Few Questions About Waveform

[Peter Widdicombe]

I think the issue is that he got a set of backing tracks (audio files) that he wants to record guitar along with; and these don't have a timing reference for a lead-in. Groove Doctor might do it, but I gather it was easier to "tap in" a beat and then shift that to get a count-down.

[ChiroVette]

ChiroVette, you seem to be interested in using the click as part of the song itself, something that Waveform does not currently provide for.

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Everyone else is apparently trying to tell you how to use the click to support recording, which is what it is actually designed for and something it handles quite adequately, but that is not what you seem to be trying to do?

Yep, this is 100% correct. This is what I was trying to do. It makes sense now why Watchful's suggestions weren't helping me. We were talking about two different things. Anyway, I actually had a "Duh!" moment and realized the solution to my problem last night. I subscribed to a Youtuber who specializes in creating Grateful Dead backing tracks, which right now is primarily what I am using Waveform for. At least for the moment. Anyway, he has a premium monthly subscription service on Patreon, and I paid for a month and downloaded ALL of his backing tracks. The premium sub gave me access to all the individual wave files for each instrument track, which, combined with Waveform, gives me an unbelievable ability to edit; and I have just scratched the surface at this point!

Anyway, to your point, I literally slapped myself on the head and just used this guy's drum tracks for each song, in each of the projects I created. I simply created a separate track, copied the drum track to it, and just used the simplest phrase, usually at the beginning, snipping it to a two or three bar segment, then moved all the other tracks up by that exact amount, and Voila! Instant click tracks.

I think the issue is that he got a set of backing tracks (audio files) that he wants to record guitar along with; and these don't have a timing reference for a lead-in. Groove Doctor might do it, but I gather it was easier to "tap in" a beat and then shift that to get a count-down.

I will eventually try going the more sophisticated route. Right now, I really have my hands full learning how to navigate Tracktion. But my solution above seems like a viable one, and a lot more precise than my ghetto-tapping I came up with the other night.

TWfriend, here is an image of my U-Phoria unit and my starting settings. When I record, I slowly turn up the levels as needed, but, at least for doing sound for my live shows from the stage, I have found over time that starting low and going up slowly until I start to clip the channel, then turning back to a lower level, works best for me to avoid clipping and other aural artifacts.

Edit: Actually looking at that picture, I usually start with the gain lower than the 11 O'clock position. I try to start at 8 or 9'O'clock and gradually turn it up, treating it like an input-trim on my mixer when I play live and set the audio levels of all the mics.

[ChiroVette]

Okay, since I started this thread for general questions, I will use it for more questions. The good news is I am starting to get pretty good for a rank amateur with editing and recording straight up voice and instruments, as well as editing tracks I already own. But I decided to try my hand at creating tracks to fill in some of the weaknesses/mistakes of some of the backing tracks I downloaded. I started with drums, figuring I would create a few basic drum tracks, so I checked the manual, and it is pretty basic, and so I also watched a bunch of Youtube videos, and seriously lol it all might as well be written in hieroglyphics.

I am trying my best to follow along with some of the videos to create, say a basic drum track as my first ever track creation, and I am completely clueless. I have some vague idea what a "plug-in" means, and the only thing I know about MIDI is its an acronym of some sort. I don't even know if the free version will allow me to create my own drum tracks, now that I actually think about it! Nor do I own some kind of drum machine software. So my questions are...actually, screw it. I'm so lost I wouldn't even know what questions to ask

(If all this is beyond the scope of this forum, by the way, can I like buy a book or something? Maybe get some online help somewhere?)

So where do I start? Is there some kind of course I need to take, or some online tutorial? Because I can't seem to even be able to get my program to do what the Youtubers are able to do, when I follow along meticulously. I follow their instructions to the letter, step by step, and I am either missing the buttons/functions they tell me to use, or the video is assuming I have knowledge and/or upgrades to the software I don't and can't replicate even basic instructions no matter how many times I play the same ten second segment on the Youtube vid.

So where does someone like me, with zero experience with MIDI, DAW, drum machines Plug-ins (whatever they are) even start? I am just an old-school guitarist and singer, and seriously this is all like a completely different language. lol One I don't speak.


Edit: Well I think I might be starting to get this. My problem, I think is I have zero knowledge about what a DAW is, in a practical sense, and what comes with the free version of this software, versus what has to be purchased. I literally just learned in the last few hours that I don't have to buy or download a "drum machine" for this.

