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 Forum index » Instruments and Equipment » MIDI Controllers and Interfaces
Im new to this scene and would appreciate
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dragnmastr85



Joined: Sep 25, 2006
Posts: 16
Location: Bethlehem PA

PostPosted: Tue Sep 26, 2006 3:39 pm    Post subject: Im new to this scene and would appreciate
Subject description: as much help as possible
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I am mainly a trumpet piano guitar musician. I have composed quite a few things using standard midi instruments using a program called tabit. I am looking to get away from standard midi sounds and get into full scale production. My dream job after college would probably be to compose video game music. I love just about every kind of music except the obvious hatreds (rap). I really know nothing about music composition or midi controllers at all. The program I use is manually put in. If you are interested in looking at what kind of music I write so it is easier to suggest what I would want take a look at this http://users.rcn.com/pegasuslady/music/. In that folder you will also see an image. That is how I compose my music. I have Reason right now but am clueless with how to use it. I am looking to get a midi controller and this is the one I was looking athttp://www.musiciansfriend.com/product/Evolution-MK461C-61Key-Advanced-Mobile-USB-MIDI-Controller?sku=700643
Thanks in advance for your help!

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dragnmastr85



Joined: Sep 25, 2006
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Location: Bethlehem PA

PostPosted: Tue Sep 26, 2006 3:58 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote  Mark this post and the followings unread

Also the sooner I get the info the better. That midi controller is on sale with limited quantities and Im getting itchy Smile
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elektro80
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PostPosted: Tue Sep 26, 2006 4:02 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote  Mark this post and the followings unread

I have used this one once or twice. As far I can remember it worked just fine. The Enigma software is OK.

The "new" price is nice.

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dragnmastr85



Joined: Sep 25, 2006
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PostPosted: Tue Sep 26, 2006 4:05 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote  Mark this post and the followings unread

elektro what is your sn
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elektro80
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PostPosted: Tue Sep 26, 2006 4:06 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote  Mark this post and the followings unread

sn what? Shocked
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dragnmastr85



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PostPosted: Tue Sep 26, 2006 4:08 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote  Mark this post and the followings unread

AIM
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elektro80
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PostPosted: Tue Sep 26, 2006 4:12 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote  Mark this post and the followings unread

I don´t have an aim sn. Sorry.
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dragnmastr85



Joined: Sep 25, 2006
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PostPosted: Tue Sep 26, 2006 4:16 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote  Mark this post and the followings unread

you just removed it form your profile haha. So do you think this midi would be good for what I want to do?
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elektro80
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PostPosted: Tue Sep 26, 2006 4:24 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote  Mark this post and the followings unread

Of course I removed it from the profile. First of all it isn´t proper AIM but iChat. Second, if you didn´t connect it doesn´t work anyway. Third, I have stopped using iChat long ago.

Is it any good?

Well, it felt like the keys kinda worked ok. The controllers did work fine with the free M-Audio Enigma software. I guess the product was starting to become a bit outdated, but the price is nice.

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dragnmastr85



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PostPosted: Tue Sep 26, 2006 4:34 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote  Mark this post and the followings unread

Is there anything I should be looking for with what I want to do?
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elektro80
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PostPosted: Tue Sep 26, 2006 4:46 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote  Mark this post and the followings unread

If you play the piano something like this makes more sense though:

http://www.m-audio.com/products/en_us/KeystationPro88-main.html

Posted Image, might have been reduced in size. Click Image to view fullscreen.


You can probably not go wrong with that Evolution thingie. It is damned cheap. It got decent reviews when it was new.
http://www.soundonsound.com/sos/jun04/articles/evolutionmk461c.htm

If you at a later stage want to invest in something better I suggest you should try the device first. The key action and the weight of the keys are important factors.

You might want aftertouch. I don´t remeber if the Evolution MK461C
has it or not. ..Probably not.

It works fine with OS X. I have never used it with a PC.

