- Discover some of the weird MIDI Controllers on the market
- Learn how you can use these controllers
- Find out which one is best for your music production
- Also, check out our post on the best MIDI keyboards for beginners!
Whether you’re a performer in a band or a music producer, a MIDI controller is often a staple of your music practice.
There are a lot of MIDI controllers on the market to choose from, most of which tend to look the same and do the same things.
This makes it very difficult to decide which one is best for you. However, there are some MIDI controllers out there that are more unconventional in both performance and design.
This article will uncover some of the weirdest and wackiest MIDI controllers available today.
What Are The Weirdest & Most Unconventional MIDI Controllers?
Below, we have listed 7 MIDI controllers doing something incredibly unique and creative that should help you reshape the way you create music.
Let’s get into them:
- Artiphon Orba
- Roland AE-01 Aerophone Mini Digital
- Lumatone Isomorphic keyboard
- Dubler Studio Kit 2
- Genki Wave Ring
- Oval Sound Digital Hand Pan Hangdrum Midi Black
- Erae Touch
1. Artiphon Orba
Key Features:
- Gesture controlled performance
- Velocity sensitive surface
- Built-in speaker
Review
The Orba is a pocket-sized MIDI controller whose main selling feature is gesture controls and a velocity-sensitive control surface.
If you want to control vibrato, you can do so by moving your finger. You can also tilt the controller to modulate the synth you’re controlling or even spin the device to control the pitch.
As you can imagine, this is a very quick and easy way to record modulation. The MIDI controller can also be used as a looper. Its built-in speaker is also great for being creative on the move.
For those who want a compact, slick midi controller for on-the-move music production, the Artiphon Orba is an excellent choice.
It is also a quick way of recording MIDI tracks, with the bump and shakes feature making mapping out drum beats very intuitive and fast.
All of the other gestures included with this device make this a fun way of making music for both beginners and professionals alike.
2. Roland AE-01 Aerophone Mini Digital
Key Features:
- Expressive breath sensor
- Six built-in sounds with an additional 50 when paired with the companion app
- Bluetooth capability
Review
The Aerophone is unlike any other MIDI controllers on this list, and the expressive breath sensor is the main reason for that.
It may seem as if there are limited keys on this MIDI controller; however, with the companion app, you can transpose this instrument to any key you desire.
A further addition that makes this an enticing option is that you can practice anywhere due to the AE-01 being a portable MIDI controller with an in-built speaker.
The inclusion of the breath sensor is also a nice touch and makes it perfect for beginners struggling to get the right tone on a brass instrument.
3. Lumatone Isomorphic Keyboard
Key Features:
- 10 preset buttons
- 280 mappable hexagon keys
- Pitch and mod wheel
- FREE Lumotone editing software
Review
The Lumote keyboard is probably one of the most versatile and personal keyboards money can buy.
This is mainly due to the 280 hexagon keys, which can be mapped in any way you wish, making it one of the most alternative controllers.
You can use the editing software to change each key to any color, note, tuning, and temperament you want.
This offers an entirely new way of making music, making you rethink how you design chord progressions and musical phrases.
The aluminum body makes this keyboard a very robust and well-made instrument. However, this does come with a hefty price tag of around $4,000 USD.
Being able to create numerous presets would make the Lumatone ideal for professionals who work on multiple genres, as they could have specific keys they like working in, as well as mapping out chord progressions to follow one another, also making the whole production process very easy.
However, I think this MIDI controller is limited to professionals due to the relatively high price tag that comes with the product.
4. Dubler Studio Kit 2
Key Features:
- USB microphone
- Dubler software
Review
As a producer, have you ever sat at your desk beatboxing what you want your drums to sound like and then painstakingly drawing out your drums while trying to repeat that beatbox beat? I certainly have!
The Dubler Studio kit eliminates the middleman and notates your voice into a MIDI format. By training the software to recognize the sounds of your mouth, you can easily start to use your mouth to make beats.
Furthermore, the software also allows you to sing notes, which will then turn into MIDI data. You can even sing your bass lines and add variation to velocity and form!
The microphone and software are extremely responsive, able to work and differentiate sounds even when they’re fast and bleed into one another.
This is also a great tool for those who aren’t amazing at music theory, as it can turn any average Joe into a melody and harmony powerhouse via the voice-to-MIDI function.
5. Genki Wave Ring
Key Features:
- Motion controlled
- Six unique gestures
- Eurorack compatible
Review
The Genki Wave Ring is similar to the Orba mentioned previously on our list in terms of using gestures to perform actions within your DAW.
However, as the Genki Wave ring is a wearable device, it becomes more a part of your production practice than the Orba.
Think of it as a wearable short key as such. You can start, stop and record with the press of a button, and you can perform and record automation data on things like your synthesizers and EQs (it is also a mainstay with many Eurorack modular enthusiasts due to its expressiveness).
Products like this are usually a bit of a gimmick in music production. However, the Genki Wave Ring seems to break this stereotype.
It almost becomes a part of you and your practice, making things far quicker and seem more intentional when you’re using the device.
Another great application for this is for live performances for singers and musicians.
You can use the ring to increase levels of an effect or modulation, which would be a far bigger task without the ring.
6. Oval Sound Digital Hand Pan Hangdrum MIDI Black
Key Features:
- Senor pads with five separate sensors
- Companion Oval app
Review
This elusive MIDI controller is quite hard to come by, and very few copies are floating about. This is a shame because it is exceptionally unique.
The digital hand pan uses pad sensors that detect velocity and x/y location.
You can layer samples upon each sensor, and with the accompaniment of the finely tuned sensors, you can imagine how expressive you could be with this instrument.
This is certainly one of the more weird MIDI controllers on our list. It’s a very interesting twist on the steel hand pan.
Being able to upload your own samples to this device and the expression you’re able to produce make this an excellent MIDI controller for live performance.
Furthermore, its slick and lightweight design makes it an eye-catching piece and a practical tool.
Did someone say handpans? Check out our guide to the best handpan VSTs on the market today!
7. Erae Touch
Key Features:
- 1,000 super-sensitive sensors
- Polyphonic x/y/z pad control
- Erae lab software to customize your device
Review
This MIDI instrument is the first to have over 100 sensors! The Erae Touch also has five embedded processors providing a latency of 1ms, which makes it excellent for performers on the move.
This device isn’t just a flashy screen; it’s highly performable, offering vibrato and pitch bending as you would on a stringed instrument.
It can be a keyboard, sequencer, drum pad, key grid, and more. With its customizability, you can even have multiple of these on the screen simultaneously.
It’s true what they say, save the best til last. In terms of performance and improving your creativity, this controller will change the way you approach music.
This is also far cheaper than the Lumote Keyboard on our list at 1/4 of the price. This device makes an excellent companion for both professional studio applications as well as live performances.
Also, check out our guide to the 7 Best Portable MIDI Keyboards (For Traveling Musicians)!
