My first keyboards without speakers!

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getuhgrip

getuhgrip

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Set me straight here...
With all the software that's available for midi sounds and voices, what do my concerns need to be when selecting a set of keys?
I don't play piano. I just fake my way threw enough keys to make recordings more interesting.
I've been using one of those cheesy Yamaha PSR270s and for the most part like the sounds it makes. Programing its functions are about as confusing as setting up an old DOS video game. I don't need a loop recorder, demo songs or click tracks. Don't need the "elevator speakers" either.

In any case, for someone that wants to use a decent set of keys as a platform for midi recording, what should I be looking at?
 
Come on you key-dweebs! Ante up! :D
I'd have thought you guys woulda been all over this easy question to impress a rookie like myself.
 
well, I see what you don't want to do... what functions are you looking for... what kind of price range are you looking at?
 
Oh I dunno...a couple hundred bucks I guess.
I want something straight forward and light weight.
I think my real questions are about midi controllers in general
so here goes.

In a home recording enviroment does one of these less expensive USB keyboards suffice as midi controller?
Are they used to manipulate software voices and sounds or do they rely on on-board material?
I'd like to use a set of keys to control a variety of instrument sounds and sound effects but with a better quality than what the 270 is capable of. Is this a viable proposal?

If so, are there any recommendations for flexible software and a usable keyboard?

Why are the more elaborate keys so damned expensive?
What makes them more elaborate?

I've done searches and read through these threads, but I think the basic practices/principals are keeping me in the dark.

:confused:
 
aight.. midi controllers can be used for an midi purpose.. you might want to buy a keyboard with a regular interface so you can attach it directely to some of your gear...
I have a few friends who knows about these.. I'll ask them, cause I've been plenty satisfyed with my Roland e-36 to care about it...
 
Ok, a regular interface as opposed to what?
Attach it to what other gear?
What are the possibilities here guys?
 
A keyboard with a USB interface will only be able to be connected to your computer.

A keyboard with a MIDI (regular) interface can still be connected to your computer as well as other synths, samplers, keyboards, sequencers, drum machines, etc...

MIDI stands for Musical Instrument Digital Interface and allows various pieces of gear to be connected together so they can communicate and controll each other remotely.

Do some reading:

http://www.harmony-central.com/MIDI/Doc/intro.html
 
yup.. a bit more straightforward than my half drunk gibberish.. hehe
 
Half drunkin' gibberish is cool, I'm just a few pages behind the class is all. :D

Brzilian I appeciate your help. I'm too burned out to read all that text! Lemme ask you something, though. If I go with a USB controller, (I undestand the bit about it being connectable to computer only) it will interface with software sounds and voices, right? In essence, I load software samples and select the controller keyboard as the interface. Is that correct?
If so, that's what I'm looking for. So along those lines, are there any features or other gizmos that I should consider when shopping for a unit?
Again, I won't want it for drums and I don't have a synth. I just thought it would be cool to have a way to inject some piano/organ type sounds into my recordings. I like all the crazy sounds the Yamaha makes, I just think the quality could be a little better and maybe more versitle by virtue of software.
 
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You are correct, you would be able to use the USB keyboard for performance BUT there are still problems.

You will need some kind of software sequencer (Sonar, Cubase, etc...) and a soft synth (Software Synthesizer). Sounds on the Soundblaster cards won't be any better than what comes out of the PSR-270. One annoying detail I have discovered after movring from a keyboard only setup to using the PC is that there is this thing called latency.

Basically, because your PC has to do its thing to make the sounds in the software, there is a slight delay from when you hit the keys until you hear a sound. With consumer level equipment (PC and a Sound Blaster type card), the delay is quite annoying. To minimize this problem you have to fork out the extra $$ for "pro" sound cards.

Lately, this reason alone has made me re-consider the use of the PC in my setup - life was much simpler with my standalone synthesizer/workstation. :(
 
i would seriously consider buying a keyboard with a regular midi interface.. if you at some point buy a decent sound module, you might just kill yourself for buying usb...
and it works just as fine with a pc as usb..
Actually, as brz said, you'd have to spit in extra for a decent soundcard and some software.. and you'd still have to deal with latency and yo basic computer messups..
 
i know roland sells some midi controllers for like 70$ with a few knobs to controll cc messages (continous controller data, used to control stuff as filters and volumes and sheeezzz)
I would get a board with some assignable CC knobs... still haven't found what i'm thinking about.. grrr
 
So, you mean there are companies that make USB keyboards, and DON'T put a MIDI interface on it?? :confused: That would be the most stupid marketing decision EVER. After all, a MIDI interface just needs the connector, a transistor, a diode and a resistor, and some of the uP's time, but since MIDI is an 81 standard, and was slow even then, it hardly takes any effort to build it in. So basically the only cost is the connector...

So, which company gets the 'STUPIDEST marketing EVER'-award?

I think most USB keyboards will have a midi out too...
 
Roel said:
So, you mean there are companies that make USB keyboards, and DON'T put a MIDI interface on it?? :confused: That would be the most stupid marketing decision EVER. After all, a MIDI interface just needs the connector, a transistor, a diode and a resistor, and some of the uP's time, but since MIDI is an 81 standard, and was slow even then, it hardly takes any effort to build it in. So basically the only cost is the connector...

So, which company gets the 'STUPIDEST marketing EVER'-award?

I think most USB keyboards will have a midi out too...

Whoa! Its acually not a bad idea - don't get too pissed! :)

Some companies are incoroporating USB onto their equipment (namely Yamaha). It is by no means a standard yet tho.

MIDI is getting on in age and showing its inaquedacies lately. It is slow by today's interface communication standards BUT it is still the standard.

Yamaha is working on something called mLAN but a new standard to take MIDI's place is still far from being a reality any time soon.
 
I'm not pissed. ;) Just saying that all masterkeyboards that support USB will also support MIDI. Since the MIDI interface virtually costs nothing. Except for the connector, but adding a MIDI output to a masterkeyboard is not really questionable marketingwise, right?

And as for the USB keyboards. I don't know the usb interface all that well, but I think it's quite an expensive interface. The way that it is used for keyboards is also a marketing thingy, you don't need a midi interface on your pc to connect both. So the company that invests in getting usb on their keyboards, and in the drivers to get the pc reacting will keep this knowhow to themselves. So I don't see a standard resulting from that.

As for midi. You're completely right, midi is VERY old. Very slow, and has very limited possibilities. But it's simplicity comes with an advantage: it's cheap as hell. (I know the interface almost by heart. Implemented it in my homemade midi-cv convertor...)
 
sad to say.. not all usb controllers got a regular midi inteface... halfwit bastards.. i know..
 
I'll have a sound card that supports midi before I buy another keyboard. On this Yamaha I've got, do I want to just go direct midi into the soundcard's breakout box?
Does anybody run a midi cable into a D/I bow and into an amp?
All this thing's got is midi out and a headphone jack.
 
that'll be fine.. just plug it in the socalled joystick port and you're rolling..
 
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