Sunday, October 30, 2011

Factors to figure out the right Compact MIDI Keyboard Controller

By Donald Grossy


If you have restricted space in your desktop or in your live rig, you could need to contemplate on going in for a controller keyboard with 25 keys or 37 keys or 49 keys...whatever suits your needs. But you want to keep one thing in your mind; you want a keyboard controller that gives you masses of knobs and sliders so you can control various software/hardware parameters.

If you do plenty of recording on the go, then you need to have a look at portability. Be it at home, or while you are travelling, consider if your compact MIDI keyboard controller can be powered thru USB (bus power) this way you don't need another power adapter for your keyboard. The tiniest, most portable keyboard controllers have short mini-keys, and may have only a two-octave keyboard. Such a keyboard is sufficient for information entry,eg recording bass lines and MIDI drum parts.

If you're a club DJ, who needs to hook his controller keyboard to effect processors, and has a constricted space, you would ideally like a Compact MIDI Keyboard Controller. Nowadays , a MIDI keyboard controller has a lot lesser number of keys as well so that you can simply put it in a bag and take it around. A Compact MIDI Keyboard Controller has less than 61 keys.

"Weight" is added to the keys themselves and to the key travel mechanisms to make them reply more like a real piano's heavier keys do. This is generally not fascinating in a compact keyboard controller, where playing fast is usually desired. Many compact controllers are "semi-weighted". These also have a light touch but offer a touch more resistance and consistency. They generally have a better feel for most people. All compact keyboard controllers offer more controls than just the keys themselves. At minimum, you'll find some kind of pitch and modulation controls, which may be in the form of 2 separate wheels or a single joystick which mixes the functions. There is customarily also an input on the back for connecting a sustain pedal.

This is more critical if you are controlling hardware midi synths, but less critical for software instruments, where programs are more easily selected by the mouse, and that may not react to these commands. Eventually, and more likely more importantly, the compact MIDI keyboard controller will have knobs, sliders, and touch pads to send extra MIDI continuing controller commands (CC events). Generally you can allocate which CC events the knob or slider sends. That could be a good thing because software instrument makers may use different CC values for controlling the important parameters of the instruments.

If you have a cramped space, or if you record on the move, or if you are continually making demos at your customer place, then you need a controller keyboard that is compact and provides synth and software control in a minimum space. A Compact MIDI Keyboard Controller from brands like M-Audio, Edirol, Korg, or Novation can untangle your space Problems.




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