I am using something called the Micro Drum Sampler; and when I say "using" I am being generous. I can make the thing produce sounds of drum pieces, but as of yet have no functional understanding of how to create an actual drum track. I found a video on "808 Style Drum Pattern Programming" (lol whatever that means) and it seems to be very helpful. I really need to woodshed this stuff, because I really am starting at a Kindergarten level. Although, I think I may have be getting some vague, and I mean VERY vague idea of what "a plug in" is, so that's something I suppose.

[Peter Widdicombe]

First off, exactly what version of Waveform are you using - 11 Free, 12 ? There are different VST''s that are included, so might as well start off with something you already have.

MIDI is a digital device protocol, where EVENTS are sent down the wire (or internally); rather than sound, but of course you need sound eventually to hear "stuff". A VST "instrument" converts these MIDI "events" into sound. Most of these are NoteOn, NoteOff, Velocity (how hard you hit the key), and which note.

Quick sample - you can see this with MIDI monitor. 2 chords played on a piano (or strings, or whatever. MIDI does NOT dictate the sound, only the notes played). Time. Event. Note(human)/Note(internal):velocity. Which channel (of 16). Then you have finally the 3 "internal" bytes that represents all of that. MOST of the time you don't even want to see any of this, but this is internal detail.

00:00:21.037 Note on C5 / 72: 30 Ch: 1 90 48 1e
00:00:21.044 Note on E5 / 76: 34 Ch: 1 90 4c 22
00:00:21.070 Note on G4 / 67: 11 Ch: 1 90 43 0b
00:00:21.174 Note off E5 / 76: 0 Ch: 1 80 4c 00
00:00:21.183 Note off C5 / 72: 0 Ch: 1 80 48 00
00:00:21.190 Note off G4 / 67: 0 Ch: 1 80 43 00
00:00:24.991 Note on E5 / 76: 127 Ch: 1 90 4c 7f
00:00:25.010 Note on G5 / 79: 73 Ch: 1 90 4f 49
00:00:25.013 Note on C5 / 72: 27 Ch: 1 90 48 1b
00:00:25.045 Note off C5 / 72: 0 Ch: 1 80 48 00
00:00:25.073 Note off E5 / 76: 0 Ch: 1 80 4c 00
00:00:25.089 Note off G5 / 79: 0 Ch: 1 80 4f 00


This is more typically represented as a PIANO ROLL, which sort of looks like an old fashioned player piano scroll, where you have a horizontal bar representing the note start and end.

PianoRoll.jpg

Now, on DRUMS you typically have short events indicating drum hits; and the DRUM VST has a default note number for each drum - i.e. C2 for bass drum, E2 for snare, C3, D3, E3 for toms, etc. In that same piano roll format you can add drum hits. Usable, still a little tedious.

A "step clip" allows a little matrix with drum names down the left, and little blocks that you can fill in to get drum hits - like bass drum on 1, 3 and snare on 2,4. This will then allow you to create a drum loop you can then "easily" compose and adjust. However, it will be sending "note events" to whatever VST happens to be on that track. Put a Piano VST on the track and you'd hear a rhythmic monkey banging on a piano.

I use MT PowerDrumKit which can do that, but ALSO has a number of pre-defined patterns you can choose from, and it does a lot of that internally. So you can choose generically 8th note ride cymbal, with 24 different drum patterns and maybe 16 fills, and you can create a pattern with 3 rhythm and one fill bar, and stretch that out to the length of a verse or chorus... Lots of those out there, this one is free. https://www.powerdrumkit.com/
(It's Nagware - and is limited to like 4/4, 2/4, etc. No 3/4 loops, for instance; or 5/4...)

[Peter Widdicombe]

Some other things on Waveform and VST's:
- VST can be instrument (piano, drum, etc) or effect (reverb, echo, compressor), or MIDI modifier (i.e. arpeggiator or filter)
- Know what each needs as input and output, and place in the right order.
- VST instruments need MIDI events (MIDI track) on input, and generate audio as output.
- MidiMonitor takes midi input, and gives midi output plus a display of what is "going through it".
- Audio spectrum analyzers take audio in and audio out, and display the same type of thing for audio. Some allow you to also manipulate (i.e. shape/filter) the audio, like really powerful tone controls.
- typically effects are audio input and audio output.
- Guitar amp simulator VST's are this type - take a raw guitar audio in, then simulate drive/speaker/mike audio chain to alter the audio sound.

