Well I thought it would be easy. I wanted to upgrade to a new midi kb and keep the cost to $500 or less.First prob was 61 keys or 88. then the features m-audio or Native inst Kontakt or others. The next prob or really the first is I don't play piano but with a daw can add a phrase or 2 to a BB chord set in the DAW So do I need a 61 key NI for about $500 with all the integration to different DAWS or a $300 M-Audio with fewer buttons and knobs and 88keys but more hands on in the software in the computer. If any have a comment of the quality of either KB such as "Clunky" or smooth , please have a say, I've enjoyed writing music with BB for backing tracks for my wife, but now, Im looking to do more composing with wider range of sounds like Spitefire Samples and VSTI(free ver) I'm kinda wandering around in an audio forest at midnight with sunglasses on.
Those 9 faders, 8 knobs, and 4 drum pads will come in very handy when inputting MIDI automation.
I have a very old M-Audio Evolution MK-449C MIDI keyboard controller. I use it just about every day and it still works fine even though it is over 10 years old. It is the 49 key version.
JonD has his new M-audio Oxygen 49 keyboard here also. It has 49 keys as well as everything you see in the 61 key version. Mine does not have the drum pads.
Personally I would select a keyboard that has faders and knobs over one that does not include them. In fact you may want to consider the 49 key version as you, like myself, are not keyboard players. YMMV
Principal: Your child always causes trouble in school. Me: My child causes trouble at home, do I ever call you?
64 bit Win 10 Pro, the latest BiaB/RB, Roland Octa-Capture audio interface, a ton of software/hardware
Thanks Mario, I was looking at both the oxygen 61mkv and the oxygen 61 pro the pro is supposed to have semi weighted key and it's about $70 more but have not found other differences for the $$
Hi, I had an M-Audio Oxygen 61 it was very cheap at the time and worked fine but after a number of years some keys went dead. It was easy enough to pull apart and fix them but eventually I got fed up. I was thinking about another but saw a Novation Launchkey 61 on sale so I went that way. It is a really good keyboard. Looking at the WEB it seems the M-Audio now has keypads.
The LaunchKey has keypads but I can’t say I’ve used them. The Oxygen had much better control over the velocity settings (IMHO). Both have 8 sliders, rotaries and buttons.
If you are an Ableton user (I’m not) the LaunchKey is all set up just plug in and away you go all set up to match the DAW. It is fairly easy to set either keyboard in Reaper. In Cakewalk once you get to understand the setup it is not too difficult.
IMHO either is good. There are also many other options out there. See what comes with the keyboard (the goodies, plugins, instruments etc) let that and price assist your decision.
Have fun.
Tony
Last edited by Teunis; 08/13/2111:25 AM.
HP i7-4770 16GB 1TB SSD, Win 10 Home, Focusrite 2i2 3rd Gen, Launchkey 61, Maton CW80, Telecaster, Ovation Elite TX, Yamaha Pacifica 612 BB 2022(912) RB 2022(2), CakeWalk, Reaper 6, Audacity, Melodyne 5 Editor, Izotope Music Production Suite 4.1
The video on this page focuses on the free expansions that Sweetwater throws in, but there are plenty of other youtube videos. It's a pretty popular board.
I do not work here, but the benefits are still awesome Make your sound your own!
Man, for a couple hundred more you could get a real synth. I'd give that some serious thought. ................
Good point. The question is does he want a synth or a MIDI controller? Maybe he could give us more information on exactly what he is looking for if indeed he really knows; no offense as getting started can be very confusing on what to buy.
Both are options that he should look into.
Principal: Your child always causes trouble in school. Me: My child causes trouble at home, do I ever call you?
64 bit Win 10 Pro, the latest BiaB/RB, Roland Octa-Capture audio interface, a ton of software/hardware
Your first keyboard and you are not a piano player - based on that, keep it cheap and simple. 61 keys is fine, touch is irrelevant. You will discover keyboards are like guitars, you eventually will have several of them. Each one will be a step up and you will "grow as you go".
In general I think a 61 key keyboard will serve to do 99.9% of things most anyone would need to do. Second to Dan's point about "touch" being irrelevant, I don't agree with that unless you are just pecking things out with one or two fingers. If there is a music store you can go play some different keyboards, I would suggest you do that.
If you find you like playing a keyboard, you will most likely be buying more than one as time goes by. There are plenty of Midi controllers out there for $200. M-Audio Keystation 61 MK3 at $200, Alesis V49 MIDI keyboard with 49 keys that Guitar center has on sale for $60. There are dozens of free VSTs to play there keyboards through. Something like this will give you an a chance to experiment without spending any real money.
I also am not a "real" keyboard player. I have five keyboards. Three I use and two that I don't like that did not cost enough to get upset about.
As I don't have any idea what your background is, so it is hard to say what the likely value of a keyboard will be for you. They are great for learning music theory, very visual. It will not take you long before you will be playing chords, bass lines, and simple melodies plus all the midi stuff.
Most new keyboards will be recognized by most new DAWs.
Billy
Last edited by Planobilly; 08/14/2104:01 AM.
