what good is a midi keyboard

[ESPplayer7]

Im going to start using reason and i have a really old cheap keyboard but it does have midi in and out plugs. Will this work or will i need something that has drivers? What benefits are there to a midi controller to a regular keyboard if they both have midi in and out plugs?

thanks a lot guys

 

[jarrydee]

Im going to start using reason and i have a really old cheap keyboard but it does have midi in and out plugs. Will this work or will i need something that has drivers? What benefits are there to a midi controller to a regular keyboard if they both have midi in and out plugs?

thanks a lot guys

For me..theres no dif. If you have a daw with midi in your fine..if not, most of the new midi keyboards dont need a midi cable..it works through usb.

I have some expensive keybords/synths..and only use it for a midi keyboard to play my plugins...Im selling a couple and just buying a midi keyboard with nothing in it..just to play my plugs/reason..ect.

So.if you have a daw with midi in...your fine w/what you have!!

If not...1.get a midi board that works off usb...
or 2. buy a daw with midi in..but to expensive if you just useing reason

I hope this helps you..

ps. there will be people telling you you need a/b or c..but if you are still able to use a mouse and, dont need all the extra crap...USE waht you have!!

 

[soldierone]

If you've got a board with both midi in and out ports and something to hook it up to on the other end, you're good. I use a little 1 in / 1 out midi usb device that I spent about $40 and it gets the job done for all my midi. The only advantages to the usb midi controllers are that you can assign the knobs and such to control different effects and such.

Either way, I say use what you've got and have fun!

 

[SonicAlbert]

If it doesn't have midi I/O or USB either probably, then how will you connect it to anything else? You'll have to use it strictly as a sound source, without midi it won't control anything else.

 

[warble2]

To put it simply, if your audio interface has MIDI in/out or you have another device hooked up to your PC that has MIDI in/out, you should be able to connect your keyboard to control Reason.

What are you currently using for audio on your PC? The drivers would be included with the audio interface you have, or any other MIDI interface you would aquire.

If you do not currently have a MIDI interface to connect the keyboard to, they can be found relatively cheaply. Try searching at some place like Musicians Friend for "midi interface".

 

[SonicAlbert]

Hello again, I misread the first post. I thought it said the keyboard did *not* have midi I/O. Since it does indeed have midi, you simply need a midi interface or an audio interface with midi built in. You'd connect the keyboard to that to control your software instruments.

The midi implementation on that keyboard might not be complete though. In other words, it might not have after touch and/or it might not even be touch sensitive. What keyboard is it?

 

[MCI2424]

Im going to start using reason and i have a really old cheap keyboard but it does have midi in and out plugs. Will this work or will i need something that has drivers? What benefits are there to a midi controller to a regular keyboard if they both have midi in and out plugs?

thanks a lot guys

Yes. It will work. MIDI keyboards only have a MIDI interface, keyboard but no synthesis modules. The idea is that you can interface to a rackmount module, computer, etc. They are lighter and cost less than a full blown synthesizer. Your synthesizer will work fine. All decent soundcards have a MIDI interface but you will have to buy or find the connector that came with your soundcard.

 

[antichef]

The midi implementation on that keyboard might not be complete though. In other words, it might not have after touch and/or it might not even be touch sensitive. What keyboard is it?

That was my problem - I had an old cheap keyboard with midi out, but it wasn't velocity sensitive. Each key was just an on off switch, and it didn't matter how hard or soft you pressed it. I wound up getting a cheap usb/midi keyboard with sensitivity.