Putting an instrument VST with audio in will typically not give you any sound at all.
Unless...
1. Guitar sound source
2. Pitch to MIDI converter
3. VST instrument (i.e. Sax )
4. Sax sound (audio) -> reverb
5. Your guitar can now play SAX solo's...

[ChiroVette]

Wow thanks for the highly detailed post, Peter Widdicombe. By the way, I have Waveform 11 Free. I wasn't aware 12 was out yet. I am insanely busy today, so I had to give up for now, after reading both your posts at least twice; but I can unequivocally see that there is a ton of information and I really am going to have to study it, along with some of the Youtube instructional videos I have been sort of watching and "playing along" in Waveform to try and learn all this. I can definitely see that all of this stuff is a game changer for me. I have to this point in my short Waveform/track-editing career been essentially hamstrung by the backing tracks (multi tracks) I have at my disposal from a content creator who published them. And don't get me wrong, I have done some truly creative things. I have been really messing with the tracks I have, and have been able to correct a ton of the mistakes that the Youtube publisher made, since his tracks are geared toward novice players, not me.

But there are limitations to "corrections" I can make, particularly when the guy leaves out a lot of important signature parts and entire chunks of some songs, for reasons passing understanding. That's what brought me to the point where I could no longer cut up the clips and change tempos and a myriad of other attributes on tracks, hacking them up to little pieces and messing with them, I have actually surprised myself with being able to do! I now realize that I need to be able to create tracks for various parts and even songs from scratch. Hence why I was incredibly frustrated last night.

I was staring at my screen, trying to make sense of how it applies to Waveform just completely dumbfounded by all of this. SLOWLY, and I mean very slowly, it is beginning to make at least a tiny bit of sense. I am going to have to actually study your post when I come home later, though. I read it twice and I am like, WTF? I know that's English, and I can totally read all those words, but I think I have a lot to learn even before I can make sense of what you just wrote.

Because it truly does not even look like English to me just yet. But, I'm getting there!

[Watchful]

If it helps, I suspect you're pretty old school. And that's great--because it's easier to go from analog to digital than to try to teach an all-digital person why we used to do things with cables and connectors back in the day!

Waveform--fairly unique among DAWs--is laid out very much with an analog-style mentality. I know folks here will be surprised by this, but it's quite true.

If you look on your main window, where the tracks of music are all laid out, there's a definite pattern to it.

Inputs are on the left.

Music is in the middle.

Outputs are on the right.

Left to right. Like an old analog diagram of a signal flow. In fact, the input shapes are little arrows, and the outputs are little arrows.

You're a guitarist, so you actually understand the concept of plugins perfectly.

Your "input" is your guitar.

The middle section is the music you play on your guitar.

The plugins (Peter calls them VSTs above, which is very common) are your *stomp boxes.*

The "output" is your amplifier.

Let me explain the stomp box comment.

By default, this is empty in Waveform, except for a volume/pan slider and the meter that shows your volume level. Just like if you plug your guitar right into your amp: you have a level knob, and some amps have an output meter to let you know visually how loud your are. You can make music like this, no problem, right?

But you can drag a plugin *before* the volume/pan slider that modifies that sound before it goes to the output...just like you can plug a phaser or a flanger or an overdrive between your guitar and the amp.

Stomp boxes are like plugins! You can change the order the signal goes through ("I want reverb after my phaser"), and you can turn them on and off. On a stomp box, you do it by stepping on the big button; in Waveform, you right-click and enable or disable it.

That's really all there is to it.

Except--and this is what Peter was describing--plugins are much, much cooler than stomp boxes: because instead of just putting effects in that modify your sounds, you can put plugins there that actually create sounds of their own.

You bring in or create a MIDI track--MIDI in this context is like sheet music. It doesn't make any sound of its own, but it is a full list of instructions, what notes play, what order, how long they're held, how loud they're played, at what beat, at what tempo, and what key.

Put a MIDI clip in Waveform, and it won't do anything on its own--just like giving a book of sheet music to a piano player who doesn't have a keyboard.

But imagine you had another stomp box--a special stomp box--that you could put in the signal chain that could read sheet music...and play it perfectly, as a piano, or a violin, or a trombone, or some alien sound with ice crystals tinkling in the background.

That's what Waveform can do. For example, you can import the MIDI to CPE Bach's "Solfeggieto" on track 2. It won't do anything except create a colored box across the track with some black lines across it. But--drag in a plugin (or VST) synth to the right of it, before the volume/pan slider, and suddenly it can play!