“Amazing! I’ll be working with Jaco Pastorius, Charlie Parker, Art Tatum, and Buddy Rich, and you’re telling me it’s not that great of a gig? “Well…” Saint Peter, hesitated, “God’s got this girlfriend who thinks she can sing…”
Well a bit of background. Years ago I bought a roland xv 88 for my wife. She basically is a chord player and a singer, together we wrote some Gospel songs and I accumulated some things like an analog mixer, a couple of studio monitors, and stuff. The music room(spare bedroom)is more of a music closet with an xv88 that I need to replace 2 broken keys(have the parts, not the time) I can tap into the xv88 sound bank from the M-audio pro, if I have the inclination but I want to experiment with the addition of utility track when I upgrade to 2021 and work with Bandlab and some other DAWS with some sample libraries like Spitefire or some free ones in with BB, it might be fun The M-audio 61 pro should fit for my wife's playing if she wants to get back into writing. I have been watching Guy Michelmore's channel on composing, scoring for movies and TV using Kontakt full blown libraries and a bunch of equipment. He is a hoot and a very fine composer, check it out if you have a mind to. This has given me a bit of a boost , modestly,to get back into music.
Yeah, I get the libraries thing, and the DS IS a library of thousands of sounds and can also still trigger those other libraries (as well as be a sampler in itself), just sayin' Getting a board that does nothing but send MIDI, when you could have the same capability and a whole 'nother expandable hardware sound set for not much more seemed like a no-brainer to me.
For the money the DS has been very appreciated here. Sure there are better keyboards out there; again just saying the cost/value on this one impressed me.
I do not work here, but the benefits are still awesome Make your sound your own!
Well I got the oxygen 61 pro and will set it up and test it with the PC and Ipad. The plan was to do it yesterday but I was chasing a bad connection from my phone jack to the router which was killing my internet speed down to .14 MB/sec making it worse than old time dialup. In my head, I was blaming my ISP, but a corroded phone jack was the gremlin. Also,living in the boonies(Ether, NC) is fine till you need things like adapters,Ipad to usb cables and such and going 50 miles to Best Buy or Guitar center or the Apple store on a Saturday can be fun .
I think you will like that M-Audio product. It has a world of stuff to learn how to use. At $300 bucks it is unlikely to cause you to want to drive to San Francisco to jump off the Golden Gate bridge should you find it was a buying mistake...lol
Best of luck and enjoy.
Billy
“Amazing! I’ll be working with Jaco Pastorius, Charlie Parker, Art Tatum, and Buddy Rich, and you’re telling me it’s not that great of a gig? “Well…” Saint Peter, hesitated, “God’s got this girlfriend who thinks she can sing…”
I also am not a "real" keyboard player. I have five keyboards.
I hear you there.
I don't really know how many we have around our place. There's a Bösendorfer 200 but that's normally a bit impractical for BIAB and doesn't have MIDI. Then there are many we no longer use. We took advantage of lockdown to have the action on this rebuilt by a factory tech and it was worth every ¢
If my wife is playing, it's normally a Yamaha P-121, the 73 key version of the P-125.
Since touch is not an issue for me but weight is, I might play the Yamaha since it's set up in my control room but I'm more likely to grab my Line 6 Mobile Keys 49 that weighs less than 3 Lb. Line 6 Mobile Keys 49
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If they haven’t improved the key bed on the oxygen series, and you have played the xv88 for any length of time, the oxygen is going to feel like a cheap plastic toy.
Yea, but it takes me 5 mins to find some chords and I've always been amazed that people can use both hands at the same time,just to put my abilities in context
I have a Yamaha S90 that has 88 beautifully weighted keys and a number of fantastic built-in sounds, which was worth over $2000 when it was new. I have an iRig Keys that has 37 miniature unweighted plastic keys, which I bought at a thrift store for six bucks.
Guess which one hasn't been unpacked since I moved 10 months ago?
Basically, if the cheap one does what you need, then it is the correct choice.
I have a Yamaha S90 that has 88 beautifully weighted keys and a number of fantastic built-in sounds, which was worth over $2000 when it was new. I have an iRig Keys that has 37 miniature unweighted plastic keys, which I bought at a thrift store for six bucks.
Guess which one hasn't been unpacked since I moved 10 months ago?
Basically, if the cheap one does what you need, then it is the correct choice.
I don't want to hear this...lol Reminds me too much of a expensive Roland I never used...lol
Billy
“Amazing! I’ll be working with Jaco Pastorius, Charlie Parker, Art Tatum, and Buddy Rich, and you’re telling me it’s not that great of a gig? “Well…” Saint Peter, hesitated, “God’s got this girlfriend who thinks she can sing…”
For use in a home studio.... 61 keys is often plenty. Since you said you were amazed by those who can use both hands at the same time to play.... yeah... 61 is plenty.
I have 2 keyboards. Both are 61 keys. The good one is a Yamaha DX27S which was state of the art when it was bought. I picked it up second hand from the keyboard player in our band. Long story on that... for another day.
The main thing is do you want something that plays and feels like a piano? If so, get something with weighted keys. To use it for any other purpose, unweighted is good. Both of mine are unweighted and the cheap one is actually touch sensitive but unweighted. When it comes to using a DAW and soft synths like Kontakt or something else.... midi is midi and any keyboard that has midi out will get the job done. I don't think I have ever recorded with either where I used the audio output. I have always just used them for their midi. Reason being..... I can easily edit the mistakes. Two hands only means twice the number of mistakes in the same amount of time....at least for me.
You can find my music at: www.herbhartley.com Add nothing that adds nothing to the music. You can make excuses or you can make progress but not both.
The magic you are looking for is in the work you are avoiding.
We've had it now for a few days and I like the feel, as does my wife. Still getting things setup. I did a quick setup with the Ipad and GB. It has a lot of stuff to learn and I still need to get BB2021 as I'm still in 2017 but by the time we get home and dinner, not a lot of time to do any music. I'm starting to get interested in making loops from midi phrases played on the KB. Still a bunch to learn
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