This is a phenominal MIDI controller system where you can configure yourself the perfect solution to your controlling needs. The Gird works by combining a number of different modules that have different features. You have a module with 16 knobs, one with 16 continuous controllers, a couple with fader/knob configurations and one with buttons. They all stick together with magnets and share power and data through a single connection.

You could line up a powerful row of knobs for controlling everything in your studio. You could build a MIDI mixer for looking after your levels, or an entire synth interface that sits next to your MIDI keyboard.

However, the Grid is much more than that. Via an app you can dive into a programming language that can run scripts and reconfigure the Grid to take on new and exciting task. You could build a sequencer, turn them into LFOs or have them respond in dozens of different ways. You can save different setups into the hardware modules so at the touch of a button it could remap itself from one synth to another.

The Intech Studio Grid could be the ultimate in versatile MIDI control.

Street Price: From $109
Intech.studio

This is a bit of a thing. More than a mere MIDI controller the APC64 is sequencer and pad MIDI controller designed for Ableton Live. It features 64 RGB velocity-sensitive pads and 8 fully assignable touch strips along with its own sequencing engine.

The pads can be used in various ways. You can play drums and beats with your fingers, using the velocity sensitivity to come up with expressive performances. It has polyphonic aftertouch which means that you can lean into each pad for some added expressive or parameter control that only affects what that pad is playing. Within Ableton Live the pads become clip launchers, that can also transform into level controls, panning and send controls and throw themselves into all sorts of functions. A special Drum mode automatically maps the pads and touchstrips to control the Live Drum Rack or Simpler devices. With another button you can turn it into a grid-based keyboard for playing leads, chords and pads.

There are 8 touch strips for control of whatever you want to map them to. A row of LEDs shows you exactly where you are and you can get stuck into all sorts of MIDI controllable trouble.

Outside of Ableton Live the APC64 becomes a standalone step sequencer. It can handle 8 tracks of up to 32 steps and control MIDI gear or analogue modular via the 8 CV outputs. The sequencer features probability, mutation and velocity automation and makes full use of the pad matrix to keep you visually updated.

The APC64 is fully customisable and is one of the most capable Ableton Live controllers currently available. It even comes with an entry level version of Live plus a bunch of other plugins in the box to get you started.

Street Price: $399
AkaiPro.com

A perfectly formed little controller with 16 knobs, 16 pads, and nifty sequencer. It’s compact and rugged and would fit nicely into your laptop bag. Although, sure, you can launch clips in Ableton Live but it’s just as interested in playing drums in any DAW or tweaking the parameters of any synth in any software; it’s not fussy.

The backlit pads are velocity sensitive and so perfect for banging out those percussion performances. Along with MIDI note on/off messages the pads can also be configured to send MMC commands, program, and bank changes or serve as CC control buttons. The 16 encoders can all be mapped to control whatever you want over MIDI.

Along with all the MIDI control, you also have a sequencer mode. In this mode, the Beatstep becomes a surprisingly powerful 16 step sequencer. Each pad becomes a step, shining blue for activated steps. Each encoder becomes a pitch control over the corresponding step.

The Shift button provides access to some nice sequencer features, such as sequence direction, randomization, and clock divisions. The top row gives you a range of scales so that the encoders will always dial in the right notes. That makes coming up with a quick tune completely effortless.

The Beatstep doesn’t just have to work with software either. The MIDI output port can go straight into any external MIDI sound source. And if you have something a bit more modular then the CV and gate output puts your sequence directly into an oscillator.

If hardware sequencing is your thing then check out the BeatStep Pro which takes this element of the BeatStep so much further.

Street Price: $99
arturia.com

Here’s something completely different. It looks like a foot pedal or something you’d find attached to a piano when actually the Touché is an elegant and nuanced tactile MIDI controller and you control with your hands.

Touché lets you control MIDI parameters in a very organic way. It has four degrees of movement, pushing forwards and back, and side to side. It detects the tiniest of gestures, the smallest of movements and translates it into expressive information. Using it is like inhabiting the instrument, you become involved in the sound more than any knob, modulation wheel or touchstrip could ever provide.