With your guitar set up on track 1, you can play/record along...complete with phaser, reverb, and overdrive "stomp boxes" on track 1.

And you can copy that reverb plugin to track 2, behind the synth--because reverb is later in the signal chain, right?--and now you hear the synth with reverb.

I hope this helps. Plugins, as Peter said, do even more than this, but thinking of Waveform as input-to-output and plugins as imaginary stomp boxes might make a lot of sense to you.

[Peter Widdicombe]

Yeah, one of the nice things about Waveform is that it "almost" treats MIDI and analog the same way, or as close as possible. I have played with others that don't have that mentality, and find them much more confusing to manage.

You just have to think - for each VST(stompbox) on the path, what comes into it (audio or MIDI) and what then comes out of it. You can't put a volume control on a MIDI signal; but you can AFTER it becomes audio.

While it might not be what you want right now, it might be "easier" to use a normal VST to experiment with MIDI - see what gets in the track (notes) and what comes out of the VST. Use 4OSC that you have and pick a pleasing patch to work with - Flute or Section 2. Click on 4OSC once you have added as the FIRST thing in the output , just before the track volume control.

I assume you don't have a MIDI keyboard (?) - Settings - MIDI devices - Create new virtual MIDI input and give it a name (Virtual). Now select the input device as virtual, click on the WORD virtual there, and you should have a keyboard that opens up at the bottom. Click on notes to generate MIDI input, and you should hear notes playing. You CAN record this way. PS - mouse-clicking at the BOTTOM of a key is full velocity, and near the top is low velocity.

OR press G while the track is selected, and it will generate an empty MIDI clip. Double click on it's header, and you open up ONE of the note editors. Using the "pencil" tool you can add notes on the grid. Grab the middle and you can move them around, or right side to make them longer or shorter. Eraser tool, brush to silence/activate, etc.

Hit the pointer, and you can drag a note up and down - sometimes useful on a DRUM VST to figure out what all the sounds are, and what note they are !

[ChiroVette]

Unbelievable amount of information, thank you so much, Watchful and Peter Widdicombe!

I am going to have to seriously sit down and study this stuff intensely. There is so much info here, even reading it all a few times, I am still a bit off the ability to completely understand it all. Although, one big takeaway is your explanation of plug-ins. Makes perfect sense. My head is spinning at this point, however; so, what I need to do is to temporarily go back to the editing of songs I was doing for a little while. I have been watching this video, watched it twice. Tomorrow, between editing of songs, what I need to do (as I am starting to get a very basic understanding, lol probably nursery school level at this point) follow along with this video, which I think is really good. Even though the track(s) he created are not of interest to me, if I can get a little practice with baby steps, I think that will help a lot.

Once I get a couple of more songs under my belt, sort of like positive reinforcement for all this work I am doing, I will start cycling back and forth between the two approaches to work flow. Works out good this way, too, as the songs I need to actually create parts for, I am nowhere near ready to start working on yet anyway.

This is great stuff, guys, seriously, THANK YOU both!


Edit: By the way, thoughts on this video?

[Watchful]

ChiroVette: You're always welcome. The folks who hang around here in the Tracktion forum are all unbelievably helpful, and we all seem to be motived by the common goal of seeing you make really good music.

As for the video, I don't go in much for the 808 sound, but whether you're using 808s or acoustic samples, the process is often the same for percussion.

Take your time--I will tell you, and I'm confident Peter will agree--that messing around with Waveform and experimenting will teach you far more than all the words we're typing here. Absolutely no two people use Waveform (or likely any DAW) the same way, so we're all constantly learning from each other.

[Peter Widdicombe]

Bill's videos are always useful, if it's a topic you're not confident about. Most are 5 to 20 minutes and each is complete (except for some complex topics that may have PartII and PartIII.)

I think I mentionned the step clip above; and this video does it A-Z. Note there are (2) things talked about here - the micro drum sampler to actually produce sound from hits; and the step clips to actually add the notes in a simple manner aka 808.

The traction site has dozens of his videos, so you can pick the topics you're interested in. But play with them a little after watching one or two - need that little bit of hands on for it to sink in. Lots of hints and tricks on Waveform, using audio, and using MIDI.

