You will want some endless encoders (better than regular pots for fine control and relative adjustment), transport controls, buttons and pads (I like them for triggering really common actions because they are more visible than buttons and harder to miss). An XY touch pad can be useful as well. I do most of my composing on 2 octaves, which fits nicely on my desk, but if you want to play with 2 hands you should go with 4 or more octaves. You don't really need a sequencer; you can always add a plugin later. Aftertouch is handy too.
Basically, the more actions you can comfortably assign to your controller (and remember), the faster will be your workflow so look for something with a lot of controls in a comfortable layout. If you want portability, don't buy weighted keys; they're for people who are used to playing pianos and not necessary unless you really prefer them.
If I was buying a new keyboard controller, I'd probably go with Nektar, but I'm still using a Novation Remote25SL from 15 years ago.
Oh, and welcome to the forums.
Last edited by foxAsteria; 08-04-2019 at 09:20 AM.
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