Do i have a Hammer-action keyboard for my purposes?

[IronWine]

Hello guys
i'm looking for an affordable MIDI controller for my home studio.
After some research i found that Hammer-action MIDI keyboards are pretty rare and come only on an 88-keys versions.

Im not a proffesional pianist but i do need those dynamic sounds for my music. Primarly dynamic strings instruments. My question is do i have to own one of those big MIDI keybords just to get some decent dynamics, or can i get it also from Cubase or other softwares that comes with a regular-keys keyboard?

THANKS!

 

[GazEcc]

Ok, your question is a little confusing but lets work with what we got;

As I see it, you're looking for a midi controller keyboard that has the ability to give you an accurate representation of the dynamics you perform during the take with the ability to edit them after.

If you're looking for the above you'll be happy to find out nearly all modern keyboards will give you dynamics and aren't bad when you get into the €200 range, without needing to be 88 key or hammer action. Hammer action keyboards are mostly geared at pianists. But your question begins to worry when you discuss software. Cubase for instance is a DAW and will require a lot of learning, its not a soft synth and if you haven't already picked a DAW then you may have a few steps ahead of you.

A few MIDI basics;
MIDI is a protocol and can be manipulated with or without a keyboard or controller.
MIDI HAS NO SOUND, To get the strings sound you hear in your head you're going to need either a sound module (an outbound bit of gear) or a Virtual instrument (software) which will run in a DAW, some daw's have softsynths but I'd rarely reach for Halion one when trying to create a dynamic orchestral string sound,

Why not tell us a little more about your project and maybe we can help more.

 

[IronWine]

Ok, your question is a little confusing but lets work with what we got;

As I see it, you're looking for a midi controller keyboard that has the ability to give you an accurate representation of the dynamics you perform during the take with the ability to edit them after.

If you're looking for the above you'll be happy to find out nearly all modern keyboards will give you dynamics and aren't bad when you get into the €200 range, without needing to be 88 key or hammer action. Hammer action keyboards are mostly geared at pianists. But your question begins to worry when you discuss software. Cubase for instance is a DAW and will require a lot of learning, its not a soft synth and if you haven't already picked a DAW then you may have a few steps ahead of you.

A few MIDI basics;
MIDI is a protocol and can be manipulated with or without a keyboard or controller.
MIDI HAS NO SOUND, To get the strings sound you hear in your head you're going to need either a sound module (an outbound bit of gear) or a Virtual instrument (software) which will run in a DAW, some daw's have one when trying to create a dynamic orchestral string sound,

Why not tell us a little more about your project and maybe we can help more.

Ok I'll try to explain my self better.
My project is focusing in indie rock and folk. Dynamics are a big part of this music, or at least of what i want to make. Examples: Sigur Ros, Mumford&suns, Eels, ELO etc..

My main use of the MIDI controller wil be strings instruments, brass section..maybe a grand piano here and there. Anyway, not something that requiers a full 88 keys keyboard..at least for the start. (Also for money&room considerations).

Will i be able to answer my needs with a regular, smaller midi controller, using synths from a virtual instruments software wich will run in a DAW ? Can this kind of softwares 'mimic', even partially, the sounds that i can make thru a hammer-action midi keyboard?

Hope i explained my self better!
Thanks

 

[PTravel]

Dynamics are part of the MIDI spec, and any MIDI keyboard will provide them. What you call "hammer action" is a "weighted keyboard." These reproduce the physical feel of a piano. There are a number of ways they can do this -- having an actual piano action is one of them, but most weighted keyboards do it with some variation on weights, as the name suggests.

Piano actions contribute to the distinctive sound of a piano, and influence both the attack of a note as well as the dynamics. It's difficult to achieve a really convincing piano performance on a non-weighted keyboard. However, the biggest advantage is for those of us who have lived with real pianos all of our lives, and learned our keyboard technique on them. I have two MIDI controllers -- one weighted, one not. I use the non-weighted keyboard mostly for creating non-keyboard sounds, or for note entry into a scoring program. When I want to record any keyboard instrument, or want to give a non-keyboard instrument a keyboard "feel," I use the weighted keyboard. I also do all of my composing on the weighted keyboard, but that's because I grew up with pianos.