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Music & Sound FX / New to composing and in need of advice…

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Robert The Robot
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Posted: 7th Feb 2009 20:59
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I’d like to start writing my own music for my DB projects, and I’ve got Anvil Studio for writing Midi files and SynthFont for converting them to wav or mp3 files. However, I haven’t got a midi keyboard that I can plug in to my computer, and as I’m kind of new to most of this I really don’t know where to begin.

Are there any midi keyboards that you would recommend (preferably with a USB connector, as I’m not sure if I have a proper Midi In port on my computer)?

"I wish I was a spaceman, the fastest guy alive. I'd fly you round the universe, in Fireball XL5..."
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Lucifer
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Posted: 8th Feb 2009 15:42
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I have an m-audio keyrig49 midi keyboard, and an Remote zero sl midi controller, If you're looking for something like that i higly recommend both.

But what you should do is go to the nearest instrument/music store and ask if they've got any Usb midi controllers and check out what they have, i'm sure you're going to find something that you like

in Austrlia, there is a really red sun, u got a red sun in sky too?
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Robert The Robot
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Posted: 8th Feb 2009 16:27
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Hi Lucifer, thanks for your recommendation. I had actually considered that one after various google searches, but I was a little disturbed when I found this in an online version of the helpfile:

Quote: "Warning: This product contains chemicals, including lead, known to the State of California to cause cancer, and birth defects or other reproductive harm. Wash hands after handling."


One keyboard I have seen when googling is the CME M-key. It's not a company I've heard of, and the reviews vary quite a bit, but do you think it would be any good?

"I wish I was a spaceman, the fastest guy alive. I'd fly you round the universe, in Fireball XL5..."
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Rudolpho
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Posted: 8th Feb 2009 19:32
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You usually don't get a USB connector straight onto your keyboard, but rather have to use a midi/usb adapter.

About it containing lead, it's no big deal - there's hardly anything in there and it's not as if it leaks or something

Speaking of which, I had one in which the (russian... kind of strange, seeing as it was bought in Sweden) manual claimed in poor english that "one should wash his hands after use, since the device contained 82Rn"
It was probably just a typo, seeing as 82 is actually the atomic number of lead, but it got you wondering if there was (radioactive) radon in it or what...

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Lucifer
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Posted: 9th Feb 2009 00:43 Edited at: 9th Feb 2009 00:45
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Quote: "You usually don't get a USB connector straight onto your keyboard, but rather have to use a midi/usb adapter."


That's usually the case with midi keyboards with an inbuilt midi soundmoudule, so you can play it without using a computer. isnt it like that?

While that is good for musicians that play live music and stuff, i've always found that those types of keyboards are heavy and take up alot of space, and i dont really see the point of having one of those if you're going to use it to send midi data into your computer.
And if you're just looking for a simple midi controller to use with the computer i think that using something inexpensive like my little keyrig49 or that CME M-key is a much better choice

Robert, I checked out this CME M-key, it seems to be an allright midi controller, it should do the job!

in Austrlia, there is a really red sun, u got a red sun in sky too?
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Rudolpho
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Posted: 9th Feb 2009 10:29
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Well, maybe it would work, but it is a hassle to transpose every note as soon as you want a lower / higher one than is playable straight from those tiny keyboards.
I for myself also use my midi controller (which is actually foremost a splendid synthesizer) for playing "live" on as well; in my mind, improvising something live is by far the best way to come up with compositions. But then I'm a pianist, so it might not be like that for everybody, I don't know. (By "live" above I mean not so much playing in front of an audience as doing it to myself in my basement).
If I were to make a reccommendation, you should go for at least 5 octaves; that will allow you to play most things right off your keyboard as well as reduce the necessity for transposing a lot of notes when sending them to your computer.

"We know some things about poodles, for example that they are alive, they can bark, they eat meat..."
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Lucifer
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Posted: 10th Feb 2009 15:31
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Quote: "But then I'm a pianist, so it might not be like that for everybody, I don't know. (By "live" above I mean not so much playing in front of an audience as doing it to myself in my basement)."


Yeah, by live i meant it by that. I totally get your point, the things i recommended for him were just based on my own experience, my keyboard only has 4 octaves, and it has never limited me in any great ways, probably since i do most of the composition inside flstudio and i use my keyboard to sketch out things like melodies and stuff.

in Austrlia, there is a really red sun, u got a red sun in sky too?
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Robert The Robot
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Posted: 14th Feb 2009 11:57
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Hi guys, sorry I've been so long posting back but I've been a bit snowed under with work. Thanks for all your advice, it was most helpful and very interesting.

I think I will go for the CME M-Key, even though it's only four octaves. The keyboard I've got at the moment (which would be great to use if it only had a midi output) only has four octaves on it, and I'm not such a great pianist yet that I think I'd need the extra notes!

Anyway, thanks once again for all your help!

"I wish I was a spaceman, the fastest guy alive. I'd fly you round the universe, in Fireball XL5..."
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Junkrock
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Posted: 15th Feb 2009 21:01
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Hey there!

Just throwing in my recommendations.

Firstly a usb midi controller will be essential in your midi studio, I would recommend anything from M-audio maybe something like the Oxygen61.

Secondly you will need some sounds with which to trigger with your controller. If you have the money I would heavily suggest investing in Kontakt 3 sampler from Native Instruments, it comes with a huge library of sounds and most of the big sound libraries are compatible.

The sequencer in which you work is perhaps the most important decision for your studio....and you are not only restricted to one! I personally use Ableton Live 7 for my midi sequencing (really nice routing options) then I bounce everything to .wav and do final mix in Logic Pro....at the end of the day you will be best in the environment in which you are comfortable, check the developers websites for demos and see what you work well with.

Ok well I hope that helps.

Dan

http://www.HybridTwo.com
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Rudolpho
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Posted: 17th Feb 2009 22:55
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Hm, we are probably just refering to the same thing using different words now, but just to clarify, I shall beg the differ.
You do most definitively not need a "usb midi controller". I myself (and probably most other people) use a midi/usb adapter for that. Just to clarify it

(These things cost like $15 or so, so there's no big deal at all).
And all (digital) synthesizers / keyboards manufactured after the middle of the eighties should have midi ports. So you can likely buy anything you want without having to look specifically for a usb port directly on the keyboard. But again, I might very well just have misinterpreted Junkrock's message

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