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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.
Of all of the musical instruments to choose from, none have had the ability to be used in a digital format for longer than the keyboard. Since the 60s many major achievements have been made toward the advancement of synthesizers, none bigger than the Moog which used analog circuitry and set the standard for synths to come. Over the next two decades digital technology would eventually prevail over the much larger analog snyths becoming what is now the industry standard. Today the choice between digital versus analog is more of a preference than anything else. The purist will say a digital version of the analog sound is far superior and while its always better to have the exact source, with todays digital sound banks it is doubtful they could pick out which one is which on an actual recording.
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.
Secondly you will need an audio sound card to handle the processing of the digital signal. Its possible the one built into your computer may be ok for just one signal with a half to quarter inch jack converter running into the microphone input, but chances are the latency (the time it takes for you to hit a key and have it converted and output through your speakers) will be too high to deal with. So along with a computer you will need a simple external sound card to process the signal. Add to that a midi controller and the software and you now have a solid software setup.
If you haven't noticed by now the computer setup is much more difficult to get going then the plug and play workstation. Should I even consider this as an option for me? The answer is yes! While it is more of a headache to get started, the quality of sounds and options can't be beat. Add to that the ability to add-on as much or as little as you want and this now becomes a strong candidate. The audio-card also enables recording on your computer as well. If you were to purchase an M-box audio-card then that would come with the Pro-Tools software that could be used to record or for live shows 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.
In conclusion let's discuss the pricing of each setup. First is this going to be used for live gigs or just home use. If you do plan to take it on the road then do you have a laptop? If you do not then you have to add the purchase of one into the final price. Good workstations can cost between one to four thousand dollars but they will usually have better playability than most midi controllers. If a laptop purchase is not required then it is probably a safe bet that a software solution will be cheaper.
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.
Of all of the musical instruments to choose from, none have had the ability to be used in a digital format for longer than the keyboard. Since the 60s many major achievements have been made toward the advancement of synthesizers, none bigger than the Moog which used analog circuitry and set the standard for synths to come. Over the next two decades digital technology would eventually prevail over the much larger analog snyths becoming what is now the industry standard. Today the choice between digital versus analog is more of a preference than anything else. The purist will say a digital version of the analog sound is far superior and while its always better to have the exact source, with todays digital sound banks it is doubtful they could pick out which one is which on an actual recording.
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.
Secondly you will need an audio sound card to handle the processing of the digital signal. Its possible the one built into your computer may be ok for just one signal with a half to quarter inch jack converter running into the microphone input, but chances are the latency (the time it takes for you to hit a key and have it converted and output through your speakers) will be too high to deal with. So along with a computer you will need a simple external sound card to process the signal. Add to that a midi controller and the software and you now have a solid software setup.
If you haven't noticed by now the computer setup is much more difficult to get going then the plug and play workstation. Should I even consider this as an option for me? The answer is yes! While it is more of a headache to get started, the quality of sounds and options can't be beat. Add to that the ability to add-on as much or as little as you want and this now becomes a strong candidate. The audio-card also enables recording on your computer as well. If you were to purchase an M-box audio-card then that would come with the Pro-Tools software that could be used to record or for live shows 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.
In conclusion let's discuss the pricing of each setup. First is this going to be used for live gigs or just home use. If you do plan to take it on the road then do you have a laptop? If you do not then you have to add the purchase of one into the final price. Good workstations can cost between one to four thousand dollars but they will usually have better playability than most midi controllers. If a laptop purchase is not required then it is probably a safe bet that a software solution will be cheaper.
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 list of my favorite software and workstation brands please make sure to drop by my site and say hello. I also have the best list of musical instruments keyboard on the net. musical-instruments-keyboard.com
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