M-Audio Axiom 25 Key
One of the most important investments a beat maker will make is a good MIDI keyboard. There are some high end workstation keyboards like the Motif, Fantom and Triton that are MIDI capable, but these are not the focus of this article. I’ll be talking about the hardware that is designed for MIDI controlling as it’s only and/or primary function.
The most obvious benefit of a MIDI keyboard is that it allows you to control your various instruments through the piano keys. Instead of clicking your notes in with a mouse, you can play the notes just like on a piano. Because it’s MIDI, it controls any of your VST instruments. So you can lay down string parts or guitar in the same manner.
Some MIDI keyboard controllers also include extra features like knobs, sliders, buttons and even drum pads.
Drum pads are very useful if you like to play your drums with a more natural feel. Without the drum pads, you can use the piano keys to get the same effect, but the feeling you get playing the part is not as natural. Unlike an MPC that has 16 pads, many MIDI keyboard controllers have 12 or 8 pads. This is usually just fine. On an MPC the pads can also be used to trigger chopped samples or loops to play. With a MIDI Keyboard you can do the same, but unless it’s drums, I prefer to just use the regular keys for that. The main reason is that your have many more keys than drum pads which gives you greater control.
Knobs, sliders and buttons can also be very useful. The purpose of these are to control some aspects of the keyboard’s configuration such as setting the octave or touch sensitivity. But many of the more modern keyboards have rows of these controls for custom assignment. In other words, you can have them control things you see on a VST or in your DAW. For example, you might hook a slider up to your master volume control so it is always handy. Instead of using your mouse to drag the volume up or down on screen, you just adjust the slider on the MIDI Keyboard. Another common use is to control various parameters in your VSTs. You might have a filter cutoff frequency hooked to a knob on the MIDI controller. Then you can record and tweak the sound in real time.
Some MIDI keyboards also come with transport controls. These are the familiar Play, Stop, Record, Fast Forward and Rewind controls. These can be very useful at times, but are not as common on lower end models.
You should also be aware that models will usually come in 3 or 4 sizes. These depend on the mount of keys you want. Space is always a consideration. If you work on a laptop and want a small footprint youmight go with a 25 key model (see picture above). A standard desktop user might be good with a 49 key model. You can also find them in 61 and 88 key models as well. If you are an accomplished piano player you might prefer the larger models. As a general rule, the 49 key models are good for your average beat maker.
So know you know about the usefulness of MIDI keyboard controllers and what they are about. Hopefully you can use this knowledge to make a decision about what’s best for you.
Finally, the Amazon MIDI Store is a great place to find deals on a MIDI Controller.
