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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>>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.<<

I like the evolutions too- the controllers are useful (especially mapped onto your proteus patchcords!). I have mine wired with a volume pedal socket, a socket on the back for a gooseneck LED so I can see the knobs on-stage, & the whole thing powered up the midi cable from a laptop supply in the back of my rack that runs all the midi peripherals using the spare connectors in the midi cabling.
(don't try this at home unless you are comfortable with this kind of engineering! the evolutions sometimes have these pins wired already, & you'd need to disassemble the keyboard for any of these mods).

they are cheap & light & seem to be able to take a kicking- I have an old black mk49 that's 15 years old & still plays nice.

duncan.

I've been quite happy using my Axiom 49 with my XL-7.  I think it cost me about $200.

What made it easy, however, was using the Enigma software that came with the keyboard to configure it via my Mac.  (A PC version was on the same CD.)  That software's made it so I haven't really had to learn how to program the Axiom directly.  (Yeah, I'm lazy.)

The other gotcha was that the keyboard doesn't come with an AC adapter, because they assume you'll be powering it via USB.  I got an adapter at Radio Shack for $20 or so.

But once that's done, it can do great things!

For instance, the eight pads on its upper right gave me an idea, and I finally have a reason to use latch-mode arpeggiation.  I have an empty pattern with three parts configured as drums with latch-mode arpeggiation enabled, one of which is tripled relative to the others.  I map the pads to those parts.  Now, that may sound simplistic, but I have it so the arps aren't NECESSARILY synced to each other.

Anyway, that serves as a DIY rhythm section, and I either map the keyboard to one other part or two other parts.

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