KVR Audio

leonard · Post by **leonard** » Thu Oct 18, 2012 3:28 pm

Hi everyone

in my home studio I do have a 49 keys M-Audio master keyboard and a digital piano and that's fine.

Now I have begun using my iPad for sketching, recording ideas, a bit of sound programming and so (I have bought a few music app as Alchemy, Magellan, Nanostudio, Sampletank, Amplitube). I was about to get a camera adapter, so I could use the M-Audio as an input, but...I hated the whole usb hub matter and it kind of deafets the purpose of portability, so I have been waiting a little. Until now.

Do you prefer 25 keys full scale? Isn't it too limited? Are those 37 mini keys keyboards useable? I see them as a bit of a toy, but maybe for the sake of portability it's a good compromise?

What do you use for iOs recording/playing?
Has anyone bought the iRig keys? Or the M-Audio equivalent?
And what is importat to look after?

Share your thoughts
Thanks!

iPlogger · Post by **iPlogger** » Thu Oct 18, 2012 5:57 pm

> What do you use for iOS recording/playing?

For portable use, I really enjoy my M-Audio Oxygen 49. So my feedback may not be useful since you are looking for something smaller. It is VERY easy to carry. The other day I carried in my laptop bag, the M-Audio 49, iPad and a cup of coffee into work. No problems.

> Has anyone bought the iRig keys? Or the M-Audio equivalent?

The iRig Keys is not yet available. Should be out in a few weeks.

> And what is important to look after?

Be sure you know what interface the device has. Most likely it uses USB, but be certain of this. If it's USB, then you know you will need the camera connection kit. If it's MIDI, then you will need a MIDI connection, such as the iRig MIDI.

I suggest thinking over how you use your keyboard. Do you often find yourself using two hands? Are you playing both low and high notes at the same time? If you are often using both hands, then 25 keys may be too limiting. Might be good for programming in some drum patterns, bass lines, leads, right-hand pads, left hand low note drones, etc. But anything with a large range of notes will not be ideal. I personally find 49 keys too limiting for piano/keyboard work. If most of your work will be one-handed, then 25 keys might be sufficient. So, just spend the next few days seeing how you play (which you may already know the answer to this one).

Other things to think about are MIDI control messages. Do you want to be able to edit sounds from the keyboard? Like turn a dial and change a filter? Or adjust the attack. Some apps (Sunrizer, for example) have MIDI Learn that will let you easily assign knobs/sliders on your MIDI controller to editable parameters of the sound.

Also, do you want Mod wheel and pitchbend? Some of the really small ones may not include one or both of theses.

I have no experience with mini keys. This may be a useful compromise for portability. The best thing here is to try one out, if you can find one locally.

Peter - IK Multimedia · Thu Oct 18, 2012 6:04 pm

iPlogger wrote: > Has anyone bought the iRig keys? Or the M-Audio equivalent?

The iRig Keys is not yet available. Should be out in a few weeks.

At this point, look for the shipping announcement late next week [edit]though we are already shipping!. So the 10% off MOBILITY coupon code will be invalid as soon as we make the announcement - if you want to use that, you should do so soon.[/edit]

phreaque · Post by **phreaque** » Thu Oct 18, 2012 6:08 pm

Sorry but a big NO! to M-Audio they're not supporting their products & easy to get defected!
Consider Novation or Korg

Sans Nom · Post by **Sans Nom** » Thu Oct 18, 2012 7:35 pm

One thing important, since you want portability: the korg microkey 37 can not be powered by your Ipad alone. It needs another USB power supply.

http://www.korg.com/microkey (specifications)

GaryG · Post by **GaryG** » Thu Oct 18, 2012 7:47 pm

I'm no keyboard player but find myself with two 25 key boards; one mini keys, one normal. Personally find the mini keys (akai lpk25) ok for entering information but can't really 'play' it (maybe because its velocity response is very limited, pretty much off, normal and bloody loud) whereas the full size keys are (not surprisingly...) much more playable.

Having said that, if you're a decent keyboard player, I've seen youtube vids of people playing piano pieces on a korg 37 microkey which were pretty faultless.

Keebo · Post by **Keebo** » Thu Oct 18, 2012 10:29 pm

I went through the same scenario several months ago before I had an iDevice. Portability was key to me meaning no external power source as I enjoy making noise on the porch, in the boat, or by a campsite.

At the time I wanted a 25 or 37 full sized keyboard with built in synth sounds. Not finding a durable and/or affordable unit I came across the Akai SynthStaion 25 which of course needed an iPhone or iPod Touch.

I had never noticed how many music apps were available for these small devices and thought it and an iPod Touch might be a good solution. I'm glad I did because the fun hasn't faded since.

Throw some batteries in the Akai and velcro mount a small battery powered speaker on top and I am very mobile in my hobbist activities. It has RCA outputs so you could route it to a mixer and jam out in a live situation as well.