Even if not a keyboard player, you can still draw in string or other backings; and you MAY find down the road you want a little inexpensive keyboard for filler tracks (strings, horn bursts, gong, or flute...) A 2-octave keyboard can be less than $100 if you want to add filler tracks, and opens up a whole world of extra sound possibilities. I got a Casio a few years ago - cheapie for about $120 US with mostly poor sounds, but MIDI output and 61 full-size velocity-sensitive keys, at BestBuy - just so I don't have to lug a keyboard upstairs.

[ChiroVette]

Okay, I really feel like I am starting to get a handle on at least basic editing and have actually been able to intuitively come up with creative ideas to edit that I surprised myself with. But one of the areas I have not even begun to get my feet wet in is actually creating tracks for instruments I don't play at all. Bass, drums, keys, etc. I have been putting this off, actually, partially because I have really been learning the editing, but also because it's a little overwhelming to wrap my head around trying to create tracks for decent sounding drums and bass, or a Hammond Organ sound, or Rhodes, or whatever. Mostly because I am just a guitarist and singer. I don't know how to play drums, for instance. I don't play bass or keys, so I wouldn't even know how to begin trying to fabricate tracks for instruments I haven't the first clue how to play in real life.

I know, as a guitarist, there is a whole "philosophy" for lack of a better word that I understand because I am experienced playing the instrument. But I don't even know what a good "drum track" would look like in a DAW to begin with, which connects to the thread I made today in a tangential way. Same for bass and keys. Fundamentally, I don't know what a keyboard part should look like in a DAW. I could probably fake my way through programming a bass line, as a guitarist, but even that instrument has it's own specific methodology with regard to programming or playing "a part" for a song I am either writing or making a backing track for.

I think this is why I have been pathetically procrastinating diving into this part of working with Traction, because while I may know what a good keyboard solo sounds like, versus a bad one, when I am playing on stage with a keyboard player, how do I replicate that by, say, just knowing the chord progression or knowing what I should be playing on the guitar, or singing as a vocalist?

But the thing is, that I have done a huge amount of editing. So much so that I am actually done with the editing for almost 95% of the 40+ songs I set out to edit and put together, using the "backing tracks" with all those instruments having been created for me.

So now, I can either progress to creating parts and tracks for instruments I am essentially clueless about, or just rest on my laurels with the progress I made. Obviously, since I have come as far as I need to have come with editing (at least for now) I need to figure this other aspect out.

Also, somewhat important, since I am now faced with having to actually create, rather than just edit and puzzle-piece my backing tracks together, should I be looking into investing into something like a MIDI controller keyboard, similar to the one below?

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00DU2VKV8

[Peter Widdicombe]

This is a hard one. It's probably easier to pick a bass or guitar than a keyboard. I'll give you some things to mull over.

1. I have the XKEY. It's my only small keyboard, and I only use it because it's small.
+ It has normal width keys. However, minimal key travel, so will give you MINIMAL familiarity with feel of a normal keyboard
- It has poly pressure. Nice to have, but it doesn't work well for aftertouch.
- Velocity sensitivity can be adjusted. Better than its aftertouch - but hard to be precise
- Mod and pitch bend are almost unusable.
2. DO you know your way around a keyboard at all? Can you find and play, for example, a C chord?
3. How much space do you have where you would use it?
4. Would you want to be able to carry it around the house and play without hooking it up to things. or only as a MIDI controller?

I'd suggest (based on reviews and not any hands on, other than the Xkey and an MPK261).

1. 25 full size keys, velocity, some pads (8?), and "normal" pitch bend and modulation
M-Audion Oxygen-25; MPK225, but a little pricey; Alesis V25, but pads aren't great and not many buttons for transport (stop, play, record, track select); Nektar Impact LX-25+
2. Being able to just turn it on might be nice to have, so you can experiment anywhere/time. Do you ever pick up your guitar (not even plugging it in) while watching TV? AKAI MPK mini play, but it has mini keys.
3. DO you want to carry it around (other than around the house)? 25-mini keys again.

PS - you don't NEED a MIDI keyboard to do simple backing parts; but it makes it a whole lot easier.

[ChiroVette]

I’ll try to take your points one at a time. You said I’m better off with a guitar or a bass than a MIDI keyboard. Can you explain why? I have a guitar, and I can probably borrow a bass if I need one.

You asked if I “know my way around the keyboard“ and the answer is, it depends on how big of a curve you’re grading on. Can I figure out where all the notes are? Yes. Do I know enough chord theory that I could derive a chord and play “the notes“ in order, knowing where the root is, minor or major third, etc.? Yes, absolutely. I have no problem deriving all the notes of a diminished cord, or a m7b5, or whatever, you know and reproducing them on the keyboard.

