controllers vary a lot. For example the X-Touch, at my favourite store it is sometimes about €700, while the normal price is about €400. For the prices, the more plusses, the more expensive it is.
Energy Consumption
MIDI contollers do not use a lot of power, but the controllers with motorised faders need more than can be supplied over USB, so they use power adapters. Power usage is either specified by the manufacturer, or measured and rounded up. The actual power usage is often significantly less than the manufacturer specifies.
Build
Build quality is subjective and in this table it refers to the physical construction. Is the controller made of light weight plastic? Like the KORG nanoKontrol. Or is it made of steel and really heavy? Like the Mackie controllers for example.
Faders
Motorised faders are much better for editing photos and videos, they can adapt to current parameter values. That makes it easy to make adjustments.
Controllers with unmotorised faders are much cheaper and lighter, but when you touch a fader, the corresponding parameter makes a jump to the value of the fader.
Encoders
The encoders on the AKAI MidiMix and KORG nanoKONTROL cannot be set from the plug-in, this means the parameter value in the host application will make a jump when you move the encoder.