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With the price of computers falling everyday and the power that sits inside going up, the option to use them as musical instruments with midi keyboard controllers has never been greater. The vast array of choices can leave the beginner with information overload, especially when deciding which if a traditional route maybe be better than going with a computer setup. We will cover the costs of of both setups along with how expandable and portable each solution is. By the end hopefully you will have a better understanding of what a workstation or software solution can offer you and then make a sensible choice on your purchase.
All musical instruments in one way or another seem to be showing up in a digital format these days and the piano has been at the forefront of this digital age with the use of a keyboard for longer than any. The major advancements in this technology came in the 60's with the great Moog synthesizers came on the market. While these were still analog, the achievements made paved the way for digital keyboards in the decades to come. In today's market the question is not about digital versus analog but whether or not a piece of computer software can hold up against the more familiar workstations.
So that leaves us with the current set of choices that seem to be most prevalent among new keyboard purchasers. Do you buy the all in one workstation which would be considered the more traditional route or do you go the newer computer/software road. There are many things to consider before making your choice and hopefully I will be able to shed some new light on which one is right for you. First things first lets see what makes up each keyboard setup. For the workstation its simply the keyboard along with any accessories you would want to include, but for the most part everything you need is built into the synthesizer. Things are a bit more difficult for using software. Your brains of the operation will be a computer so if you want this to be portable then you will have to use 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.
As you can see deciding to use software can be mind blowing to setup correctly. Then why even consider this as a viable option? With experience using both methods I can easily say that software offers a much higher quality of sounds and can be expanded on overtime. With the purchase of the audio-card you now have the ability to turn your computer into a home studio. One way to go is to buy an M-box audio-card by Pro-Tools which would also come with Pro-Tools recording software. This would allow to record with high end software and could also be used in a live setting 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 total up the price of a keyboard controller, sound-card, and software you will probably be well under a thousand dollars on your total purchase. You do have to consider that some software can be very expensive and how many different pieces you decide to get is what will really determine what your completed price will be. Now that we have looked at both scenarios, hopefully you will be able to make a better choice as to which setup will be right for you.
All musical instruments in one way or another seem to be showing up in a digital format these days and the piano has been at the forefront of this digital age with the use of a keyboard for longer than any. The major advancements in this technology came in the 60's with the great Moog synthesizers came on the market. While these were still analog, the achievements made paved the way for digital keyboards in the decades to come. In today's market the question is not about digital versus analog but whether or not a piece of computer software can hold up against the more familiar workstations.
So that leaves us with the current set of choices that seem to be most prevalent among new keyboard purchasers. Do you buy the all in one workstation which would be considered the more traditional route or do you go the newer computer/software road. There are many things to consider before making your choice and hopefully I will be able to shed some new light on which one is right for you. First things first lets see what makes up each keyboard setup. For the workstation its simply the keyboard along with any accessories you would want to include, but for the most part everything you need is built into the synthesizer. Things are a bit more difficult for using software. Your brains of the operation will be a computer so if you want this to be portable then you will have to use 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.
As you can see deciding to use software can be mind blowing to setup correctly. Then why even consider this as a viable option? With experience using both methods I can easily say that software offers a much higher quality of sounds and can be expanded on overtime. With the purchase of the audio-card you now have the ability to turn your computer into a home studio. One way to go is to buy an M-box audio-card by Pro-Tools which would also come with Pro-Tools recording software. This would allow to record with high end software and could also be used in a live setting 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 total up the price of a keyboard controller, sound-card, and software you will probably be well under a thousand dollars on your total purchase. You do have to consider that some software can be very expensive and how many different pieces you decide to get is what will really determine what your completed price will be. Now that we have looked at both scenarios, hopefully you will be able to make a better choice as to which setup will be right for you.
About the Author:
For a directory of my favorite computer programs and workstation models please make sure to drop by my site and say hi. I also have the top directoryof musical instruments keyboard on the net. musical-instruments-keyboard.com
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