What's up everybody!

Just looking for some help finding a decent quality midi keyboard and audio interface (as I know jack **** about both)...
I'm currently running on Windows 7 64 Bit using Ableton 9 and FL Studio 11... I also have a pair of JBL Studio 1 130s set aside for when I get the interface (I got em for pretty cheap) and liked the quality from what I tested at a local Guitar Center... I'm trying to buy a keyboard because it's pretty annoying to have to translate keys from your regular keyboard to the ones in sequencer and I've been trying to look at audio interfaces for a while but would prefer to get advice from people who know what is good and not. And as for a keyboard, I would like something with 25 keys that would fit on a 3ft desk and at least has some knobs and features to work with! I'm currently on a budget of 200-350$ (US) due to being a poor broke college student



Any help would definitely be appreciated and thank you to all in advance!

 

Hi,

How much tracks you want to record? I recommend Focusrite Scarlett and M-Audio Oxygen 3rd Gen. I have both well working in Win 7 with Live 9.

Scarlett is worth every cent, low Latency and good Quality for this price and Oxygen 25 has 8 Controller Knobs, Transportbuttons and some more and comes with predefined Ableton Live Template.

 

Consider a Novation, eg. an Impulse on the keyboard side. If jou can afford it the Ableton Push is a sound option too.

As for the interface: Focusrite comes in all sorts depending on your needs.

 

check the magazines sound on sound, future music etc for write ups.
decide your price range and exactly what you need an audio interface for (you may not actually need 1 especially if you aren't recording vocals or your own guitar playing).

If its all internal *(ie you are only using computer instruments (vstis) etc I'd suggest getting something with more than just 8 knobs but also has pads and sliders - look at something like (bottom end) the Novation Impulse USB MIDI Controller (£150) or preferably go further up the scale and check out the Novation Impulse 49 USB MIDI Controller Keyboard (£199) which has 49 instead 25 keys and 3x8 assignable rotary knobs, pads & slider controllers. (there's a 61 as well..)

Impulse 49


[media]https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=b0f4KlxzI8g[/media]

You'll get more out of the novation 49 on its own than you will a small oxygen 25 - 8 knob combined with an audio interface, for the same money.

I bought an maudio oxygen 8 and a motu828 (some years back) total of £900, and looking back the £800 i wasted on the audio interface (cos I took others advice) i could have saved £600 and bought a quality £300 keyboard controller which would have suited me far better.
I'm now looking to by the controller I should have bought back then.

I strongly advise not getting an audio interface just yet (if 1/ its your 1st purchase and 2/ you are not (yet) recording vocals or guitar.
Spend you hard earned on the impulse 49 (its not much bigger than the 25 key and well worth making the extra space for,(its a pain in the ass running out of keys and having to shuffle up or down).
If you are going to get an audio interface then for now go as cheap as possible but spend as much as possible on the keyboard - cos if you haven't got an interface now then that most likely means you aren't 100% certain of what you'll use it for but the keyboard you've already realised you need.
This will make more sense soon if you buy an expensive interface only to find out you hardly use it but that entry level controller just ins't enough already after a month of use.

 

Novation 49 keys (or more) and pretty much any RME/MOTU/Focusrite/etc audio interface.

I know, there are as many answer as there are "producers" (i.e bedroom music makers). All depends on budget, I/O needs, quality needs and other references.

 

Fkn love you guys Thank you all for that information, it will definitely help me check some stuff out!

 

http://www.musicradar.com/us/news/tech/12-of-the-best-budget-usb-audio-interfaces-570850

http://www.musicradar.com/news/tech/the-12-best-budget-midi-controller-keyboards-565848/10/3

Read those. It doesn't mean they are the only ones out there, but they mention them with an extra review.

 

kabelkotze nailed it, I think. Buy a nice Focusrite USB interface and an M-audio Oxygene keyboard. That's a great and cheap start-up toolkit that can give you great results with the right knowledge.

 

Just bumped into this whilst looking round the net.
Samson Graphite 49 49-Note USB MIDI Controller Keyboard
£129 so cheap and as good a build quality as kbd's twice the price (ie Novation Impulse 49 (my original tip) or the (very nice) Arturia Keylab 49 Controller Keyboard.



Sound on Sound reveiw

I'm probably getting 1 coupled with an Artura beatport.
SOS Namm Beatport demo


Combine the 2 for a little over £200 (probably $250 maybe less as the U.S is so damn cheap compared to UK prices nearly £ to $. And you have a huge amount of control to cover all vsti's and drum samplers and midi input - I'll let you know how awesome they are when they arrive :D

Do you need an audio interface atm? are you recording vocals or instruments. If the ansswer is no, wait until you do (you may never need to).

A lot of people answer assuming you have the same needs as they do - as you haven't mentioned why you need an ai but expressed need for a keyboard I cant emphasize enough that that is where your 1st purchase should be, the shops wont run out of ai's, wait until you know why you need 1.
Also what daw do you use or intend to use? What musical style(s) do you like making?

If you write songs, play the guitar & piano/keyboard well & sing (the more "traditional" way) then an audio interface & quality key stroke controller is what you need (ie suggestions of maudio ox & Focusrite USB interface would be correct BUT if you (as you say) want a keyboard with the ability to twiddle then I assume you are making electronic based tunes mainly in which case my suggestion(s) holds.

Anyway hope it helps a little - good luck.