With computer horse power rising by the second, the decision to keep your musical instruments in the physical realm versus the virtual has never been harder to determine, especially for the keyboard users of the world. With so many new options and variables that come into play with each new innovation in the industry, it has become much more difficult to decide which choice may be best for you. From determining which route is most cost effective and just how expandable each can be, to understanding the technical aspects that can be quite jarring to the first time buyer. In this article I will help you figure out if purchasing an all in one keyboard workstation or just a simple midi controller with a module or software is a better choice for your budget and needs.
Musical instruments over the years have slowly been adapted to the digital format but none so prominently as the piano which became the keyboard. The first major innovation came in the 60's when Bob Moog unveiled his Moog series of keyboards. While still analog, these advancements set the stage for the digital revolution to begin. Today the choice to setup a keyboard workstation using a computer and software is much debated just as the analog versus digital audiophiles have squabbled about for decades now.
We can see that we have two ways to approach our keyboard setup. Is the workstation really better for you or are you ready to take the next step in the digital realm. My goal is to walk hand in hand guiding you to the best option for you. Before we do anything else, lets dissect each option and what they are made of. The workstation has everything built in and has virtually no setup time. Look forward to the software configurations there is quite a bit of extra work included to get your setup running. The center of a software rig is the computer and to have a mobile setup then you will need a laptop.
The most important piece of hardware after the computer is definitely the sound card. Plugging straight in to your mic input is not going to be able to handle the digital signal in real time so you will also need to purchase a new sound card. I would advise on buying an external one as it is much easier to setup. To complete you setup a keyboard midi controller is needed along with your software of choice. When all of this is synced up you now have a computer keyboard rig ready to use.
Wow, it can be a bit overwhelming when considering a software setup. So why would anyone choose this route then? As far as Im concerned the sounds are far superior to anything you will find built into a workstation and the ability to expand your setup and add-on is limitless. Not only that, but you now have the capability to record your ideas or songs using a piece of recording software like (Pro-Tools, Nuendo, etc). As a matter of fact you kill two birds with one stone buy purchasing an M-box by Pro-Tools. Not only would that allow you to record onto your computer and come with the software to do that, you could use it for live performances as well.
So does ease of use and setup time become more important than the overall quality of sounds and add ons? Plus how can you argue against the fact that this is turning your computer into a home studio. Yes, some workstations can do some simple recordings but it will not create a demo for your band to add to myspace.
Some good examples of software would be anything by Native Instruments. Also my absolute favorite libraries are made by East West. They record all of their sounds using the highest quality of mics, recorded by professionals and convert them to individual wav files. With a midi controller you can be John Williams and score your own soundtrack with just one piece of software.
Finally what are the cost benefits of going one way or another? Well if you need portability do you have a laptop? If not then its easy to say that the software route will cost more due to the fact that a laptop will need to be included in the overall price. Workstations will range from 1 to 4 grand and will probably have better playability than most midi keyboard controllers.
If you add up software, controller and sound-card, it could be under a grand depending on how much software you buy but keep in mind that some of the really good software from East West and others can add up quick, although they have dropped their prices tremendously over the last few years. Hopefully you have gained a better sense of what each product variations could benefit you best and also help demystify the world of software based keyboard solutions. - 15634
Musical instruments over the years have slowly been adapted to the digital format but none so prominently as the piano which became the keyboard. The first major innovation came in the 60's when Bob Moog unveiled his Moog series of keyboards. While still analog, these advancements set the stage for the digital revolution to begin. Today the choice to setup a keyboard workstation using a computer and software is much debated just as the analog versus digital audiophiles have squabbled about for decades now.
We can see that we have two ways to approach our keyboard setup. Is the workstation really better for you or are you ready to take the next step in the digital realm. My goal is to walk hand in hand guiding you to the best option for you. Before we do anything else, lets dissect each option and what they are made of. The workstation has everything built in and has virtually no setup time. Look forward to the software configurations there is quite a bit of extra work included to get your setup running. The center of a software rig is the computer and to have a mobile setup then you will need a laptop.
The most important piece of hardware after the computer is definitely the sound card. Plugging straight in to your mic input is not going to be able to handle the digital signal in real time so you will also need to purchase a new sound card. I would advise on buying an external one as it is much easier to setup. To complete you setup a keyboard midi controller is needed along with your software of choice. When all of this is synced up you now have a computer keyboard rig ready to use.
Wow, it can be a bit overwhelming when considering a software setup. So why would anyone choose this route then? As far as Im concerned the sounds are far superior to anything you will find built into a workstation and the ability to expand your setup and add-on is limitless. Not only that, but you now have the capability to record your ideas or songs using a piece of recording software like (Pro-Tools, Nuendo, etc). As a matter of fact you kill two birds with one stone buy purchasing an M-box by Pro-Tools. Not only would that allow you to record onto your computer and come with the software to do that, you could use it for live performances as well.
So does ease of use and setup time become more important than the overall quality of sounds and add ons? Plus how can you argue against the fact that this is turning your computer into a home studio. Yes, some workstations can do some simple recordings but it will not create a demo for your band to add to myspace.
Some good examples of software would be anything by Native Instruments. Also my absolute favorite libraries are made by East West. They record all of their sounds using the highest quality of mics, recorded by professionals and convert them to individual wav files. With a midi controller you can be John Williams and score your own soundtrack with just one piece of software.
Finally what are the cost benefits of going one way or another? Well if you need portability do you have a laptop? If not then its easy to say that the software route will cost more due to the fact that a laptop will need to be included in the overall price. Workstations will range from 1 to 4 grand and will probably have better playability than most midi keyboard controllers.
If you add up software, controller and sound-card, it could be under a grand depending on how much software you buy but keep in mind that some of the really good software from East West and others can add up quick, although they have dropped their prices tremendously over the last few years. Hopefully you have gained a better sense of what each product variations could benefit you best and also help demystify the world of software based keyboard solutions. - 15634
About the Author:
For a list of my favorite software and synthesizer brands please make sure to stop by my site and say hi. I also have the top list of musical instruments keyboard on the net. musical-instruments-keyboard.com
