Priority Music

To most serious piano players opting for an 88 key midi controller would be the only choice in choosing a keyboard size. The good news is that it’s not the number of keys that’s going to dramatically increase the controllers cost. it’ll more likely be the feature-laden ones that will cost the most money.

You don’t necessarily need a full size keyboard to get features like MPC pressure and velocity sensor drum pads etc. For the usually small difference in price it’s not worth cutting down on an extra octave or two.

Although any level player would rather have the hammer weighted keys over the plastic keys any day. Fully-weighted keys are what you need if you want that real piano feel, the next best option are called semi-weighted. Most good full size controllers will also have an assignable foot switch input that lets you attach an expression pedal or another controller keyboard. There’s several models that offer even more of their own unique features so check them out to make sure you get the one that’ll do the best job for your needs.

Probably the most single feature that can turn off a piano player from a keyboard that’s not a real piano is the keys and how they are weighted and what they are made out of. When you’re used to playing a real piano there’s nothing worse than banging on cheap plastic keys

There’s also the not as popular 37 keys, the 2, 4, and 5 octave range models. Of course the 88 key is the biggest of all models. To play some real killer piano for rock, Jazz, or blues you would be pretty constricted on anything less than at least the 61, then when you check the price and see the extra octaves on the 88 are only a few bucks more, it’s a no-brainer.

If you’re like me and only need to play a bass line or comp a few chords here and there, you can easily do that on a 25 to a 49 key model, and don’t forget, they have moveable up and down octaves. Also, you’ll be able to split and control for two different sounds on the same keyboard on most decent models these days.

Unlike the very first generation of MIDI controllers, the newer ones today can manipulate practically every function in your recording program. The ones from the early days looked like a controller, now some are hard to tell apart from a full-blown synthesizer.

Comments are closed.