Diff btw keyboards and midi controllers?
- Thread starter MadStrum!
- Start date
If any keyboard(Korg,Roland,Casio,Yamaha,etc) has MIDI In/Out then,it can be used as a controller...
To *what* degree depends on the keyboard in question.
At the very least,if the keyboard or synth or workstation has velocity/aftertouch,pitch and mod wheels and a few other things that might count,then you can make it work.
Dedicated MIDI controllers are really quite unnecessary-
Have you ever bought a car without an engine?
Thats what they are like..
If you're gonna pick something up,why not pick up a new,inexpensive,"sound module" that happens to have a keyboard attached to it...
That way,you double your fun at half the price..
To *what* degree depends on the keyboard in question.
At the very least,if the keyboard or synth or workstation has velocity/aftertouch,pitch and mod wheels and a few other things that might count,then you can make it work.
Dedicated MIDI controllers are really quite unnecessary-
Have you ever bought a car without an engine?
Thats what they are like..
If you're gonna pick something up,why not pick up a new,inexpensive,"sound module" that happens to have a keyboard attached to it...
That way,you double your fun at half the price..
Krakit
Rzzzzz!
Do NOT listen to the above advice!
I am working on moving almost entirely to a MIDI controllers and Rack system. It makes the most sense on all levels.
You get controllers that you like the feel of (action, number of keys, pitch and mod wheels etc.), then you get the rack mounted modules that you like the sounds and programming of.
If you get tired of either a module or a keyboard you get rid of it, but still keep the keyboard feel/module sound that you like.
It makes the most sense financially, space and travel wise. Ever lug three or four keyboards to a gig? Ever lifted a MIDI controller? They are very light.
You can put a dozen modules in a single rack, carry that with one hand and a controller in a case with the other.
Sky is some kind of Casio enthusiast and wouldn't give you any advice that wouldn't work out with Casio. Casio doesn't make any controllers and they only put out one rack module. Therefore, to Sky, MIDI controllers equals bad. Never take any advice from this no nothing.
Next she'll be telling you that spending money on keyboards without speakers is a waste because you have to buy montitors and amplifiers.
Carl
I am working on moving almost entirely to a MIDI controllers and Rack system. It makes the most sense on all levels.
You get controllers that you like the feel of (action, number of keys, pitch and mod wheels etc.), then you get the rack mounted modules that you like the sounds and programming of.
If you get tired of either a module or a keyboard you get rid of it, but still keep the keyboard feel/module sound that you like.
It makes the most sense financially, space and travel wise. Ever lug three or four keyboards to a gig? Ever lifted a MIDI controller? They are very light.
You can put a dozen modules in a single rack, carry that with one hand and a controller in a case with the other.
Sky is some kind of Casio enthusiast and wouldn't give you any advice that wouldn't work out with Casio. Casio doesn't make any controllers and they only put out one rack module. Therefore, to Sky, MIDI controllers equals bad. Never take any advice from this no nothing.
Next she'll be telling you that spending money on keyboards without speakers is a waste because you have to buy montitors and amplifiers.
Carl
Krakit said:
Are the above mentioned the only advantages? (light, synths, pitch, mod wheels) Because if they are, I can live with it. I already have a Yamaha PSR and am doing MIDI... my question is why I would want to get a midi controller? Are there any other features a dedicated midi controller might have? Like controlling the velocity/volume while pressing down a certain key "live"?
Thanks.
Pier.
SonicAlbert
Super-Sonic "Herb" Albert
Midi controller keyboards are quite essential if you want to do certain types of work. For live gigging with anything more than the most basic setup you need a keyboard able to control more than one other keyboard or module. A keyboard controller will allow you to create layers and splits, send on differert midi channels to different synths, and do any number of other functions essential to playing a live gig. I use a Roland A-70 controller, which allows up to eight splits/layers, and has four independent midi outputs.
Most synths do not have advanced midi controller functions. They can send on one channel, but can't do external layering or splits with other modules or send patch changes externally on different midi channels.
In the studio environment, the computer sequencer will pick up many or all of the functions of a controller keyboard. So while nice to have, it is quit possible to turn "local off" on pretty much any keyboard and use it as a master controller when hooked up to a computer sequencer. However, I still prefer to use a dedicated controller in my studio as well. I have a Yamaha KX88 for that.
In addition, the controller/module approach has many advantages. Not the least of which is a major saving of space in the studio and ease of carrying racks to gigs instead of multiple keyboards. For me, I found more than three keyboards in my studio to be cumbersome. So now I have one master controller and a bunch of sound modules. Really much more simple and efficient than multiple keyboards in my opinion.
Most synths do not have advanced midi controller functions. They can send on one channel, but can't do external layering or splits with other modules or send patch changes externally on different midi channels.
In the studio environment, the computer sequencer will pick up many or all of the functions of a controller keyboard. So while nice to have, it is quit possible to turn "local off" on pretty much any keyboard and use it as a master controller when hooked up to a computer sequencer. However, I still prefer to use a dedicated controller in my studio as well. I have a Yamaha KX88 for that.
In addition, the controller/module approach has many advantages. Not the least of which is a major saving of space in the studio and ease of carrying racks to gigs instead of multiple keyboards. For me, I found more than three keyboards in my studio to be cumbersome. So now I have one master controller and a bunch of sound modules. Really much more simple and efficient than multiple keyboards in my opinion.