Recomendations For A Low Cost Midi Controller? (With Pitch Joystick)

Hi all,
I'm getting attracted towards electronic music and I want to purchase a midi controller.

What I want:

1) Pitch Joystick, instead of Pitch wheel. Preferably something like the EDIROLs have:
Image Link
As far as I know, it goes both left and right, and up and down.

2) Additional Controls for controlling my DAW. I' not really sure exactly what I want in this department since I'm just getting started but basically some knobs for modulation/automation control and some faders for the in-DAW-mixer would be nice.

What I Have:

3) I already have a Casio CDP-120 Digital Piano. so I have a full length keyboard with great touch response for all kinds of instruments and also plenty of samples on my PC so I don't need built-in sounds. What I need are the extra controls of Pitch & Modulation, Automation, additional Knobs etc. so keyboard length is not that important, if it's possible and lowers costs I would buy something that has only the controls and no keys at all. although a few octaves are a good investment for the future when I'll get out of the home studio...

Budget & Options
1) Low as possible, I was thinking about 100$ tops would get me a decent midi controller on eBay(I don't mind getting one used if I can trust it works)

2) The only thing I could find that fits my needs is EDIROL PCRs. for example Edirol PCR 300 | eBay This one is a lil' pricy, but I think I can find one for less. What do you think about this option? I also noticed there's an PCR-M series which looks better ;-) what are the main differences?


Thanks in advance for the help,
ZBBZ.

What do you mean by awkward?
 
I'm a guitar player, and I also love Infected Muhsroom's sound. and they have a great keyboard player who applys vibrato and bends very suitably in live performances as well as in the studio. To me it seems like the best way to control a pitch. something along the lines of a keytar.

I think I'll stick with conventional options Old55, I tried using another kind of joystick and it's not working TOO GOOD,
and besides - I would like to have some additional knobs, and maybe faders...

I truly enjoy using the joystick on the original Novation ReMote.  I'm not sure if the successor SL mkII model is the same, and just appears to be updated.  There is/was a switch on the bottom (not in the ReMote LE models) that freewheels or snaps to zero for the Mod Wheel axis.  The Pitch axis returns to center, of course.
 
With a programmable X/Y pad underneath, and Octave buttons just above, there's a lot of performance options without ever moving the left hand (making even a 25-key model extra powerful).  Lots of knobs, programmable buttons, and sliders round out the package.

As always w/ a keyboard controller, try the keybed first.
 
I've got the old novation 25 too.  It uses a fatar bed, which is pretty standard for synths (and feels normal if you grew up using a synth and not piano).  The joystick is great for modulation, not so much for pitchbends.  Maybe I just need more practice.  It also has a touchpad, which can be very nice.  Note:  I used to use a synthi analog synth w/ the joystick controller, which got me hooked.  3-dimensional control instead of the wheel 2-d.  It was good for micro shifts of filter stuff or pitch, or both at once.  The touchpad and joystick are both dependent upon setting up parameters in the synth for best use.  If you just want modulation/pitchbend, wheels work well and are precise.
 
I've always hated the roland/eridol 1/2 joystick control, while other dig it.  I wouldn't recommend it without trying, tho as with anything, you should be able to get used to it w/ practice.
 
I don't know what is out there at this point as far as controllers.  Most of the better ones are more expensive, natch.  You might want to wait for a controller and see when they come out w/ one for the iPad or android or windows.  virtual joystick and touchpad controllers would be ideal and would make programing easier, once someone figures out the right way to do it.  They are getting closer.  In the meanwhile, I'd use a cheap wheeled controller w/ the keybed of your choice.

Fatar is an Italian manufacturer of keyboard "beds", the basic key/spring/switch assembly. They sell their own controllers under the Fatar name, but those are hard to find in North America. Most of their keybeds end up as components in other manufacturers' products, which is why so many synths and MIDI keyboards have a similar feel.

Can you use the joystick to go left/right AND up/down at the same time so you increase modulation and up the pitch simultaneously?

Thx for the help, I just purchased an Edirol PCR-300.