Do you need Aftertouch?

[Howard]

Hope that helps.

It did.

Unfortunately, there's some serious misinformation on that site.

[bluedad]

When I play a keyboard that has aftertouch, and then switch to one that doesn't, boy I sure do miss it.
So I vote for aftertouch..it's the sign of good craftsmanship.

[Gonga]

Gotta have it.

Some keyboards though, you have to almost break your fingers to get a response!

I do most of my modulations wih pedal and pitch bend, but after touch is very important because it adds a whole different dimension of physical control directly under your key fingers - very direct way to control sustained notes for example.

[EvilDragon]

Some keyboards though, you have to almost break your fingers to get a response!

FVKING ROLAND GRRRRRRRRRRR.

[xh3rv]

Assuming whether or not a keyboard does AT, patches supporting AT still mostly work, there's no downside to having AT mapped.

I'm just not sure how good of an assumption that is. It's not perfect but is workable?

[Ingonator]

Of course!
Aftertouch is a very important expressive tool imo!

Cheers
Dennis

+1000

I would never buy a keyboard controller without it and i prefer that the synths i use got an aftertouch implementation too..

I love to use it especially for lead sounds. One nice thing is that you don't need another hand to use it like it is necessary for e.g. a Modwheel.


Ingo

[Vectorman]

I have mixed feelings about it. Of course it's one more way of engaging parameters of expression. But I think one has to be careful about keybeds that require more than a modest effort to engage the aftertouch - seems like asking for wrist problems in the long run.

[steff3]

MIDI aftertouch appears to be on the decline. Most of my presets to date make use of aftertouch... but maybe I should rethink?

now, with the iPad onscreen keyboards that transmit poly-pressure this becomes even more interesting again IMHO. ans as Urs supports poly-pressure ... yeah, nice possibilities.

best

[Spitfire31]

Gotta have it.

Some keyboards though, you have to almost break your fingers to get a response!

That's right. My Roland A-500 Pro is of the break-fingers-and/or-keybed variety. Not good at all.

My Yamaha S70XS, on the other hand - wow! Just the right AT, very expressive and of course, the weighted key action itself is beautiful. That combination made me cough up the dough for it - a bit more than I'd meant to. But I'm glad I did.

/Joachim

[Tony Ostinato]

also let me remind all of breath control, for us windsynth players.

[deastman]

I've been using an Edirol PCR-80 for years now. I was pretty disappointed when I finally realized that it didn't have aftertouch. Replacing the controller really isn't an option right now, so I just live without aftertouch. I appreciate the effort of designing patches that use it, as long as they still sound good without. Just don't assume that everyone playing you patches will have it.

[Nantonos]

Running short on time at the moment but the quick answer is AT is the amount of pressure you put on a key after it reaches the bottom of it's travel.

http://www.blitter.com/~russtopia/MIDI/ ... aftert.htm

Probably also worth mentioning that there are two types of aftertouch. The common monophonic or 'channel' kind, which is what most people mean by aftertouch, is a single value across the whole keyboard (the greatest pressure you are exerting on any depressed key, at a given time). This is typically measured with a single, strip-like sensor under the whole keybed.

Then there is polyphonic (per key) aftertouch, which is way less common as it needs a separate pressure sensor per key and thus costs more to make.

[pdxindy]

Some cheap controllers do not have aftertouch.... but also, some that do have poor implementations.

I use a Korg Z1 as my controller. It has aftertouch that is controllable. As you increase the pressure you increase the modulation. One can play a range and the playing curve is user adjustable just like velocity. So if you are going to buy a controller with aftertouch, make sure you try it out. SOme of the new stuff today is very hard to control... even though it is a 0-127 range, in practice it is sometimes more like on and off.

Aftertouch is a useful controller because unlike the modwheel, it does not require one hand specifically for it. Because it is built into the keys, you can play with both hands and still use the aftertouch.

I value aftertouch and would like a polyAT controller.

[maxmace]

A note to keyboard players:
Companies will give you what you ask for, so be careful-- I've been baffled by the ambivalence of a lot of players RE Aftertouch, the EASIEST way a keyboard player can shape a note AFTER it is struck.

One might as easily ask:

• Do you need velocity sensitivity?
• Do you need a volume knob?

A lot of players never touch the black keys, so do you really need 'em? Pentatonic players get by without white keys just fine, so might as well get 'em out of there!

Remember that organ that only used six divide-down oscillators per octave, so you couldn't play adjacent notes? Let's go back to that.

And don't say, "well, you've got such and such outboard controller so you don't need it." It's like saying that since you have a gearshift we're going to take away your gas pedal.

[mellotronaut]

Of course!
Aftertouch is a very important expressive tool imo!

Cheers
Dennis

+ 1 pressure button