The Greatest MIDI Controllers for Synths, Guitars, and Extra (2026)

One needn’t benefit from the music of Rush to respect the multitasking that occurs whereas the Canadian prog trio (RIP Neil Peart) was onstage spinning impeccable note-for-note re-creations of their studio work. A key part of bassist/vocalist Geddy Lee’s workflow was the Moog Taurus, which is an archaic monophonic synthesizer that’s managed by an octave’s value of organ-like foot pedals that sit on the bottom beneath his rack of synthesizers, which he later transitioned to a MIDI-controlled Ableton-enabled laptop.

Newer, heavier bands like Brutus and Russian Circles have carried the torch, the latter using a classic Taurus up till a band of tweakers ransacked their trailer in 2021. Brian Prepare dinner, the bassist of the instrumental steel trio, has since been reunited together with his beloved Taurus, however within the meantime he utilized a Keith McMillen Devices 12 Step paired with a Moog Minotaur Mannequin to re-create the squelching, thundering low-end he’s well-known for wielding whereas he performs a baritone guitar together with his arms.

The 12 Step 2 expands on the unique with five-pin DIN enter and output, in addition to expanded expression choices with every of the 12 pedals which are laid out identical to an octave on a keyboard. Each the stress and the lean of every pedal will be mapped to distinctive CCs, permitting issues like filter, assault, and resonance to be adjusted as you bear down on every press. The pc-based editor is straightforward to know, and every pedal can ship chords with as much as 5 notes every for a richer sound with minimal faucet dancing. You’ll want your personal module to generate sounds with the MIDI messages despatched by every pedal, however the USB output will be routed right into a telephone, pill, or laptop computer for simple management of synth plugins on any form of machine you may have. The 12 Step 2 is gentle, sturdy, and skinny, making it straightforward to drop on prime of your guitar pedals earlier than you stash them in a street case for protected preserving. The identical can’t be stated a couple of Moog Taurus or the Roland PK-6, which is 3 inches excessive and 10 kilos, versus the 12 Step 2, which is 1 inch excessive and only one.25 kilos.