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Midi Keyboard?! 49 key Oxygen
- Thread starter Dillpirk
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Depends on your needs and preferences.
Price range?
Do you prefer a piano feel or a keyboard feel?
Do you need fancy features like aftertouch or built in arpeggiators?
What type of music are you going to be making?
What type of software are you going to use the controller with?
Price range?
Do you prefer a piano feel or a keyboard feel?
Do you need fancy features like aftertouch or built in arpeggiators?
What type of music are you going to be making?
What type of software are you going to use the controller with?
I've got two M-Audio controllers attached to my Macbook I use on stage and I definitely recommend an Oxygen or Axiom (bit more expensive), depends on how many faders and other buttons you want to use.
I use an Oxygen 61 and a Keyrig 49, also perfect for Logic or Reason.
Good luck.
I use an Oxygen 61 and a Keyrig 49, also perfect for Logic or Reason.
Good luck.
The Oxygen should be fine, it's a solid entry-level controller. I used a 25 key Oxygen8 for a few years until the USB port broke.
It has no internal sound. That is because you asked for a "MIDI Controller" and had a $200 budget.
Had you asked for a "digital piano" and had a $2,000 budget people would have said "look at the Roland FP7 or Yamaha CP50."
I prefer keyboards the have built-in sound. 90% of what I do with mine is practice and I don't want to bother hooking up MIDI and a computer to play scales or go over the left hand part of some new piece 5 times slowly. But without internal sound I'd be forced to always use the computer even for scales.
My opinion is that a small MIDI controller is OK if you already have a good practice instrument set up on a stand some place that you can just turn on and use.
Correct,. Most MIDI keyboards controllers etc come with no sound. They are used to "trigger" sounds sounds from software.
Infrasonic M49
I've used quite a few controller over the years, and yes M-Audio does make great ones from their entry level up to their new line of Axiom Pro series.
There is a new model coming to the US, called the Infrasonic M49. The list price on it is $159, but it can bought for about 129 if you look around...not hard to find at that price. This model feels better (I know relative term) and has more features than the M-Audio Oxygen series, and might be a good candidate. It also comes with some sample software, so you can at least start making either noises or music (depending on your skill level...I make mostly noise) right out of the box. You may want to consider investing in Reason or other similar program at later date.
Infrasonic is a pretty well known brand in Korea, but has just recently started showing up in the US marketplace.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cmyOjKWlTGg
Again, google it, you'll find where it can be bought.
I've used quite a few controller over the years, and yes M-Audio does make great ones from their entry level up to their new line of Axiom Pro series.
There is a new model coming to the US, called the Infrasonic M49. The list price on it is $159, but it can bought for about 129 if you look around...not hard to find at that price. This model feels better (I know relative term) and has more features than the M-Audio Oxygen series, and might be a good candidate. It also comes with some sample software, so you can at least start making either noises or music (depending on your skill level...I make mostly noise) right out of the box. You may want to consider investing in Reason or other similar program at later date.
Infrasonic is a pretty well known brand in Korea, but has just recently started showing up in the US marketplace.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cmyOjKWlTGg
Again, google it, you'll find where it can be bought.
B
Black Macbook
Guest
For an entry level keyboard then I'm sure midiman is fine, but I have two of them, and I don't like the feel at all. They keys are way cheap and plasticy feeling.
I'm searching for a better feeling keyboard, but haven't found one yet.
I'm searching for a better feeling keyboard, but haven't found one yet.
Midiman --> M-Audio --> soon to be Avid (I think the M-Audio brand will be killed off soon). If you have a Midiman, it's probably at least a couple years old, and the quality level of M-Audio has increased significantly over the past couple of years (along with the price!). If you are looking for an upgrade, I would look past the "Keygen" or "Oxygen" series, and step up to either Axiom or Axiom Pro (again, these are all currently under the "M-Audio brand." Both these models claim to have "weighted" keys, but I would prefer to call them "semi-weighted". They still have great actions in them, but not up to a "Fatar" action, which is the standard. You can also check out Novation SL series, which offer something called "Automap" which not only automatically maps everything, but displays it on small LED screens placed over all the buttons, knobs and sliders.