I think that’s what you’re asking, right? What I can’t do, is actually play a keyboard well enough to play a song or even a line from a song. I don’t know the dynamics of how to work my right and left hand, for instance. I also don’t read music which doesn’t help lol, but again my music and chord theory is solid, and I can fumble my way through slowly “making any cord that I would have to play.” So long as I don't have to actually play anything but the most simple one-note line in actual real time in a song or recording.

You mentioned the Akai MPK261. I won’t say it’s a dealbreaker, but it’s literally four times the price of the keyboard I posted a link to. Amazon has it for $399.99, and I just put it into my cart after reading your post, just in case I do decide, based on the information you’re giving me, if I need it.

I also put all the other keyboards you suggested as possibilities into my Amazon cart, while I sort through all this, and determine whether or not I even need a keyboard/MIDI controller. At this point I don’t really know enough about the functionality, and even what I will and will not need to create tracks, to make an educated decision. But other than that MPK261, they’re all very reasonable. Although of note, the smaller size keyboard, lower number of keys, did seem to correlate to a much lower price even in the MPK series.

Which also brings up the question, as someone who has no desire to learn how to play keyboard, lol probably ever, do I even need a lot of keys to begin with? If all I’m doing is fumbling my way through deriving and clumsily fingering the cords on the keyboard, is there even a greater utility for me to have 49 or 61 keys? Again, I don’t have the knowledge of these kinds of devices, to even know if I would be better served by paying more, to have more keys and a larger keyboard. This is one of those times, where my knowledge on this topic is so absurdly paltry, that I’m probably going to have to make a decision based upon the advice of experts like yourself.

The other thing is, some of the other things you mentioned, I have no idea how to even evaluate what it would mean to me creating backing tracks. You mentioned things like “minimal key travel” and Poly-pressure, aftertouch, and velocity sensitivity. Knowing literally nothing about any of that, I wouldn’t even have the slightest clue how to base a decision on those variables.

You also spoke about my recording space. Right now, I’m pretty much recording in my bedroom. It’s a little cramped, but I have space to work around all my gadgets and stuff: I have a 55 inch TV just to my left on a TV stand, and on my computer desk literally a few inches away from the bedroom TV, sits what I use as a 4K monitor for my computer. It’s a TV I sub in for PC/PS5/Xbox gaming, as well as what I use for all my computer work and audio work. It would be easy enough for me to I yank the wireless keyboard and mouse off the sliding drawer under my desk and just put them to the side where I would have easy access to them, even if they aren’t directly in front of my hands. I could, if needed, then put a USB keyboard MIDI controller onto the same desk drawer that the keyboard and mouse would normally go on. I think that’s what you’re asking me if I have the space for that, which I do.

I can’t imagine a scenario where I’d be needing to walk around the house with a keyboard MIDI controller, if I’m completely honest. It’s not like I’m a keyboard player and I would use it for practicing. Literally the only thing I would use it for is to hunt and peck notes, clumsily derive chords if needed, use it to trigger drum tracks or, as a synthesizer to maybe create other instrument/synth sounds, I think?

[Peter Widdicombe]

Sorry, I must have misstated something. I think having SOME level of keyboard is a very useful tool to have; and I'm sure having one will allow you to do things no matter what level your keyboard skills are currently.

On keyboards:
- Velocity is the response to how hard/fast you hit keys. Hit softly, and it's quieter or softer. Most have this.
- Pressure/aftertouch is being able to control notes after playing (like make strings SWELL or add controlled vibrato). Not many have this, and much less essential.

If/when you DO find keys actually useful, you may want a better keyboard. That said, there are a lot of inexpensive mini-key units out there. Less space, and if you only occasionally use it, then you still have the functionality. Full-time keyboard players have muscle memory and may have difficulties on smaller keys (or if you have really large hands?). On the other hand, makes playing really wide chords easier on smaller keys ! Try one in a music shop.

For recording purposes, don't worry about playing 2-handed. If you need, record twice! That's the other reason you can get by with just 2 octaves - plus most have buttons for "octave up" and down.

If you DO find limitations on mini-keys or want more than 2 octaves, then consider the first keyboard as a learning cost, and get a better one that solves the limitations. Having a second little keyboard at that time can still be useful - i.e. holding a string chord while punching brass; or adding sound effects (the plane landing in "back in the USSR"...). Or just not having to switch input selection on the DAW while working on backing tracks.