It can also handle percussive interactions. You can tap and stroke it for different effects and different sorts of control. The included software lets you configure Touché exactly how you want it to be and you save it to the unit so you don’t need to be connected to a computer to use it. It comes with dozens of presets covering a wide range of software instruments and hardware synths.

There’s nothing quite like the Touché and it could be the perfect performance companion to any synthesizer. There’s also a simpler version, the Touché SE, that’s cheaper but doesn’t have all the connectivity.

Street Price: $399
Expressivee.com

Joué aims to bring an innovative and evolving form of control to your software. Instead of being generic or focused on one specific take, Joué wants to bring your endless possibilities. It consists of a pressure-sensitive base made of wood and metal onto which you place “magic” controller modules. These modules can be anything.

Currently, there are piano keyboards, pads, vector controls, nodules and buttons, faders and strips — there’s even a fretboard. All made from this rubbery, material that transmits your movements and manipulations to the base for conversion to MIDI control data.

The Joué is split into three sections, so you can mix and match your configuration and build the controller of your dreams. It will work with anything: desktop or iOS, laptop, tablet and is even MPE (Multi-dimensional Polyphonic Expression) compliant.

Joué was funded earlier this year on Kickstarter and is still in development although general release is expected any time now. The price is likely to be around $300 depending on how many modules you want.

Street Price: $599
play-joue.com

If control is more your thing then get your fingers into the MIDImix from Akai Pro. Laid out like a mixer you can use it as a console for your DAW with 8 channels of level fader and channel strip knob controls.

While it does have a special relationship with Ableton Live you can activate this controller in any DAW for quick and easy control of levels, panning, mute and effects sends. But it can also be easily mapped to any software synthesizer or a virtual instrument so you can really get tactile with your sounds.

Street Price: $109
AkaiPro.com

These are just the cutest little MIDI controllers. They are also really old but sometimes you hit on an idea that’s so good that it stands the test of time. Anyway, the nanaPAD2 has a bunch of pads whereas the nanaKONTROL2 has some knobs and sliders that are compact and useful in every circumstance.

The nanoPAD2 has 16 dynamic-sensing pads ideal for finger drumming those percussive parts. The pads feel great and the velocity sensitivity gives you multiple levels of control. You can switch between four scenes letting you configure the nanoPAD2 to 64 different pad assignments. There’s also this nice large XY touchpad over on the left. This can be mapped to a pair of parameters for some very smooth control morphing. Borrowing from the Kaosillator It also has a Touch Scale function which lets you play phrases in one of 16 scales, and a Gate ARP that transmits notes based on a tempo. It’s a lot more funky than it looks.

Meanwhile over on the nanoKONTROL2 we find 8 knobs, 8 sliders and some serious DAW control. The knobs and sliders can simply map to whatever MIDI control you want to assign them, but with the DAW control function you can get busy with the mixer and panning controls. A dedicated transport control makes recording and playback a breeze. The three buttons next to each slider offer Mute, Solo and Record Enable making this a very nifty tool for music production.

Both of these little controllers punch way above their weight and give a lot of control in a compact space.

Street Price: $79
Korg.com

The SL MIXFACE is a complete and compact DAW and MIDI controller for versatile and programmable control over your setup. It’s brilliantly straightforward and easily swaps between different modes.

In DAW mode you can select from a wide range of preset DAW configurations so there’s very little setting up required. Just dial it in and you’ve got instant control over the mixer, panning and transport controls. You can step through your tracks in banks of 8, drop markers, set loop points and set tracks to mute, solo or record enable.

In Control mode the SL MIXFACE becomes eager to map itself to your software or hardware synths. It has four layers which gives you enough control for even the most detailed synthesizer setup.

The SL MIXFACE is very compact and can be battery powered for when you’re away from the studio.

Street Price: $199
Studiologic.com