If you're interested in used, shoot me a PM, I've got an entire room full of this stuff (don't ask)...
B
Black Macbook
Guest
Yes, both the midimans I have are a few years old. I have an oxygen 8 - 2.5 octave and a keystation 61es.
I've been looking at the novation nocturn 49 and an akai mpk 49 but I have to try them out in person of course, to see how they feel.
Many companies use Fatar keybeds I believe, but from what I understand, Fatar makes many different kinds of varying quality, and I'm looking for a controller that uses the premium Fatar keybed, not piano action, but semi-weighted I guess.
A keyboard that I like the feel of is the Virus KB - 5 octaves. That one feels right to me and not cheap feeling, like many of the midi controllers out there. I realize that's a pricey synth, but I'm hoping that there's a controller out there which uses the same Fatar keybed that the Virus uses.
Yes, both the midimans I have are a few years old. I have an oxygen 8 - 2.5 octave and a keystation 61es.
I've been looking at the novation nocturn 49 and an akai mpk 49 but I have to try them out in person of course, to see how they feel.
Many companies use Fatar keybeds I believe, but from what I understand, Fatar makes many different kinds of varying quality, and I'm looking for a controller that uses the premium Fatar keybed, not piano action, but semi-weighted I guess.
A keyboard that I like the feel of is the Virus KB - 5 octaves. That one feels right to me and not cheap feeling, like many of the midi controllers out there. I realize that's a pricey synth, but I'm hoping that there's a controller out there which uses the same Fatar keybed that the Virus uses.
I have an MPK49 and besides the control surface, it's not all that. The appeal of the MPK series was being able to have MPC pads and a keyboard in one controller but the pad implementation was total crap. To me the Axiom is a better controller.
B
Black Macbook
Guest
Thanks for that info about the MPK49, I had my suspicions about it.
I don't even need any "MPC" type pads because I have a real MPC-2000 lying around. I'm just looking for a good controller, I don't need a ton of knobs and sliders, if the actual keyboard on the controller is sub-par.
I noticed that you have an Apogee Duet in your sig, I've got one too! I like simplicity, and the Duet sounds great and is simple. It doesn't have a million buttons and other crap on it. It simply does what it does and sounds great. That's basically what I'm looking for in a controller, something that is simple but has an awesome feel to it. Pads, buttons, sliders and all that crap mean nothing to me. Just give me a good damn keyboard that has a good feel.
I'll check out the feel of the axioms next time I'm in a store.
Yes, it is true that Fatar does make more than one kind of action. The "good" or "flagship" model is generally the ones you feel in somewhat higher end keyboards (Korg PA80 for example). I'm not sure if I've ever seen one in a dedicated Midi Controller, but that doesn't mean it isnt out there. I've recently purchased an M-Audio Axiom Pro, and the action is pretty good in that, but you pay for it...
I'm also not impressed with any Akai Midi controller...nice MPC units of coarse, but they don't even carry over the pads...
I've used Novation, and the keyboard was not all the great, unless you like really springy..that was and 25SL...so maybe they've improved, but I doubt it since the mdl they sell is actually less $ than what I paid.
Again, going back to entry level (Oxygen or equivelent price point), I would definately check out the Infrasonic. Same price, nicer keyboard, x-y control pad, and joystick...
j-v-c
I'm also not impressed with any Akai Midi controller...nice MPC units of coarse, but they don't even carry over the pads...
I've used Novation, and the keyboard was not all the great, unless you like really springy..that was and 25SL...so maybe they've improved, but I doubt it since the mdl they sell is actually less $ than what I paid.
Again, going back to entry level (Oxygen or equivelent price point), I would definately check out the Infrasonic. Same price, nicer keyboard, x-y control pad, and joystick...
j-v-c
Yeah I love the Duet and I'm basically a hobbyist doing hiphop so if I'm recording live audio, it's just vocals. It's a great box and surprisingly it's been around for awhile now.
Their MPD's are decent if you're trying to sample/chop through software. And I don't know if anyone actually uses laptop controllers, but their LPK and LPD are 100 times better than the Korg nano series.
But the MPK series was a total let down.