JPF Home Page Forums General Messages Mentor Questions Forum Music making equipment question

Hello Everyone!

This is my first time posting a question so it may have been answered before but I didn't come across a similar one. Here goes...

Since my budget does not allow for a MIDI-enabled workstation (like the Kronos), would it be a good compromise to purchase a dedicated keyboard controller (it would be used in conjunction with recording software like Cubase)?

Thanks for your responses!!

I googled "midi keyboard controller" and came up with a few items. You could get the Alesis Q25 25-Key Keyboard Midi Controller for only $79. I can't comment on its quality, though since I have never used it. M-Audio has sub $100 25 key midi controllers also.

Hey scpoet, welcome to JPF.

I'm not a real keyboard player, but I've done a lot of midi entry with an Emu keyboard controller. I've got some of the Emu sound packages which are pretty good. I also use some of the midi sounds in Cubase and they are pretty good also. I think getting a good controller would solve you needs for a lot less than getting one of the high dollar workstations.


Just my opinion. Hope that helps.

Mike

First off, welcome aboard!

If you're a pianist, you won't be satisfied with anything less than 88 weighted keys for a controller.

If not then 76 or 60 keys would suffice.

John

They have even smaller keyboards that have 2 octaves, give or take, and serve as an input device for online work. If you just want to get the notes in there to play with on a sequencer on a computer, there's a wide variety of options you can do with that will fit right on your desk next to your mouse and computer keyboard. If, however, you want to "play" the device like a piano, and have room for it near your computer the options explode. If you want to ever be able to use it as a stand alone instrument (to take somewhere, or play live with others) you might even want to look at a used older keyboard which might even have a full keyboard, weighted keys (or semi weighted) and also would have a full array of onboard sounds and features while still costing under a couple hundred bucks. Give us more info and we can help narrow it down for you.

Brian

Good advice given already. My advice would be to save up and buy a decent midi keyboard as this is the heart of production. It will be worth spending the extra as the results are far superior to a simple midi controller. There are plent second hand on offer that compare in price to a brand new controller. Cubase is great. I use it but it is expensive piece of kit especially if you are on a limited budget and just doing home recordings. There is Reaper as an alternative that would do a reasonable job and leave you enough cash for a workstation or quality midi keyboard.

Absolutely yes. That's the way to do it.

Thanks for welcoming me and all the great advice, gentlemen. Settled on a Yamaha MOX6 as the master keyboard for the time being. Will look into Reaper but still leaning towards Cubase if I can manage it.

I enjoyed your article on sharkproofing oneself. You're right. The sharks are always waiting for the next meal.

Hi SCPoet:

You've already been welcomed aboard... but not by me... so, Welcome to JPF!

You've already purchased a great music making machine and I'm guessing you have some musical skills. If not, I hope you took the time to look over an Arranger Keyboard. Several manufacturers carry varying price range Arrangers. Yamaha's Tyros is probably "king of the hill" today, but things always change in the music biz, every aspect. The Tyros is a shade under $5,000. bucks. E-Bay and other used gear sites will have arranger keyboards (Korg, Roland, Yamaha and others) at prices all over the map.

I do my best to keep my music creation as simple and straightforward as possible. I don't use MIDI and I don't record multiple tracks with my digital recorder. I simply re-record as many takes as needed to get the gist of the song across as I create what I call "worktape" demos. I am fairly prolific and don't have a budget for paying real "talents" to create demos for my songs. After the "song" has been recorded into a digital recorder, I transfer the file into my PC for editing. I usually spend about as much time doing edits as I do recording.

By now, you've probably already forgotten this thread but if you have questions or I can be of assistance... just ask.

All the best to you and for your musical success.

Dave

Hi scpoet,

This is an old thread but I thought I would drop something in here for anyone else who comes by. One of the best bangs for the buck keyboards out there is the Casio Privia PX-350. I did a Top 5 Home Recording Tools guide that I included it on. You can download the guide here if it's of any help. https://sundownsessionsstudio.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/Report1.pdf

Thanks Chris... I haven't checked out a Casio keyboard in years. They're typically in the toy category, but perhaps they've put out something better?