I've seen to many mixed opinions. Anyone knows if the Akai MPK Mini 4 is fully Linux-compatible? What about the Arturia Minilab 3? For use with Reaper.
TL;DR: I basically want all the functionality of whatever MIDI controller I buy, to work. Not necessarily out of the box, but it would be ideal not having to spend 10 hours to get it to work. Will most likely be using Reaper, because from what I read Ardour is not that good for MIDI. Is the Akai MPK Mini 4 my best bet for what I want? Full beginner, wanna make synthwave, not looking to become a pro, just to enjoy a new hobby. I understand Arturia requires some Windows / Mac software to get all of its features / to config it.
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I searched Reddit, I went to Perplexity to have it search more sites as well. I am a beginner with a love for synthwave. By day I'm a programmer, so I don't care much about becoming a professional, but this new hobby seems really lovely and a nice change of pace.
For the DAW I chose Reaper - best blend of features, from what I read. Would have chosen Ardour because it is open source, but I read it's not as good for MIDI, and I don't work with C or C++, so I can't contribute that much to it either way. I wanna make synthwave mainly, and branch off into other electronic music, remixes maybe, who knows.
Wanted to pick a good beginner MIDI controller. Loved the look of the Arturia Minilab 3, but I read online that to properly config it, you need Windows or a Mac. I would rather not go through that hassle - not aiming for becoming a pro, so not willing to sacrifice my convenience like that.
Second choice, and also recommended a lot, is the Akai MPK Mini 4. Cannot be 3 because I don't like the idea of the joystick. Per my understanding, no special software is needed to config the Akai, correct?
But the big question is: do the buttons that are not MIDI work? I saw they are are called transport buttons, I think. The play, rec, pause etc. buttons that you find on the Mini 4 (and I think some of this functionality is also on the Minilab 3?).
As a last hurrah, ChatGPT mentioned Novation Launchkey Mini MK3? But I think that was just a fluke? From what I read, these are tightly integrated with Ableton.
Edit: Of course I saw the typo in the title only after clicking save.