Usb midi keyboard

Smiley Man · 11 Jul 2006 at 20:24

hi guys

i am after a midi keyboard i can connect to my pc to make it easier when messing around with FL studio etc, i know they exist but they all seem uite pricey

is there a cheap (£30) solution? just clicking the keys on the screen isnt the same

Dr.EM · 11 Jul 2006 at 23:00

They are inherently pricey yes, and no sub £30 ones are avialable new as far as i'm aware. You may be able to pick up a bargain second hand is all I can suggest.

Vegetarian · 11 Jul 2006 at 23:54

Unless the USB Keyboard has built in sound card then you going to run in to serious latancy issues eg 1/3 to 1/2 second delay between hitting key and getting sound.... its fine if your programming in stuff not in real time.

EDIT - Have a look at this http://www.prodikeys.com/

Dr.EM · 12 Jul 2006 at 15:28

I'm not sure thats true tbh. I have an external USB-MIDI convertor and a normal MIDI keyboard and the sound is played out of the speakers immediately when a note is pressed. It depends more on the software and the sounds you are trying to trigger. We also use USB MIDI keybaords at college and there is no noticeable delay between pressing the notes on the keyboard and the sound being played from the programs VST sampler/synthesiser. I have used them for inputting drums too with no issues, and they are pretty ancient machines.

The suggested prodikeys is a neat solution, but bear in mind the mini keys may not suit you (I have problems with mini keys and don't exactly have big fingers either).