The unit is not as robust as I had hoped but still quite usable. Not all apps support it so that is a bit of a bummer. My iPad does not have enough power to support it via the camera connection kit either. A dock extender should work though I haven't tried that yet.

As mentioned above, 25 keys are quite limiting and the mini keys take a little getting used to if a full sized keys are your main stay.

Musician's Friend just had a deal of the day on the SynthStaion 25 and sold out very early.

However, I am finding myself using it less nowadays because of the newer and more interesting app interfaces such as GeoSynth, SoundPrism, Seline, etc.
Apps with two rows of keys are not that bad and a customizable MIDI controller app like BeatSurfing, MIDI Designer, TouchOSC, etc. are a great way to find your own workflow.

For traditional keyboard playing yes, a physical keyboard may be better utilized. Good luck on your quest.

Keebo · Post by **Keebo** » Thu Oct 18, 2012 11:23 pm

Just another thought as I was looking over at my Korg Nanopad. It plugs into the iPad via CCK and works like a charm so I imagine the Nanokey could be another possibility at an affordable price. Different from a normal keyboard for sure but may fit the bill nonetheless.

peanut_gallery · Post by **peanut_gallery** » Thu Oct 18, 2012 11:53 pm

Keebo wrote: Not all apps support it so that is a bit of a bummer.

You should check out the MidiBridge app. It will take any app that supports CoreMidi and make it compatible with the SynthStation 25. It took me a bit of time to configure the app correctly (and an e-mail to the Developer, who was very responsive and helpful), but it has breathed new life into the SS25 for me.

Between the SS25 and the LPK25 (which works with with the camera connection kit without a USB hub), I've used mini keys to do a fair amount of recording. They take a little while to get used to, and my preference is still to use a 5 octave full sized keyboard, but the 2-octave mini keys work well in a pinch or for just getting ideas down (which I can then re-record on full size keys later when I'm back in my studio set-up). As noted above, they have very fast action and are less responsive to velocity than full size keys.

The go anywhere / play anywhere portability is also a huge plus.

Keebo · Post by **Keebo** » Fri Oct 19, 2012 12:59 am

I have MidiBridge but haven't really explored all of its possibilities. It is a little it daunting for an old geezer like myself but it is good to know that it can bridge (no pun intended) a gap to iOS's shortcomings. Thanks for the heads up as I will get it a whirl later.

OctopusEmpire · Post by **OctopusEmpire** » Fri Oct 19, 2012 1:15 am

I've had a Korg Microkey for a year or so now and i'm really happy with it. The feel is good once you get used to the small keys, it sits on my desk between the laptop and a small bluetooth keyboard so I don't have to get up and use my main master keyboard. The velocity sensitivity is ok, certainly enough for most stuff and it's super portable so I take it and my MBook Pro with some good headphones on holiday or out into the garden. I'd certainly rather the small keys than full-size & 2 octaves but I am a keyboard player and like being able to use both hands.
I'm not using an iPad though so maybe the issue someone else mentioned regarding the need for a separate power supply will be a deal breaker.

JJBiener · Post by **JJBiener** » Fri Oct 19, 2012 1:17 am

Personally, I find minikeys completely unusable for playing. This being true, I bought an Alesis Q25. I would rather have 25 full-sized keys than 37 minikeys. The keyboard was very inexpensive and easy to install and use. It fits in my carry-on bag and it can go anywhere with me. I also have an Akai LPD8 for pads and knobs, but it hasn't gotten a lot of use yet. My advice is to go to your nearest music store and try them out. See how you feel about the options.

OctopusEmpire · Post by **OctopusEmpire** » Fri Oct 19, 2012 1:33 am

JJBiener wrote:Personally, I find minikeys completely unusable for playing. This being true, I bought an Alesis Q25. I would rather have 25 full-sized keys than 37 minikeys. The keyboard was very inexpensive and easy to install and use. It fits in my carry-on bag and it can go anywhere with me. I also have an Akai LPD8 for pads and knobs, but it hasn't gotten a lot of use yet. My advice is to go to your nearest music store and try them out. See how you feel about the options.

Yup, I should add I have quite small hands and skinny fingers. Definitely good advice to go try a few out, I helped a buddy of mine buy his first master keyboard a few weeks ago and I was amazed at the difference between the various models. Some of the big-name keyboards which I would have happily bought online on reputation alone just felt awful to me, worse than some of the real budget offerings. Definitely something that comes down to personal taste.

leonard · Post by **leonard** » Fri Oct 19, 2012 11:33 am

Good advice so far. Thanks! And keep the coming.

I'd rather try stuff in a store before buying. I wasn't too impressed with the mini keys offerings. Then again, I'm not sure I want to spend more than a 100 bucks or so.

My fingers aren't small or skinny. And I am not a very proficient keyboard player, I'm more of a guitar guy. Having said that, I am aiming for a light and portable iPad setup, so anything that needs a powered hub is a no go. I think I can live with the small keys. I will go back to DAW and record things all over as another poster also stated.

portability: 25 keys full scale or mini-keys?