AKARSH SHEKHAR
How To Choose The Right MIDI Keyboard
1 . Feel / Playability Playability is often overlooked on MIDI keyboards . Just because it ’ s a control keyboard doesn ’ t mean it should play or feel like a toy . Your keyboard must have a good key mechanism so that your performances or recordings can sound passionate and emotional in the best possible way . Go to a music store in your area and check the touch feel and playability of your favorite digital piano or synthesizer . Then just tap a MIDI keyboard key and compare . Make sure the MIDI keyboard you ’ re looking at doesn ’ t feel like a toy . The touch of your MIDI keyboard should also give you the feel of a synth or digital piano .
2 . Many Controls First of all , it ’ s a control keyboard , aside from being able to just play sounds , you have to control a wide range of your software and synthesizers the way you want .
Print out the areas you control with the computer keyboard or mouse of the recording software you use on a piece of paper . Go to your local music store and look at MIDI keyboards to make sure the controls control the regions you need . Which one would you prefer ? Trying to remember which letter was its function
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3 . Robustness Whether it ’ s hours of playing in the studio or on the road , it ’ s one of the key elements of your MIDI controller keyboard to withstand any harsh conditions .
Check the rigidity and body structure of the MIDI keyboard you are considering purchasing . Is it suitable for your use every day and in all conditions ? Or will you have to use it carefully with its poor quality plastic body ?
4 . Quality and Trouble-Free Driver It won ’ t be fun for you if the drivers of your MIDI control keyboard constantly crash or crash . Maybe you have to do reinstalls again and again and this is a time-consuming problem . The control keyboard may look and feel great from the outside , but if its driver is substandard , it will provide unstable and intermittent data transfer . This would be unusual and undesirable . Do a little research on the manufacturer of the MIDI keyboard you ’ re considering . What did they produce and develop in their past and could their drivers work quickly and stably ?
5 . Integration with Software Whether for a virtual instrument or recording software , it ’ s important to have a comprehensive control keyboard . It ’ s ideal if the MIDI control keyboard has controls that are configurable and customizable ( buttons , sliders , and pads ) to suit your personal needs . In many cases , the control keyboard does not dynamically control your virtual instrument on the screen of your recording software because the data map is not supported . If you don ’ t want to face this situation , wouldn ’ t you prefer a MIDI control keyboard that can adapt to any software and control buttons that can be customized for you or your virtual instrument ?
It ’ s important that you pay a lot of attention to your MIDI control keyboard before buying it . Why do we say that ? Because we also see MIDI control keyboards as an instrument . Rest assured , a MIDI control keyboard does more than just an instrument .