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dragnmastr85



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PostPosted: Tue Sep 26, 2006 5:17 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote  Mark this post and the followings unread

http://www.musiciansfriend.com/product/MAudio-Axiom-49-49Key-USB-MIDI-Controller?sku=706314
I was also looking at this one. What should I be looking for for what I want to do?

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elektro80
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PostPosted: Tue Sep 26, 2006 5:27 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote  Mark this post and the followings unread

Both of these will do just fine for now, but the Axiom has aftertouch. I like aftertouch.

Why not get both? Laughing

Seriously, buy any of these, get started with the music and whenever you need more controllers or different kinds of controllers, then you simply buy whatever you need.

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dragnmastr85



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PostPosted: Tue Sep 26, 2006 6:29 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote  Mark this post and the followings unread

The only main difference I have seen is the first one I posted does not have touch sensitivity. Isnt this important?
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dragnmastr85



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PostPosted: Tue Sep 26, 2006 6:30 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote  Mark this post and the followings unread

Actually the difference is weighted keys. Whats that mean?
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ian-s



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PostPosted: Tue Sep 26, 2006 7:02 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote  Mark this post and the followings unread

dragnmastr85 wrote:
Actually the difference is weighted keys. Whats that mean?


Heavy keys, like a real piano. Some like it like that.
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dragnmastr85



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PostPosted: Tue Sep 26, 2006 7:30 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote  Mark this post and the followings unread

which would you rather have?
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elektro80
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PostPosted: Tue Sep 26, 2006 7:51 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote  Mark this post and the followings unread

Weighted or not? Well.. personally I would prefer weighted keys when playing pianoish stuff.. but unweighted springy keys as well as sloppy semiweighted can be cool too for synth playing. It all depends. That is why many of us have many different keyboard controllers and many still have shitty old synths ( with no midi at all ) too. We like it that way. Very Happy
There is really not one single answer here. You are supposed to decide this for yourself. Go for the Axiom first. It is modern, it works and the features are competitive. Very Happy

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Keysandslots



Joined: Aug 18, 2006
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PostPosted: Tue Sep 26, 2006 8:21 pm    Post subject: Im new to this scene and would appreciate Reply with quote  Mark this post and the followings unread

You really should try the controller before buying it but I'll weigh in on this. If you're a piano player, you'll most likely want a weighted action. If you're an organ or synth player, you'll want a light or semi-weighted action.

I know a guitar player who bought a Yamaha S90 because of the weighted action and ended up selling it because his wrists couldn't get used to it. I have an S90 and love the action (although as a synthesizer it leaves quite a bit to be desired).

I would recommend starting with something that is semi-weighted. That way you'll have a bit more control but you won't kill your wrists.

Aftertouch is really handy if you're into expressive playing. It's used mostly for bringing vibrato on a sustained note, but I've also used it for increasing the "Leslie" speed on organ patches, very useful.

Randy
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dragnmastr85



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PostPosted: Tue Sep 26, 2006 8:31 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote  Mark this post and the followings unread

well I would rather use it for synth style playing probably. What I really want is the best funcionality for making my own music. Do the features on each keyboard matter a whole lot for what I want to do? The Evolution is attractive because of the price but you guys have made it clear that the axiom has better features. I want a very well rounded unit to get started and wouldnt mind a low price. The action on the keyboard isnt that important at this point as much as the funcionality. THanks so much for the help thus far. I eagerly await responses Smile
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dragnmastr85



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PostPosted: Thu Sep 28, 2006 2:48 am    Post subject: Reply with quote  Mark this post and the followings unread

Anymore suggestions? Im leaning towards the evolution right now. What features are on the Axiom that I might want over the evolution?
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dragnmastr85



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PostPosted: Thu Sep 28, 2006 10:19 am    Post subject: Reply with quote  Mark this post and the followings unread

Im not really too concerned with software right now. I can get just about anything I need from school fairly cheaply.
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