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In This Article You Will Learn:

• The difference between a MIDI keyboard and MIDI keyboard controller
• What to look for in a MIDI Controller
• How to choose one that is right you
• What a midi keyboard workstation is
• Connection options with a computer based DAW

Midi Keyboards and Midi Keyboard Controllers

Midi keyboard controllers communicate with music/DAW software applications through MIDI. (Midi is a standard computer language used for storing performance data into memory for triggering the playback of synthesizers and digital audio. See our Audio and Midi section to learn more.)
Midi controllers can only transmit midi data.

Midi keyboards send notes and/or midi information to a digital recorder, monitors, speakers, or to another compatible device. Musical information is stored into memory, and directs the way a synthesizer or sampler will play back musical notes. Midi keyboards emit sounds from a synthesizer or patch bank, from a sound-generating module within the keyboard. Midi keyboards can transmit midi data and sounds simultaneously.

The Midi Keyboard Controller is the most affordable route within a computer-based recording environment. (Given you have a PC or laptop) A keyboard controller contains no sounds. A controller can have up to 88 hardware keys, (and may have buttons and faders) used to play Virtual Instruments. The controller tells music software what notes to play, when and how to play them, and the velocity for each note you play.

With a library of compatible sounds, samples, and virtual instruments, any instrument you want to play will be triggered from the keyboard controller. Compositional and arrangement options are limited only by the neglect to explore these possibilities. You now have a virtual symphony, jazz ensemble, rock band, and more at your fingertips. You can play/record tracks using all the instruments and very easily correct timing errors, alter pitch, change instruments, and more.

Just as the keys of your keyboard controller send informational data, the rotary knobs, faders, scrolling wheels, and other extras you find on your keyboard - are capable of the same kind of thing. These can be programmed for controlling track volume, panning, automation, and other parts of your music recording/DAW software using the midi protocol. This is an affordable option that gives you hands on access to different parameters that would otherwise require control by a computers' mouse.

What to make sure a midi keyboard has before being sold on those shiny extras?

• Polyphony: Allows you to play more than one note at a time.
• Velocity: Allows you to play the keys softer or louder for more expression.
• After-touch: Can sustain and slowly release a note, imitating the realism of a live instrument.

Decide what more important, weighted or synthesizer action keys?

Weighted keys feel more like playing on an acoustic piano.
Synthesizer action keys allow you to play the keys faster in repetition, which is helpful for drum programming and similar, but feel like playing plastic keys. There is also semi- weighted which is a compromise to both.
Keyboards come in 88, 76, 61, 49, 37, 25,

Note: If opting for weighted, I would recommend at least 61 keys.

The Keyboard Workstation

The Keyboard Workstation is a midi keyboard that includes its own sequencer, arpeggiators, sound module and patches. This allows you to play, record, edit, and mix-down to a stereo master recording of your song or album from within the keyboard. It is more expensive than a simple midi keyboard controller but offers significantly more options to do it all on the board or use it creatively inside your digital audio workstation. The keyboard workstation generally implies an all-inclusive-package for digital music recording and post production.

Connecting Your Keyboard to Your Computer Based DAW

There are basically 4 ways to connect a midi keyboard to your computer.

USB: Midi controllers can be connected directly to your PC via USB.

Midi Interface: A MIDI Interface uses Midi Cables, and allows as many ports as you want to buy. This will give you the desired amount of channels for recording.

Firewire: You can also connect to your digital audio workstation via Fire-Wire. Given fire-wire connection ports to your computer and interface, you can connect with the appropriate fire-wire cable.

Audio Output: Using an audio output from a your midi keyboard (which has a sound module) and sending that signal into your DAW.

There are many features that manufacturers use to promote their product in this competitive industry; and can be great deals. With a blinding array of flashing lights and product promotion strategies, do not overlook their most essential function... How it feels and plays.

The first step to getting started in recording your own voice for a podcast, video narration, voice-over, audio book, etc. is to have a computer (with a soundcard), a microphone, headphones/ear-buds, and recording software. Any PC (a Mac is still a personal computer isn't it?) will do an excellent job as long as it was manufactured in the last decade. If you have a computer with a bunch of RAM, as well as a fast processor, things will, of course, be a bit faster and smoother. But again, you'd be surprised how much you can do with very little in the way of computing power. Audio does take up a fair amount of hard drive space (though nothing compared to video!), so keep that in mind as well. It will probably be helpful to have an external drive to back up your audio files from time-to-time.

