Hi was wondering which of these is the best midi keyboard as dont want to spend so much cause i m a beginner or somebody knows about another good midi keyboard
i have just got a m audio oxygen 25
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/M-Audio-Oxygen-25-V3-Midi-Keyboard-In-Stock-Now_W0QQitemZ230418066522QQcmdZViewItemQQptZMidi_Controllers?hash=item35a5fcac5a
its cheap at £70 and is pre mapped for ableton and other daw’s the only gripe i’ve had is that i cant manualy assign the controls in ableton its probably easy to solve but i’ve not had enough time to look into it but it still does the trick and is pre mapped so its no biggy
Depends on what you want to do with it. Personally, I wouldnt buy any Beringer stuff. I would check out these out. I dont know how far you can deviate from your budget. The top one would be my first pick. I have the 49 key version. Once again, it would depend on what you need it for…
Akai Professional MPK25 25-key MIDI Controller | Sweetwater
Akai Professional LPK25 25-key Keyboard Controller | Sweetwater
Akai Professional LPD8 Mini Pad Controller | Sweetwater
I dunno… I would probably save up a little bit more cash and get the top one. It has alot of knobs and pads and some nice keys to pound out some ideas… 
If you just need it to key in midi sequences then you don’t need all the extra fancy bits that a lot of midi keyboard come with these days.
However if you think you’ll use things like the pads and knobs then by sure go for them.
I spent way too much on my midi keyboard and really didn’t need too, i don’t use most of the functions.
If you are going to get a midi, your main concerns are the following:
-weighted velocity sensitive keys or at very least semi weighted
-pref more than 25 keys as it limits you to one octave at a time (you can change the octave on your one octave keyboard, but its nice to be able to play across the board and not be limited like that)
[quote]roben (01/03/2010)[hr]If you just need it to key in midi sequences then you don’t need all the extra fancy bits that a lot of midi keyboard come with these days.
However if you think you’ll use things like the pads and knobs then by sure go for them.
I spent way too much on my midi keyboard and really didn’t need too, i don’t use most of the functions.
If you are going to get a midi, your main concerns are the following:
-weighted velocity sensitive keys or at very least semi weighted
-pref more than 25 keys as it limits you to one octave at a time (you can change the octave on your one octave keyboard, but its nice to be able to play across the board and not be limited like that)
[/quote]
lol last time i counted there wasn’t 25 keys in one octave
my opinion is go for a keyboard that has no frills, if you wanna upgrade at a later date you can bung the old one on ebay for £20 they always sell
weighted?? no point really! unless you play the piano then anything else will feel strange.
velocity sensitivity is a must.
depending on genre of music i would choose as smaller keyboard as you think you can get away with. personally i have a 49 key keyboard but could easily live with a 25 as i usually only play my chords in (tech house/progressive) but if i were to play a trance riff then i probably would want a 49 minimum.
if you want a controller spend spend spend, usually with controllers the more you spend the better you get, the more knobs sliders and pads it has the better, same with keys the more you have the better, you’ll be able to split a keyboard so that one half can be used to trigger effects and samples, while the other half is used for playing melodies
^ This
Well said. Actually, perfectly said. 
[quote]jon_fisher (01/03/2010)
lol last time i counted there wasn’t 25 keys in one octave
[/quote]
No need to get pedantic 
There is only one octave possible in a 25 key arrangement unless it’s a C which you can just about manage 2.
Trust me, weighted makes all the difference when you’re playing.
[quote]roben (02/03/2010)
Trust me, weighted makes all the difference when you’re playing.[/quote]
When you are playing the piano, yes. I play the piano and I have no use for weighted keys for making a track.
novation have the best ones i’ve used for usability and feel
had a microkontrol, never liked the feel of it, not nice to play on
First off thanks for all the reply.Why you wouldn t buy the beringer howiegroove not good?
