Emu XL-7 & MP-7 User's Group

On Sun, 24 Jan 2010, Gabriel Scott wrote:

> My issues are of a bit simpler nature. I want to add a midi keyboard to 
> my system. I've been using just the 1oct keypad on my xl7. However, I've 
> always found that the software seems a bit "glitchy" when there's 
> anything connected to midi. So I guess my questions are...is any midi 
> keyboard the same as any other? Or are there one's that are better 
> suited to use with an xl7? Does anyone have any input, thoughts, 
> suggestions? (Budget is definitely a concern so keep that in mind if 
> that makes any difference)
==============

there's often, but not always, a correlation between price and 
quality/features. some things you may get from spending more:
  * more keys
  * better quality
  * velocity sensitivity
  * after-touch
  * pitch-bend, mod-wheel
  * better feel - if you learned to play a toy casio, it won't matter, but 
if you learned to play a nice piano, it may
  * controller knobs/sliders/buttons

a few years ago you could always find a MIDI jack, and sometimes find a 
USB jack. now USB jacks are pretty much standard, and some controller 
surfaces (including some keyboards) are skipping the MIDI jack and only 
have USB. so bear in mind what you want to connect to now, and what you 
might want to connect to in a year.

also think about size/weight portability concerns. some of the really nice 
(expensive) keyboards take two men and a boy to pick up and move around... 
the cheaper ones tend to be much lighter, but too often they're flimsy.

do you have a local music shop? check out what they have, figure out what 
features you want/need, make notes that include prices, then go online and 
read reviews.

just about any keyboard you're likely to find these days will be able to 
send on different channels and send note on/off messages. beyond that, the 
sky (or the floor) is the limit in terms of price, quality and features.

FWIW, i've got an evolution MK-249C2. i never learned to play a piano so i 
don't care that the feel/action is a bit cheap, i can plug it into linux 
directly via USB port, and it's got some knobs that are useful as 
controllers. is it the right keyboard for you? i have no idea... for me 
it's a reasonable balance between price/features/performance/quality.


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