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Hey everyone, first post here ^_^

So I've been playing the piano for 7 years now, and I know music theory and all that stuff and can easily make a nice melody on the piano.
But my problem is, the melody is either too complex to be used in a Dubstep song, or it's too...piano-y.

I wanna buy a midi keyboard/controller so that the melody's will be made specifically for the synth that I will be using for the song, and not for the piano.

Is it worth buying the Akai MPK25 as my first Midi keyboard? It's going for 213$ on Amazon right now, and it has just about everything I need - 25 keys with octave buttons, 12 mpc pads, 12 knobs and extra features.
I will be using it with Reaper too btw.

So should I get the mpk25? Or is there something better that I could get for that price.

Thanks

thats what i have and i love it. plenty of knobs and its sturdy, well built, easy to integrate with my software.

zero complaints I would highly reccommend it

Anne Droid wrote:thats what i have and i love it. plenty of knobs and its sturdy, well built, easy to integrate with my software.

zero complaints I would highly reccommend it

Alright thanks!
Do you use it with Reaper? If you do, was it easy to map everything?

since you already know piano, i would suggest a 49 key model,is what i have, trust me you will get tired of only having 25 keys especially when you want to "play" a synth, just my $.2

You'll only kick yourself if you buy a 25 key later down the line...even if you don't even know how to play.


Get the biggest size you can for your budget.

legend4ry wrote:You'll only kick yourself if you buy a 25 key later down the line...even if you don't even know how to play.


Get the biggest size you can for your budget.

I forgot to mention I already own a 49 key Casio keyboard and a stand-up piano,I think that if I really want to actually play using all the octaves, I could just buy a MIDI to usb cable and use that.
The reason why I want this is because of all the knobs, pads, arpeggiator fuctions, ect...
Not just for the keys, (also I still havent found a place that sells midi to usb cables near me so I might have to order one...)

i use ableton

OttoMatik wrote:

legend4ry wrote:You'll only kick yourself if you buy a 25 key later down the line...even if you don't even know how to play.


Get the biggest size you can for your budget.

I forgot to mention I already own a 49 key Casio keyboard and a stand-up piano,I think that if I really want to actually play using all the octaves, I could just buy a MIDI to usb cable and use that.
The reason why I want this is because of all the knobs, pads, arpeggiator fuctions, ect...
Not just for the keys, (also I still havent found a place that sells midi to usb cables near me so I might have to order one...)

Then get something like this;

http://www.dv247.com/computer-hardware/ ... ler--63779

and a midi cable.

Also, as a piano player you're gonna be pissed that the 25 has undersized keys. If you still want something that small think bout getting an Axiom instead.

extremesociety wrote:Also, as a piano player you're gonna be pissed that the 25 has undersized keys. If you still want something that small think bout getting an Axiom instead.

But they say it has full sized keys?

legend4ry wrote:

OttoMatik wrote:

legend4ry wrote:You'll only kick yourself if you buy a 25 key later down the line...even if you don't even know how to play.


Get the biggest size you can for your budget.

I forgot to mention I already own a 49 key Casio keyboard and a stand-up piano,I think that if I really want to actually play using all the octaves, I could just buy a MIDI to usb cable and use that.
The reason why I want this is because of all the knobs, pads, arpeggiator fuctions, ect...
Not just for the keys, (also I still havent found a place that sells midi to usb cables near me so I might have to order one...)

Then get something like this;

http://www.dv247.com/computer-hardware/ ... ler--63779

and a midi cable.

Oh, that thing looks pretty nice, I like the LCD screen and the fact that it has faders, but the drum pads look kinda awkward to use (placement-wise)
Thanks for showing me another good option, and although it's a little more expensive than 213$ (It's 264$ on Amazon) I will look into it
I also still have a month to decide, since I recently built a new computer and am kinda broke so I'll have to wait for my birthday which is in march.

If you mainly want pads i'd go for a MPD then .

Honestly don't see the point in buying a keyboard controller if you already have a keyboard; just get a controller - for around the same price you can get more/better quality.

RandoRando wrote:since you already know piano, i would suggest a 49 key model,is what i have, trust me you will get tired of only having 25 keys especially when you want to "play" a synth, just my $.2

technically thats 20 cents....

legend4ry wrote:If you mainly want pads i'd go for a MPD then .

Honestly don't see the point in buying a keyboard controller if you already have a keyboard; just get a controller - for around the same price you can get more/better quality.

Aha maybe, so much choice!
I looked at the mpd 26, but I think I didn't really think it would have just as much value as the mpk25 since the mpk25 has more knobs and it has keys (Except it has 4 less pads ofcourse)
And It's not that I want only pads, but that I want a mix of everything to produce easier - A keyboard (Wich yes I already have), MPC/drum pads, knobs, ect...

Also wouldnt it be kinda awkward to have a midi controller seperated from the keyboard controlling the paramaters of a synth? Like, I could imagine putting the controller on my lap and moving the knobs while hitting notes, but that would probably be awkward haha.

Sorry for being so undecided and not being very descriptive of what I want btw

And also thanks for all the help/advice you've given me

Its generally better to do your automation after you've played stuff but we all have our work flows - the MPK is a nice piece of kit!

ehbrums1 wrote:

RandoRando wrote:since you already know piano, i would suggest a 49 key model,is what i have, trust me you will get tired of only having 25 keys especially when you want to "play" a synth, just my $.2

technically thats 20 cents....

$.02

legend4ry wrote:Its generally better to do your automation after you've played stuff but we all have our work flows - the MPK is a nice piece of kit!

Yeah of course, but what I was referring to was assigning all the knobs to the most "useful" parameters on a VSTI-synth, that way I don't get lost in all the parameters when some of them don't change much to the overall sound.
This way it would be like having a hardware synth, except it can have any sound depending on the VSTI I use for it

I have an MPK25 and I love it. The only complaint I have with it is that the pads aren't very responsive.

Sine69 wrote:I have an MPK25 and I love it. The only complaint I have with it is that the pads aren't very responsive.

Even when you put the sensitivity to the max?

I have an LPK 25 and it really comes down to what you want. Mine is mini-keys, no pads, no mod or pitch bend. But it does what I need it to do. I don't think you'll be upset getting a 25 key keyboard, tbqh.