Help make sense of all the available piano/keyboard options !

[uptick]

Hi guys,

Just another newbie here looking to get started on the right path- if anyone have the time, I would really appreciate some clarification regarding piano & keyboard options, because quite frankly, I'm not 100% certain of all the key differences and which type might be more suitable for me need.

I have played piano in the past - though not very extensively nor for a long time. But, since I'm planning on embarking on my journey into the digital music world (ambient, synth, etc) I figured this is as good of a time as any to start learning the piano again, especially since it can be used as an instrument for a track and on top of that, serve as a tool for learning more about music theory, etc.

From my understanding, when it comes to options, there's the Synthesizers(arranger, workstations), midi controllers keyboards, and digital pianos.
But a lot of their functionalities and usage seem to overlap in areas which makes it a bit confusing for me to decipher which is the one that I should go for.

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My goal is the following:

1. be able to just use it and play like a regular piano to further my studies and skills when it comes to the piano. (jazz, neoclassical, ambient, blues)

2. be able to play through a set of studio speakers so I can listen to the sound as I play (like a real piano)
* from my understanding, midi controller connects to the computer through an USB and doesn't produce sounds on its own nor can it be connected through the audio monitors directly. is this correct?

3. be able to use it when I try to create digital music and utilize all the functionalities from the DAW. Basically set the sounds, and effects in the Daw from the computer, and applie the noise/sounds through the keyboard.
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From what I understand, midi controllers don't make sounds on its own, so it can only connect to the computer with the midi software installed ( and its sounds come from the software, or the daw.)
But how does it compare to just using a digital piano that can produce sounds on its own and be connected directly through an audio interface and into the audio interface?

Also, regardless of whether a keyboard is classified as a synthesizer workstation, a midi controller, or a digital piano, they all seems to have buttons on them... with synthesizer typically having the most amount of buttons, midi controller being the second, and digital piano being the third. Correct me if i'm wrong here, from my assumption, I'm guessing, the more buttons on the keyboard/piano simply means that the keyboard hardware itself allows you more direct control so you could just use the physical knobs or buttons to tweak the sounds, program sounds directly from the keyboard instead of making the changes on your computer through the DAW, so it's purely a matter of convenience and personal choice - while some people enjoy having lots of physical knobs/buttons on a synthesizer or midi, some might be ok with a digital piano with minimum amount of functions since he can still be able to make all the necessary changes from his computer through the daw? Especially since there's separate hardware for that purpose: things such as pad controllers where you can store effects and various sounds onto it from the DAW, so there's really no need for all the buttons on the keyboard?

so as someone who is thinking of buying a digital piano or keyboard to not only play regular piano music, but also use it to make digital musical creations... and if having physical knobs/buttons for making live changes to sounds isn't of primary concerns then all it boils down to is:

1. whether I want a piano or keyboard that can make sounds on its own (synthesizer, digital piano) or not?

and

2. have midi support so it can be hooked up to the computer and send its data to the computer, DAW and apply the changes, effects through the daw so the keyboard can get those effects?


so is a Digital Piano with Midi support what I need?

 

[gecko zzed]

If you are interested in playing piano as a piano (i.e. your first goal), then you might like to consider an 88 fully weighted key digital keyboard. You might like to consider one that has its own internal speakers.

This might help:
What's the Best Digital Piano with 88 Weighted Keys? | Digital Piano Review Guide

Any good contemporary piano such as in the link will have midi capability, either via USB, or via DIN cable. As such, you can couple the piano via midi to a DAW. You can record your playing as midi in the DAW, or, by using the lineouts of the piano, your audio.

With your recorded midi, you can edit it and fix up mistakes, You can then, via return midi, play your piano from the DAW. Or you can instead add a different instrument (e.g. a virtual piano), and use your midi (or your keyboard) to play this.

 

[joey2000]

so is a Digital Piano with Midi support what I need?

Yes. Basically all have "midi support" so that doesn't narrow your field much though. Since you're interested in composing you'll need to determine just what kind of composing you want to record: mostly standard piano/organ type sounds? Or a wide variety of other instruments and sounds as well? Other primary considerations:

- cost
- the "feel" of playing it (ie the keypad) - very subjective, so the only way to know which are best is to try them
- how good the various "voices" sound, like the grand piano sound, the organ sounds, the electric piano sounds (for ex. fender rhodes), other instumentation sounds etc. Now this can be mitigated with a DAW, but it's far better and easier if you have sounds on the keyboard itself you're already happy with
- how user friendly is it in terms of not just playing but recording
- how many other features it has that you care about, like do you want pitch and/or mod wheels, etc

And so on. And again the best way to determine most of that is to play them. Hopefully you have music stores around where you can....

If you want opinions on specific ones, I can tell you what I've learned, but I question how much value that has because again much of this is subjective (and you might have a diff price range anyway).