Midi keyboard/controller

glug

Hi Guys,
My budget is around 3 - 3.5k

I am looking for a midi keyboard preferably 61 keys or higher for that amount new or 2nd hand.

My question is. What make/models should i be looking at and if you purchase new, do you get a sound bank to start playing strait away? or do you have to purchase those seperatly?

Should i be looking at a keyboard and use those built in sounds or midi and use software sounds?

darnoldi

Gerald Humphreys wrote: Hi Guys,
My budget is around 3 - 3.5k

I am looking for a midi keyboard preferably 61 keys or higher for that amount new or 2nd hand.

My question is. What make/models should i be looking at and if you purchase new, do you get a sound bank to start playing strait away? or do you have to purchase those seperatly?

Should i be looking at a keyboard and use those built in sounds or midi and use software sounds?

I think to answer your questions properly, you need to give us more info as to what you want to use the keyboard/midi controller to do. I know you play keyboards quite well, so I assume that is going to be part of your needs.

So apart from playing, are you wanting to have lots of knobs and sliders to assign to effects and mixers in your DAW?
Are you wanting to record keyboard tracks? If so as midi or as audio?
Does your DAW have a good range of software instruments?
What style of music you thinking about? I know you love metal, so it mainly for that?

The more info you can give the better the recommendations will be.

doc-phil

If you're looking purely for a midi keyboard controller with no onboard sounds, have a look at the M-Audio Oxygen Series. It comes in 25, 49, 61 and 88 key options.

These don't have weighted keys, but are velocity sensitive and have a good amount of midi assignable sliders and knobs apart from the keys themselves.

I have the Oxygen 49, and it has served my basic keyboard playing needs well. I haven't checked the prices recently, but I think the 49 would go for about 2k or so now.

EDIT: It's also connects via USB which helps if you don't have many/any midi I/O's.

glug

doc-phil wrote: If you're looking purely for a midi keyboard controller with no onboard sounds, have a look at the M-Audio Oxygen Series. It comes in 25, 49, 61 and 88 key options.

These don't have weighted keys, but are velocity sensitive and have a good amount of midi assignable sliders and knobs apart from the keys themselves.

I have the Oxygen 49, and it has served my basic keyboard playing needs well. I haven't checked the prices recently, but I think the 49 would go for about 2k or so now.

EDIT: It's also connects via USB which helps if you don't have many/any midi I/O's.

i'm looking to record audio and to create backing tracks for guitar. Reason why i want midi is to control the DAW mixers via the controller but isn't a must i am using cubase for my DAW. my main instruments i want to play through the controller will be piano/strings and drums which will have to be software based if i get the controller. Yea i like all music and love metal but also like playing classical, blues, pop. depending on my mood.

glug

Otherwise you and the fam doing good Dave?

Danny-B

The Novation Launchkey seems great and is reasonably priced. I'm also hunting for a midi controller and have settled on an Akai MPK249.

Manfred-Klose

I Recently got rid of my old dinosaur 76 key midi keyboard controller, and upgraded (yes!!) to a smaller 49 key keyboard with more functions and usb powered got alot more space now to work around

Samsom Graphite 49, its a pretty awesome keyboard for the price, i have set it up to control Reaper (this was simple enough to do without reading the manual, but it comes with setups for all the daws except reaper, funny how they always try and exclude the underdog )

I can control the pans and volumes on the first 16 channels, by shifting through 2 banks, i only use this for volume automation and in the initial tracking, and got the 16 function buttons setup for record enables , which is very handy.
I thought i was gonna miss all those extra keys but turns out i never needed them, just shift through the octaves if i need lower or higher keys.

ajdebeer

Its simple novation impulse 61 it has it all. Its an awesome keyboard

guitarboy2828

ajdebeer wrote: Its simple novation impulse 61 it has it all. Its an awesome keyboard

Great keyboard, but at a budget of R3-3.5k you may struggle to pick one of those up, even second hand.

I agree with the Samson Graphite, such good value for money ?

ajdebeer

Paul E wrote:
ajdebeer wrote: Its simple novation impulse 61 it has it all. Its an awesome keyboard
Great keyboard, but at a budget of R3-3.5k you may struggle to pick one of those up, even second hand.

I agree with the Samson Graphite, such good value for money ?

A week ago on sa music store they sold one with a sustain pedal for 3k