Do you need a MIDI keyboard for producing music?
4 min read
Getting started with making electronic music can be expensive and you may ask yourself whether you actually need a MIDI keyboard to make electronic music at home.
I want to get straight to the point and say that a MIDI keyboard is not essential for producing music, but there are a number of reasons why it is great…as well as a few alternatives you may want to consider!
For those of you very new to music production, a MIDI keyboard is generally a keyboard that you can plug into a computer or synth. It won’t make any noises by itself – unlike electric pianos – but it has a huge amount of versatility because it can control anything in a computer.
READ MORE: How to become a power user of your favourite DAW
MIDI keyboards send MIDI messages to the computer which can control pretty much any software instrument (or VST). Whether you have loaded a piano instrument or a dubstep synth, or even an orchestral ensemble, it can be controlled via your MIDI keyboard.
Alongside notes, they can also send other control signals such as faders and playback controls. As you’ll see further down, these can come at a premium, but not a drastic one.
While all good music software allows you to draw in the notes you need with a mouse, having a MIDI keyboard allows you to perform the melodies into the computer and record the grooves more naturally. When playing on a keyboard, you are jamming or performing ideas in real time.
Compare that to inputting the notes manually with a mouse, you can’t do it as the song is playing, so have much less of a feel for the music.
Do you need to know how to play piano to produce music?
No. In fact, almost all of the producers I know aren’t trained pianists. What you will find is that as you produce more and more, you do get better at playing the piano. That is, of course, provided you have been using a MIDI keyboard to record your melodies.
I am by no means any good at piano, but having spent so much of my spare time making music, I am able to play and compose things more or less on the fly with my keyboard. I can’t do anything too technical, but I can lay down the chords needed with not too much trouble.
What you will get good at (quickly) is chords and simple melodies. It is then on to you to determine how much you want to learn. Many producers go their whole lives being unable to perform back their songs on a keyboard, because the computer assistance is so great it means they can get by with minimal skill. (I’m not saying producers aren’t skilled – you still need to be musically talented – you just don’t have to be a proficient pianist to make great songs)
What MIDI keyboard should I get for music production?
I’m going to be really budget friendly with this section, because I know what it was like getting into music little money to waste on frivolities.
Basically, any MIDI keyboard that connects via USB will be best for most producers. There are a few things to consider such as size and the number of keys, and after that, you are just looking at nice-to-haves which will be a case of balancing your budget.
– Mini & Budget
If you aren’t too fussed about the “legitimate” piano experience, you may be good for a “mini” keyboard. These are cheap and compact and have small keys, but they are more than enough to record in the melodies and jam out ideas.
They generally only have a few octaves at most, so don’t expect to play two-handed. But this is good because it keeps size down.
Generally these come with “no frills” but some also have additional knobs or pads to add extra control.
– Normal-sized & Budget
These keyboards generally have 49 keys or more and use the standard key size. Because they are larger units, they are generally more expensive, but have more room for extra controls and even screens.
This is probably the best place to start if you are planning on setting up a space in your house/room for music production. The keyboards aren’t very portable and take up space on the desk, which is something worth considering if you are in a small room.
Generally you will be getting a unit for under £100 and maybe a few nice-to-haves such as pads or knobs, but it will be a simple, basic controller. You may also get some software bundled with some models, which is a very big plus when deciding on what product to buy.
– The Nice-to-haves models
These models are generally a bit more expensive and have a large range of extras on them, from screens to plenty of extra buttons, knobs, and pads.
These are good for if you want extra DAW control and can afford it, but in my honest opinion, they don’t necessarily add much.
I have a MIDI keyboard in this “tier” and I bought it for all the faders and knobs, but I probably use them <5% of the time. If you think they are something you will make use of though, they are definitely worthwhile.
Alternatives to MIDI controllers for music production
One of the best things about making music on a computer is that you aren’t limited. There are many ways to go about the same task, none of which are right.
This is true for controllers too. The main alternative is probably pad controllers such as the Maschine and the Push.
These work with drum pads and have the benefit of being better at drum programming than a MIDI keyboard. You can also assign the pads to musical notes and ply like that.
This has its benefits for those who aren’t keen at the piano and there are many ways to set pad controllers up to lock the player in a single key signature so they’ll never play out of tune.
Pad controllers tend to be pricey, but can also come with their own software. If you are into hip-hop and minimalist electronic genres such as techno and tech house, these may be more suited to you. If you are into more complex melodic compositions, then you may prefer a keyboard controller.