A microphone is also a necessity for recording your own voice on the PC, but there are plenty to choose from that all work a bit differently. If you were to ask your local music store guy what kind of microphone (or "mic," for short) you need for home recording, you're likely to walk out of the store with hundreds of dollars less than you walked in with. But you may not need "that much car!" I strongly urge you to start out with a really cheap one; and I do mean cheap...as in those .00 plastic PC mics....uh huh! When you know what kind of quality is possible with an inexpensive mic, you will be much better off when it comes time to upgrade....if you ever decide you even NEED to upgrade.

Once your computer equipment is set up and ready to go, you will need recording software to make your recording. Some excellent programs are available as shareware and even FREEWARE (hint-hint) and should be given a try before spending a lot of money on commercial software choices. As with the mic, you should begin with the inexpensive stuff. I highly recommend Audacity, which is open-source software (as in, it costs no money), and is unbelievably powerful for a program that does what it does. No, I don't have any affiliation with Audacity. I'm just a satisfied customer!

Whichever recording software program you decide to use, the process is pretty-much the same. You plug your mic into the pink input on your computer's soundcard, stick some headphones (with the small pin, like for you iPod) into the green output (you may need to unplug your speakers for that, which is fine), click the "record" button in the software, and you're off to the races! Yeah, there is some set-up in the software, as with any program. But honestly, its just about that easy! So what are you waiting for?

Tip #1: Use patterns and repeats. Everything in music is built off of a pattern or motif. If you have these types of patterns in your song, don't rewrite them over and over again. This is especially unnecessary if you're not playing live. Simply create a loop with the specific musical pattern you want, so that you get what you want for much less time and money.

Tip #2: Find those loops. Most recording packages have premade loops that can be used for just general patterns. This is effective if you need a simple beat or general rhythm pattern. Loops should not be your songs' foundation, but they can provide a general background.

Tip #3: Layer. It doesn't matter whether you're recording live, using loops or patterns; you still need to think in layers. Start doing this when you start with an arrangement of the song and continue it throughout production and mixing.

Tip #4: What should you put in first? It doesn't always matter how you put your tracks down, but there's usually a way that is both logical and effective. Start with a rhythm track if you can, because you can use both a repetitive loop here and you'll also help keep everything pointed in the same direction. Then, stack from low to high, starting with bass, then going to mid range, and then finally, high range.

Tip #5: Your "icing" is the vocals. Performing live, usually, the singers are at the front of the stage, but when you record, they're in the back. Before you bring vocalists in for a recording session, have your layers of instrumentation completely finished, including your mix. You can put the voice in last so that it will be compressed and will blend well with the rest of the instruments.

Tip #6: Make sure you know your way around more than one program. Most recording studios prefer to use one particular program or set of programs for everything they record. For you, the more adaptable you are and the more you know your way around various recording software packages, the more capable you will be of finding just the right arrangements and sounds, as well as the capabilities within each kind of software. Familiarize yourself with software so that you know which software is best at what task.

Tip #7: Know the background and foreground. One of the biggest mistakes those new to recording make is that they have the balance and the back arrangements as their foreground. This can be managed if you use a volume control in your arrangements. Research to see what standards are for each setting in volume before you start your recording.

Tip #8: It's harder to get softer in volume than it is to get louder. When you just start your mix, start at a low volume. Test each instrument or pattern before you change anything. Start with a volume of about -6.0. If you need to, you can move up. However, don't go to zero when you're recording, especially before you bring the vocals in. This can cause the sound to be too loud so that waves will make it peak and it will be unbalanced.

Tip #9: Test, test, test. Use volume control when you test each of your sounds. Each instrument should stay below a yellow or red zone. The volume itself should be at a nice halfway point with each instrument. Some may need to be higher than others for the mix itself, but staying within the mid-zone is the general rule. If you keep in mind, you have an easier time keeping the instrumentation together in terms of its volume.

Tip #10: When should you preset? If you're going for a certain sound, or if you know what needs to be put together or compressed in a certain way, do that before you start playing. This is especially important when it comes to the mixing. However, don't experiment unless you're willing to lay the track down several times using different settings.

By utilizing these tips, you can put pieces together in less time and more effectively. When you know what you can use and when with your computer, and you'll get the exact sound you need. This is also true when you know what settings you should use.