Midi keyboard advice

Dj Dirty Pimp

Dj Dirty Pimp

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So from feedback here n else where I've bought Scarlett 2i2 audio interface, yamaha hs8 monitors, I'm also getting cubase (bit scary having been an fl user for long time)...


Now my question is have any of you used the Roland A49 midi/ USB keyboard? Looks really good on paper, and decent price tag. Any similar reccomendations!?

Thanks once again
 
Well my advice here is to dig in on some of these keyboards

The A-49 has one huge down-side for me - it has no sliders/faders. But if you don't think you going to need them, it seems to be a nice master controller. Specially minding that Roland makes high quality stuff.

But - if you're looking for something with rotaries/sliders (eg if you like to program your own vst patches and want to use the mouse the least as you can / to "live act" or record automation directly to your DAW) - I'd personally recommend Oxygen 49. Since I own it, I can give some pros and cons:
PROS:
- Has a very nice feel to it;
- 9 sliders and 8 rotaries (pretty much all you need to control essential plugin parameteres);
- Non weighted keys - like the a49 (this is a pro since I don't like playing on semi-weighted/weighted keys. It's up to you);
- Sustain port (standard 1/4" jack in);
- USB powered;

CONS:
- Somewhat sensible..electronic-wise. 2 of my O49's rotaries send random values via MIDI. I read somewhere that it could be just dirt, all it sends is noise (that's percieved as midi)
- Fragile-ish. While it has lasted me for 3 and a half years laying on my desk, I am not so sure about the quality of its materials on the fly. It certainly has a durable feel to it, but to a point where you think twice before carrying it without a case (i carry mine inside the original box eg)

But seriously, browse through the thomann catalog I posted (or MusicStore) and see more viable options than A49.

Hope I helped.
 
Very in depth explanations, cheers! at this stage that kind of automation isnt huge to me, that being said the oxygen does look interesting.

i prefer to draw my automation on tbh, although that may change with time. cheers mate
 
I went for the Roland A49 in the end, after looking at various videos and reviews it appealed the most to me. Im used to automation etc with mouse clicks anyway, this will be first midi controller ive ever used!

cheers for your help and advice though bro!
 
i felt like a change, i know fl studio is just as powerful now adays but after watching numerous tutorials ( hours) i feel that Cubase is more suited to me! what do you use out of interest?
 
Hi there,

I just got myself the Roland A-49 for christmas :) I think the decision whether you'll like it really comes down to what jonax mentions: whether you'll miss the faders, knobs and buttons on the controller or not.

Quality-wise I have not yet found anything to complain about. The keys feel good (they are "full size" btw, whatever that is, it fits me well). The whole thing feels sturdy yet it's very lightweight. Installation process is simple, you install the driver, plug in the keyboard via USB and you are ready to go with all major DAWs (I'm using it with FL Studio which is not even on the "officially supported" list, yet everything works as expected).

Necessary controls and functions for playing the keyboard are all supplied of course. Namely, octave and transpose buttons, a pitch bend lever and a so called "d-beam controller" which is a ray of light you can put your hand into in order to control effects (pitch bend for example). But that's pretty much it - you have an additional 2 assignable buttons and 2 assignable rotaries, that's all. For me, that is not a problem, because a. I'm used to control all the faders and rotaries in the DAW via mouse and automation bars and b. I have a small midi usb controller with lots of buttons and rotaries that I can use if I should ever get tempted to try a different production approach. So your personal preferences are key to the buying decision.

greetings

teenious
 
Teenious thankyou for your time in writing that post, its reassured me of what ive bought :)

The control knobs and faders arent a concern to me, as im the same as you, ive always drawn automation or used the mouse so that aspect doesnt phase me at all :) glad the set up was easy!

thaanks!
 
Yeah, I feel you - a lot of my mates use Cubase and are 110% happy with it, I just dont like the workflow there for some reason :D I myself use FL Studio for the base creating process, synths and basic mixing and if I feel like it, I then take the multitracks to Pro Tools.

and btw, tell us what the Roland controller is like, I know nothing about those! :)
 
^ Yeah, I've also heard nothing bad about those - should be fine in the terms of money to fun ratio. Anyone here uses the Akai MPC-keyboard fusion, whatever the brand name was? I am a bit interested in the 88 version, since it has actual hammer mechanism in the keys. Expensive, though.
 
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