9/06/2011

Buying a MIDI Keyboard? Consider These Tips

By Donald Grossy


If you're a zealous music performer, whether specialized or a novice, owning a MIDI keyboard certainly is the way to go. By using it you are able to produce music that several years ago would need a lot of musicians, time and money in order to achieve the very same results.

Nowadays, almost all digital or electronic keyboards that are being sold in the stores are MIDI capable. It is easy to know distinguish this by checking on the specs or the availability of a MIDI interface input and outputs in the back or side part of the keyboard. That being the way it is you might need to consider these before selecting your unit.

Budget: Prior to buying a keyboard, ascertain the budget that you can work with. Similar to how you buy other stuff, price tag can change depending on the features and the brand of your choice. Certainly, the greater features and keys you get the higher is the price you pay.

Space: This is another aspect that you need to consider before buying. If you're only working from your home studio, then you might want to think about the size of MIDI keyboard you're getting - in case you have a small studio then smaller keyboards are better. However, when you have sufficient space then grab a bigger one for as long as you have enough funds.

Use: If you're a musician that's always traveling then probably lugging a 60-pound behemoth may not be the best thing for you. You might like to consider a smaller unit that's much more compressed and transportable - exactly what you will need when you're going from one gig to another. If you're a work from home kind of musician then bigger might be ok (if you have the funds and the space for it).

Keys: The quantity of keys determines how big the MIDI keyboard. It comes in 88, 76, 61, 49, 37 and 25. You may also purchase them smaller compared to a 25. Piano fanatic and hardcore composers would advise you that really want to get the 88. While it may be a great idea the number of keys you get will depend on your budget, space and the intended use. As mentioned above you won't buy an 88 in case you can't even fit it in your home studio. That will be like parking a tank in a spot for a motorcycle - it ain't gonna occur.

Type: Would you like a controller type or a piano type. Controller types are often smaller mainly because they don't have audio speakers. This means in order to hear any sound you'll have to have it attached with another thing, like a computer with a Digital Audio Workstation (DAW) program. If you wish to hear something as you play then obtain a piano type as it comes with internal sound system but this will make them even bigger. (See budget, space and use difficulties)

There are other things to consider before you get your MIDI keyboard - key feel, controllers, knobs, and brand - but these 5 are the basics before you purchase anything.




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