Why use a MIDI keyboard?

[sendittokeith]

Hey, its the newb section right? Well i was wondering - would you ever use a MIDI keyboard if your bands songs dont include - keyboard?

I know with MIDI you can do cool things, but im not really getting why nearly every home studio i see has a MIDI keyboard in it. Is it for doing something else with the audio?

Please be kind.

 

[gecko zzed]

Hey, its the newb section right? Well i was wondering - would you ever use a MIDI keyboard if your bands songs dont include - keyboard?

I know with MIDI you can do cool things, but im not really getting why nearly every home studio i see has a MIDI keyboard in it. Is it for doing something else with the audio?

Please be kind.

If your band's songs don't include keyboards, then, no, you don't need a midi keyboard.

But even so, a midi keyboard can be really handy for, say, using in conjunction with drum samples to produce a temporary drum track. Or it can be used to work out chords or bass parts.

 

[sendittokeith]

Now that makes sense! I get it now. Thanks...!

 

[darrin_h2000]

Its cheaper than buying a piano...and then building a room for it...lol.

You might not ever need one at all.

 

[grimtraveller]

There again, if you want to include virtual instruments in your bands' sound and play them in real time or even overdub later, a MIDI keyboard is useful. Playing them with the mouse is for rodent lovers !

 

[sendittokeith]

There again, if you want to include virtual instruments in your bands' sound and play them in real time or even overdub later, a MIDI keyboard is useful. Playing them with the mouse is for rodent lovers !

With all this said, i can actually see getting one. I write music for myself and my band and its VERY hard to relay my thoughts (drums esp.) so this could be very good. I always shyed away from being the sound engineer but for whatever reason im really diggin it now. I think it will help me write. Thanks for the comment.

 

[grimtraveller]

And you can go at least two ways - either one that has sound modules already there or a controller one without sound but which triggers all the various VSTis that are about. I use the latter (a 49 note CME M-key) which is cheap and cheerful and does almost everything requested of it (it won't pour me drinks....). You're not limited by 49 keys (it has octave functions but I'll be a parrot in Southampton if I can work out how to use it !) but there are loads on the market, 25, 49, 61 keys. I think they're worth having.......if you've been thinking about it.

 

[Manslick]

I don’t even play piano but I want this one. http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/353767-REG/M_Audio_9900_50832_00_KEYSTATION_88ES_88_Key.html

I can connect this to my PC and with Reason 4 I could live in my room forever and never exhaust all the possibilities.

 

[Washburn100]

I agree, midi keyboard has all kinds of uses. For sure triggering samples. I am a guitar player and at most can "plunk" on a keyboard, but I use mine for triggering sound effects, adding cymbal hits to drum tracks, all kinds of stuff. Of course many keyboards also have control surface capabilities so in your DAW you can use it to set levels, control eq, transport controls - this list is endless.