well as i said i m a beginner and dont even know half of the staff you talked about like weighted velocity sensitive keys,keyboard that has no frills. and PADS WHAT ARE THEY EXACTLY FOR IN PLAIN SIMPLE ENGLISH WORDS YOU MAP THEM TO EFFECTS OR DRUMS AND INSTEAD OF USING THE PENCIL IN SEQUENCING YOU USE FINGERS IS THAT WHAT THEY ARE FOR?. What i had in mind for now is that instead of using the pc keyboard to play chords or pads etc i use the keyboard but if jon fisher said that you can split the keyboard half effects and samples and half melody then why do you need the pad thing in case was interested in this as the pad thing the m audio trigger finger. can t you do the same thing with the keyboard???
f…ck so confused now what to buy now i have a budget of around 120 euros the beringer is rubbish then Behringer UMX49 or Behringer UMX61
i like this part you’ll be able to split a keyboard so that one half can be used to trigger effects and samples, while the other half is used for playing melodies
Behringer is known for making cheap gear. I would personally stay away. They have a reputation for not being durable.
For what you want dude, get the LPK 25 by Akai. It is all you need and it will be 43 pounds.
http://www.thomann.de/gb/akai_lpk_25.htm
This would be great to just play keys instead of a keyboard on your laptop.
The pads are pretty cool because you can load up drums, samples, whatever, then use them to tap in your beats or rhythms.
To be honest i rarely ever use mine, but if i’m doing a nice drum based pattern, ie with bongos or something like that, i’ll load them up in my pads and drum away till i get something I like. It’s nicer this way because you’re giving your track that ‘human feel’, rather than everything being rigid.
Plus sometimes it’s easier to tap away till you get something that sounds right with the rest of the track rather than it is just using a mouse to place in your midi.
Is it essential to you now? No not really, i mean, you could just as easily load up your drums, samples, whatever into your velocity sensitive keys on your midi and it’ll effectively do the same thing.
Keep it basic for now bro, even many pro producers still have basic midi keyboard in their studio. However velocity sensitive is a MUST.
Weighted, ok sure isn’t ‘essential’ and as you’ve seen has risen different conflicts and opinons however the reason i’ve pointed them out is the downside to non weighted keys is they feel nothing like an acoustic piano. Also, when keys so easily press down it is easier for your finger to barely graze a key that you had no intention of playing, making a noticeable mistake in your performance. Plus the keys are very light feeling.
Again though, if you’re keeping basic, don’t worry about weighted.
I noticed you were looking at a 49 key keyboard, that’s pretty much perfect size, i wouldnt go any less. Trust me, with a 25 key you’ll be wishing you had more keys.
So what do you need?
Not behringer.
49 key velocity sensitive.
'nuff said.
ok so i think i will forget behringer then seems not so good by the way i have a uc 33e midi controller so i can use that for effects an staff so what about this keyboard is it better http://olimpusmusic.com/catalogue/product_info.php?cPath=91_50&products_id=161 and one thing i forgot to say i m still green about patterns were to sequence midi notes with pencil.so with key board is it more helpful instead of ticking places all over the grid and have to listen to what they sound like in my immagination i guess that you get more feel into music with a keyboard were for example you play stabs etc and record them or am i wrong???
M-audio is fine for what you want.
Cheers guys for all the help
[quote]jon_fisher (02/03/2010)[hr]M-audio is fine for what you want.
[/quote]
like i said in my other post m audio is cheap and more than does the trick imo
as a beginner myself i went for the cheap option as you can always upgade later and sell your old one they actually fetch really good money on ebay (i’ve even seen one used keyboard go for more than a new one would cost lol)
[quote]chris17 (02/03/2010)[hr][quote]jon_fisher (02/03/2010)[hr]M-audio is fine for what you want.
[/quote]
like i said in my other post m audio is cheap and more than does the trick imo
as a beginner myself i went for the cheap option as you can always upgade later and sell your old one they actually fetch really good money on ebay (i’ve even seen one used keyboard go for more than a new one would cost lol)[/quote]
yeah i have a m-audio radium 49 and have had it for years, it works fine and has never had any problems.
also when it comes to behringer their midi controllers and keyboards have been given some great reviews, they should be avoided with anything like mixer consoles and dj-ing equipment, but i know guys that have used them for years with out any problems
That midi looks and sounds like it does the job for what you need it for.
Akai LPK 25
Check this out!