yeah you can see a possible issue with a shorter stick, less precise control -
but i've always wondered if those little PS2 mushroom things could have a
role as another control input device.
you get one on the hercules dj box, and it can be assigned as a midi control,
i think.
you could use the cick down action as an incrementor or something, to set
range of the x/y axes(?) - i still think a panel-mounted encoder rotary would
be nice instead of inc/dec - mainly for quicker hands-on edits if you don't
want to go to the PC or a control board. just my take on this- a novation remote
is the obvious choice otherwise(especially a keyboard on with the x/y+joystick).