Meanwhile, if you're looking for a larger controller, we heartily recommend Native Instruments’ Komplete Kontrol S-Series boards, and in particular the Native Instruments Kontrol S61 Mk 2. As well as offering instant support for Ableton Live, the Launchkey Mini also provides pads for clip launching or drum tracks, and handy creative tools like an arpeggiator and chord memory function. In the compact corner, because of the sheer number of features crammed into such a light, small footprint, our recommendation right now is the Novation LaunchKey Mini Mk3. MIDI controller keyboards tend to fall into two main categories – compact, portable devices with 25 keys and larger, desk-based options with 49 or more keys. If you need more guidance, hit the ‘buying advice’ button above. Our price comparison widgets have found the best deals online right now, too. We’ve presented our picks in price order to help you find the right one for you. Many of the best MIDI keyboards also come with mapping templates for the most popular DAWs - Ableton Live, Logic Pro, FL Studio, etc - making it easy to get up and running and start producing music right out of the box.

It might well be a little more rugged, too something to consider if you want to take it on the road. You can get a perfectly decent cheap MIDI keyboard for way less than $/£100 if you shop around, but up your spend even slightly and you'll get your hands on a higher quality model with more features and higher specs. Most options we recommend here also come with additional features such as knobs, pads, buttons and faders to boost creativity and give you even more control over your software. You can opt for a compact, portable MIDI keyboard that fits comfortably in a laptop bag, or you can go all in with a full-size 88-note model with weighted hammer-action keys. There are plenty of options to choose from, dependent on your needs.

Some also double up to offer control over hardware synths, making them a central performance hub for your studio. These ubiquitous devices can be plugged directly into your PC or laptop via USB - or, in some cases, even operate wirelessly over Bluetooth - and enable you to play and record with your DAWs software instruments and any VST synth plugins you might have installed.

Best laptop for recording music 2014